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Satakunta
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<h2 id="heraldry">Heraldry</h2> <p>The arms are crowned by a ducal coronet, though in Finnish tradition this resembles a Swedish count's coronet. Blazon: "Per fess Azure and Or, a bear rampant Sable, armed and langued Gules, crowned Or, holding in both paws a sword Argent, sword handle Or; surmounted by two mullets of seven Argent".<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="history">History</h2> <p>According to one theory, Satakunta was a political and military entity already in the <a href="/facts/Late_Iron_Age/mpQYShI0">Late Iron Age</a> of Finland (550 - 1150 AD). During the 13th century, the Swedish rule was consolidated. At the same time, the coastal strip received some Swedish inhabitants, who however were assimilated in the mainstream Finnish population. The remnant of the influx can be seen in some of the <a href="/facts/Toponyms_of_Finland/Mz9alUFD">toponyms</a> in coastal Satakunta (e.g. <a href="/facts/Noormarkku/IF5S75Ce">Noormarkku</a> < <a href="/facts/Swedish_language/1DkSIXkH">Swedish</a>: <i>Norrmark</i>). Genetically connections to Scandinavia seem to be relatively strong. <a href="/facts/Haplogroup_I-M253/A67Wgsub">Haplogroup I1 (Y-DNA)</a>, which is typically Scandinavian, is very common in Satakunta. The common ancestor with the closest (rare) Scandinavian branches lived at least 2300 years ago.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a> </p><p>During the Middle Ages, the major cities of the province were <a href="/facts/Ulvila/tenSnyfu">Ulvila</a>, established in the 14th century and <a href="/facts/Rauma%2c_Finland/FAjDIdlH">Rauma</a>, established 1442. Due to the rising of land, the former was left inland and lost its access to the sea. Consequently, the city of <a href="/facts/Pori/5YufTe1w">Pori</a> was founded to the coast by <a href="/facts/Johan_III_of_Sweden/eb0MC7sY">Johan</a>, <a href="/facts/Grand_Duke_of_Finland/uhhcGDoF">Grand Duke of Finland</a> in 1558. Administratively, the province lost its function in 1649 when it was combined with <a href="/facts/Southwest_Finland/EPVbrnkE">Southwest Finland</a> to form <a href="/facts/Turku_and_Pori_County/FLzwu8R8">Turku and Pori County</a>. In the 19th century, the eastern parts of the province were transferred to the <a href="/facts/Tavastia_(historical_province)/5XKdA0CW">Tavastia</a> County. At the present, the eastern part of the old province has formed the region of <a href="/facts/Pirkanmaa/d2XPRQSF">Pirkanmaa</a> and the western part forms the region of Satakunta. </p><p>Satakunta, with the rest of Finland, was separated from Sweden when Finland was ceded to <a href="/facts/Russia/jfkCwyxn">Russia</a> in 1809. During the era of Autonomy (1809–1917), the province experienced slow industrialization, Pori becoming the most important industrial city of the region. The forest and textile industries dominated the business life. In addition, the merchants of Rauma and Pori had impressively large fleets of sailpowered merchantmen, which made up a large fraction of the total merchant navy of the Russian empire. The large-scale use of sail ships continued until the 1930s, even while the steampower started to dominate the international seatraffic. The building of the <a href="/facts/Tampere/2nnkIHSj">Tampere</a>–<a href="/facts/Pori/5YufTe1w">Pori</a> and <a href="/facts/Kokem%25C3%25A4ki/nPS98FEz">Kokemäki</a>–<a href="/facts/Rauma%2c_Finland/FAjDIdlH">Rauma</a> railroads connected the province into Finnish inland and diminished the importance of