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Kanta-Häme

Coordinates: 60°50′N 24°15′E / 60.833°N 24.250°E / 60.833; 24.250
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kanta-Häme
Egentliga Tavastland
Tavastia Proper
Region of Kanta-Häme
Kanta-Hämeen maakunta (Finnish)
Landskapet Egentliga Tavastland (Swedish)
Flag of Kanta-Häme
Coat of arms of Kanta-Häme
Kanta-Häme on a map of Finland
Kanta-Häme on a map of Finland
Coordinates: 60°50′N 24°15′E / 60.833°N 24.250°E / 60.833; 24.250
CountryFinland
Historical provinceTavastia
CapitalHämeenlinna
Other townsForssa and Riihimäki
Area
 • Total5,706.39 km2 (2,203.25 sq mi)
Population
 (2019)
 • Total170,925
 • Density30/km2 (78/sq mi)
GDP
 • Total€5.494 billion (2015)
 • Per capita€31,389 (2015)
ISO 3166 codeFI-06
NUTS184
Regional animalEurasian lynx (Lynx lynx)
Regional birdOsprey (Pandion haliaetus)
Regional fishCarp bream (Abramis brama)
Regional flowerPasqueflower (Pulsatilla patens)
Regional stoneGraphic feldspar
Regional lakeLake Vanajavesi
Websitehameenliitto.fi

Kanta-Häme (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈkɑn̪t̪ɑˌhæme̞(ʔ)]; Swedish: Egentliga Tavastland), sometimes referred to by the obsolete Tavastia Proper[2] or as the Häme region,[3] is a region (maakunta / landskap) of Finland. It borders the regions of Southwest Finland, Pirkanmaa, Päijät-Häme, and Uusimaa.

Hämeenlinna is the largest urban area in the region. There are two other municipalities that have township status: Riihimäki and Forssa.

Historical provinces

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The Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) is a regional animal of Kanta-Häme.

The Kanta-Hame region has been inhabited since the Stone Age. The first written mention of the historical province of Tavastia is found in the Chronicle of Novgorod, in reference to a military campaign launched by Prince Vladimir in 1042.  The region had been ruled by the Swedes since the late 13th century, when Birger Jarl led the Second Crusade against the inhabitants of the historical province of Tavastia. In the 14th century, Häme became a fiefdom with Häme Castle as its administrative seat. When Finland was taken from Sweden by the Russians in 1809, Tavastia itself became part of the Russian Empire. Russian rule ended in 1917.[3]

Heraldry

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Kanta-Häme uses the arms of the old historical province Tavastia.

Geography

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The landscape of Kanta-Häme has many of the characteristics of Finnish Lakeland. The province belongs almost entirely to the Kokemäenjoki water basin. The largest lake is Lake Vanajavesi, which receives water from Lammi, Hausjärvi, Loppi and Janakkala from the southeast. The north-eastern part of the province belongs to the so-called Hauho route, whose waters flow into Vanajavesi through Pälkäne and Valkeakoski. In addition to Lake Vanajavesi, the largest lakes in this region are Lake Kuohijärvi, Lake Pyhäjärvi, Lake Iso Roinevesi, Lake Hauhonselkä, Lake Ilmoilanselkä and Lake Lehijärvi in Hattula. In the southwestern part of the province, Lake Loimijoki rises in the Tammela and Forssa areas and flows through Loima and Huittisten into Kokemäenjoki. The largest lake in the southwestern part of Häme is Lake Pyhäjärvi in Tammela, where the Loimijoki originates. In Riihimäki and the southern part of Lope, the headwaters of River Vantaanjoki flow south into the Gulf of Finland.

Torronsuo and Liesjärvi National Parks are located in Kanta-Häme, both in the southwest of the province in Tammela.

Culture

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Kanta-Häme region is well known for the preserved tradition of brewing sahti.[4][5]

Municipalities

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The region of Kanta-Häme consists of 11 municipalities, three of which have city status (marked in bold).

Municipalities on the map

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Cities and municipalities of Kanta-Häme.
Municipalities
Municipalities
 > 30 000 inhabitants
 > 30 000 inhabitants
 > 10 000 inhabitants
 > 10 000 inhabitants
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Cities and municipalities of Kanta-Häme.

Sub-regions

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Municipalities listed

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Coat of
arms
Municipality Population Land area
(km2)
Density
(/km2)
Finnish
speakers
Swedish
speakers
Other
speakers
Coat of arms of Forssa Forssa 16,450 249 66 92 % 0.3 % 8 %
Coat of arms of Hattula Hattula 9,358 358 26 97 % 0.4 % 2 %
Coat of arms of Hausjärvi Hausjärvi 7,884 389 20 97 % 0.4 % 4 %
Coat of arms of Humppila Humppila 2,096 148 14 99 % 0.2 % 2 %
Coat of arms of Hämeenlinna Hämeenlinna 68,296 1,785 38 93 % 0.4 % 7 %
Coat of arms of Janakkala Janakkala 16,083 547 29 96 % 0.4 % 4 %
Coat of arms of Jokioinen Jokioinen 4,888 180 27 97 % 0.5 % 4 %
Coat of arms of Loppi Loppi 7,693 598 13 96 % 0.5 % 3 %
Coat of arms of Riihimäki Riihimäki 28,638 121 237 92 % 0.4 % 7 %
Coat of arms of Tammela Tammela 5,819 641 9 97 % 0.2 % 3 %
Coat of arms of Ypäjä Ypäjä 2,202 183 12 97 % 0.5 % 2 %
Total 169,407 5,199 32.6 94 % 0.4 % 6 %

Politics

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Results of the 2019 Finnish parliamentary election in Kanta-Häme:

References

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  1. ^ Regions and Cities > Regional Statistics > Regional Economy > Regional GDP per Capita, OECD.Stats. Accessed on 16 November 2018.
  2. ^ "Luokitus: Maakunnat 2021 | Tilastokeskus".
  3. ^ a b "What is Häme?". Visit Häme.
  4. ^ "Kanta-Häme" (in Finnish). Ruokatieto. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  5. ^ "Maakuntien parhaat: Kanta-Häme" (in Finnish). K-Ruoka. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
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