The Area and its natural conditions

The geographical area of NOREC consists of the province of North Ostrobothnia in Northern Finland, the province reaching across the entire country all the way from the western border, the Gulf of Bothnia, to the eastern border shared by Russian Karelia. The climate in the area is cool with long winters and cool and bright summers, and the region is part of the northern coniferous zone.

Some figures

The area of North Ostrobothnia covers some 37, 000 km² . There are approximately 7,400 lakes in the region, with a total water area amounting to 2,300 km². The percentage of the terrain covered by the lakes is 6.3% (the figure for the whole country is 9.4%). The length of the rivers in the area is 1,900 km, whereas the length of the shoreline reaches a total of 14,000 km.

The scenery

The western region of the area is characterized by the small number of watercourses, the majority of which are rivers, the lakes being mostly located in the eastern part. The scenery is typically flat, the percentage of marshland is great, and the population is mostly situated close to the rivers.

The southern region with its river valleys is typically farming country, whereas the northeastern parts of the area are characterized by the presence of wilderness, hill and fell country, and scarcity of population.

Rising land and marshland

The conditions for the living organisms around the Gulf of Bothnia are strongly affected by rising land and brackish water. The low ground level and the ice cover lasting approximately 7 months each year have an additional impact on the exceptional situation in the coastal areas. The coastal plants emerging onto the beaches as a result of the land rising from the sea are a globally rare phenomenon.

Another globally valuable matter is the existence of Liminganlahti (see photo). This wetland area situated on the coast near the city of Oulu is famous for the multitudes of birds visiting and residing there. The entire North Ostrobothnia is also well known for the large proportion of marshland (over 60% of certain parts of the area is covered by marshland).

The Bay of Liminganlahti, Northern Ostrobothnia. Photo Jorma Pessa.

Rivers and small watercourses

The majority of the endangered species found in North Ostrobothnia inhabit the forests and the marshland regions. The largest rivers in the area, the Rivers Oulujoki and lijoki among them, have long since been exploited by power production. The Kiiminkijoki River is an example of the smaller river flowing freely and having typically dark waters with a high humus content. The area as a whole has a large number of relatively well preserved, valuable small watercourses. The status of the watercourses in the area is mainly good. Industrial emissions into the air and waters have decreased.

Population and industries

North Ostrobothnia is typically farmine and forestry country. The few more densely populated centres in the area have, however, significant industrial facilities specialized in the field of wood processing, steel, chemistry, and electronics industry.

The provincial capital, Oulu, is particularly well-known for the electronics companies operating in the city.

The number of municipalities in the area amounts to 42 with approximately a total of 360,000 inhabitants, which means that the area is extremely thinly populated with an average population density of about 10 inh./km².