unnavigable <a href="/facts/Kokem%25C3%25A4enjoki/rp23XYRv">Kokemäenjoki</a> river as a means of transport. After this, the ports of Rauma and Pori have remained among the most important export ports for the Finnish industry. </p><p>The development of agriculture towards <a href="/facts/Market_economy/d56S7haK">market-based economy</a> was started during the 18th century, when crop rotation and large-scale drainage projects were initiated. At the same time, clearing of forests for agricultural use continued, leading into the formation of a large crofter class (<a href="/facts/Finnish_language/lBuEIgs0">Finnish</a>: <i>torppari</i>), living on small-holdings rented from larger farms. During the 19th century the social divisions among the rural population deepened. Consequently, in <a href="/facts/Finnish_Civil_War/aSkxxgmU">Finnish Civil War</a> of 1918, Satakunta formed an important part of Red Finland. </p><p>Since independence, the development of Satakunta has followed the general Finnish pattern. The rural areas have suffered from the drain of young population towards population centers, which until the early 1990s benefited the industrial cities of Rauma, <a href="/facts/Harjavalta/5WupMkC4">Harjavalta</a> and Pori with their surroundings.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a> The metal and forest industries expanded steadily, necessitating the building of the nuclear plant at <a href="/facts/Olkiluoto/IQBtK7U8">Olkiluoto</a>. The increase of industrial production was not fully without problems, however. Especially the area around Harjavalta copper–nickel smelting plant suffered heavily from <a href="/facts/Acid_rain/f769GyNz">acid rain</a> and Kokemäenjoki became heavily polluted. These problems have been controlled to large extent since the 1980s.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a> </p><p>Since the 1990s, the traditional industries of the region have more or less stagnated and the relative importance of her cities has dwindled. One of the perceived reasons for this development has been the fact that Satakunta lacks a university of its own.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9"><sup>9</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="municipalities">Municipalities</h2> <p class="note">Main article: <a href="/facts/Municipalities_of_Satakunta/k3oM9zNN">Municipalities of Satakunta</a></p> <p>The region of Satakunta consists of 16 <a href="/facts/Municipalities_of_Finland/dqF8lPBT">municipalities</a>, 7 of which have city status (marked in bold). </p> <h3>Municipalities on the map</h3> <h3>Sub-regions</h3> <p><a href="/facts/Northern_Satakunta/hcc77Flw">Northern Satakunta sub-region</a>: </p> <ul><li><a href="/facts/J%25C3%25A4mij%25C3%25A4rvi/po52eHNk"></a> <a href="/facts/J%25C3%25A4mij%25C3%25A4rvi/po52eHNk">Jämijärvi</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Kankaanp%25C3%25A4%25C3%25A4/x7HRBB9H"></a> <a href="/facts/Kankaanp%25C3%25A4%25C3%25A4/x7HRBB9H">Kankaanpää</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Karvia/jXJuFqY5"></a> <a href="/facts/Karvia/jXJuFqY5">Karvia</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Siikainen/s46RHwHY"></a> <a href="/facts/Siikainen/s46RHwHY">Siikainen</a> (<i>Siikais</i>)</li></ul> <p><a href="/facts/Rauma_sub-region/ebJFtqAw">Rauma sub-region</a>: </p> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Eura/qBDPClnD"></a> <a href="/facts/Eura/qBDPClnD">Eura</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Eurajoki/SwDCstrC"></a> <a href="/facts/Eurajoki/SwDCstrC">Eurajoki</a> (<i>Euraåminne</i>)</li> <li> <a