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Rovaniemi (Roavenjarga in Sami) is the administrative capital and the centre of commerce of Finland's northernmost Province, Lapland. It is situated close to the Arctic Circle and between the hills of Ounasvaara and Korkalovaara , at the confluence of the Kemijoki River and its tributary, the Ounasjoki River. Due to its advantageous location it is the starting point of the Great Arctic Highway. The city is completely surrounded by Rovaniemen maalaiskuntaRovaniemen maalaiskunta Rovaniemi landskommun in Swedish) is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Lapland. The municipality has a population of 21,803 and covers an area of 7,915. 51 km² of which 409. 06 km² is water. The population (Rural municipality of Rovaniemi). The two municipalities will be joined into one on January 1January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Here a calendar year refers to the order in which the months are displayed, January to December. The first day of the medieval Julian year was usually a day other, 20062006 is a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). It has been designated: The International Year of Deserts and Desertification Predicted events January 9 Planned launch date of New Horizons February 28 Mardi Gras February 9 Independence r. and the new municipality will have an area of 7 900 km² and an approximate population of 57 000.

The word Rovaniemi has often been considered to be of Lappish origin, as "roavve" in Sami denotes a forested ridge or hill or the site of an old forest fire. In the dialects of southern Lapland, however, "rova" means a heap of stones, a rock or a group of rocks in a stretch of rapids, or even a sauna stove.

1 History

There has probably been continuous settlement in the Rovaniemi area since the Stone AgeThe Stone Age is that ancient time period during which, humans created tools from stone (for lack of better technology). Wood, bones and other materials would also be used, but stone (in particular flint) was shaped for use as cutting tools and weapons.. Periodic clearance of new land for agricultureFarming, ploughing rice paddy, in Indonesia Agriculture is the process of producing food, feed, fiber and other desired products by cultivation of certain plants and the raising of domesticated animals (livestock). Agriculture is also known as farming . and the practice of slash-and-burn cultivation began around 750-530 B.C. Artifacts found in the area suggest that an increasing number of travellers from KareliaThis article is about Karelia the land of the Karelians, in its broadest meaning. See Karelia (disambiguation) for other and more specific usages. Karelia is the land of the Karelian people, that inhabitated vast areas in Northern Europe, of historical si in the east, Häme in the south and the Arctic OceanThe Arctic Ocean located entirely in the north polar region, is the smallest of the world's five oceans (after the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, and Southern Ocean), and the shallowest. It occupies a roughly circular basin and covers an are coast in the north must have come there from 500 A.D. onwards. The Sami are considered to be Lapland's own indigenous population.

The exploitation of Lapland's natural resources in the 1800s boosted Rovaniemi's growth. Extensive logging sites and gold fever attracted thousands of people to Lapland. As the mining of natural resources was increased, Rovaniemi became the business centre of the Province of Lapland.

In the Lapland War, during the Second World War, approximately 90% of the total property in the town was destroyed by German troops. The rebuilding of Rovaniemi began in 1946. Several public and private buildings designed by the Finnish architect Alvar Aalto have been erected in the town. One example is the Administrative and Cultural Centre, which comprises the City Hall, the Lappia Hall (housing the City Theatre, Orchestra and Congress Hall), and the Provincial Library.