href="/facts/Rauma%2c_Finland/FAjDIdlH">Rauma</a> (<i>Raumo</i>)</li> <li><a href="/facts/S%25C3%25A4kyl%25C3%25A4/pJ5DBzHX"></a> <a href="/facts/S%25C3%25A4kyl%25C3%25A4/pJ5DBzHX">Säkylä</a></li></ul> <p><a href="/facts/Pori_sub-region/GWYT81cP">Pori sub-region</a>: </p> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Harjavalta/5WupMkC4"></a> <a href="/facts/Harjavalta/5WupMkC4">Harjavalta</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Huittinen/TyaWxJA5"></a> <a href="/facts/Huittinen/TyaWxJA5">Huittinen</a> (<i>Vittis</i>)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Kokem%25C3%25A4ki/nPS98FEz"></a> <a href="/facts/Kokem%25C3%25A4ki/nPS98FEz">Kokemäki</a> (<i>Kumo</i>)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Merikarvia/Xgmpz6BR"></a> <a href="/facts/Merikarvia/Xgmpz6BR">Merikarvia</a> (<i>Sastmola</i>)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Nakkila/aKrrjfUm"></a> <a href="/facts/Nakkila/aKrrjfUm">Nakkila</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Pomarkku/qYKPRwdu"></a> <a href="/facts/Pomarkku/qYKPRwdu">Pomarkku</a> (<i>Påmark</i>)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Pori/5YufTe1w"></a> <a href="/facts/Pori/5YufTe1w">Pori</a> (<i>Björneborg</i>)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Ulvila/tenSnyfu"></a> <a href="/facts/Ulvila/tenSnyfu">Ulvila</a> (<i>Ulvsby</i>)</li></ul> <h3>Municipalities listed</h3> <table><tbody><tr><th>Coat ofarms</th><th>Municipality</th><th>Population</th><th>Land area(km2)</th><th>Density(/km2)</th><th>Finnishspeakers</th><th>Swedishspeakers</th><th>Otherspeakers</th></tr><tr><td></td><td><a href="/facts/Eura/qBDPClnD">Eura</a></td><td>11,090</td><td>579</td><td>19</td><td>95 %</td><td>0.2 %</td><td>5 %</td></tr><tr><td></td><td><a href="/facts/Eurajoki/SwDCstrC">Eurajoki</a></td><td>9,034</td><td>515</td><td>18</td><td>96 %</td><td>0.3 %</td><td>4 %</td></tr><tr><td></td><td><a href="/facts/Harjavalta/5WupMkC4">Harjavalta</a></td><td>6,612</td><td>123</td><td>54</td><td>95 %</td><td>0.2 %</td><td>5 %</td></tr><tr><td></td><td><a href="/facts/Huittinen/TyaWxJA5">Huittinen</a></td><td>9,588</td><td>533</td><td>18</td><td>94 %</td><td>0.2 %</td><td>6 %</td></tr><tr><td></td><td><a href="/facts/J%25C3%25A4mij%25C3%25A4rvi/po52eHNk">Jämijärvi</a></td><td>1,668</td><td>215</td><td>8</td><td>96 %</td><td>0 %</td><td>3 %</td></tr><tr><td></td><td><a href="/facts/Kankaanp%25C3%25A4%25C3%25A4/x7HRBB9H">Kankaanpää</a></td><td>12,549</td><td>1,021</td><td>12</td><td>92 %</td><td>0.1 %</td><td>7 %</td></tr><tr><td></td><td><a href="/facts/Karvia/jXJuFqY5">Karvia</a></td><td>2,166</td><td>502</td><td>4</td><td>95 %</td><td>0 %</td><td>5 %</td></tr><tr><td></td><td><a href="/facts/Kokem%25C3%25A4ki/nPS98FEz">Kokemäki</a></td><td>6,670</td><td>480</td><td>14</td><td>96 %</td><td>0.3 %</td><td>4 %</td></tr><tr><td></td><td><a href="/facts/Merikarvia/Xgmpz6BR">Merikarvia</a></td><td>2,888</td><td>446</td><td>6</td><td>96 %</td><td>0.5 %</td><td>4 %</td></tr><tr><td></td><td><a href="/facts/Nakkila/aKrrjfUm">Nakkila</a></td><td>4,929</td><td>183</td><td>27</td><td>97 %</td><td>0.6 %</td><td>2 %</td></tr><tr><td></td><td><a href="/facts/Pomarkku/qYKPRwdu">Pomarkku</a></td><td>1,933</td><td>301</td><td>6</td><td>98 %</td><td>0 %</td><td>2 %</td></tr><tr><td></td><td><a href="/facts/Pori/5YufTe1w">Pori</a></td><td>83,226</td><td>1,156</td><td>72</td><td>94 %</td><td>0.6 %</td><td>6 %</td></tr><tr><td></td><td><a href="/facts/Rauma%2c_Finland/FAjDIdlH">Rauma</a></td><td>39,031</td><td>496</td><td>79</td><td>90 %</td><td>0.3 %</td><td>9 %</td></tr><tr><td></td><td><a href="/facts/Siikainen/s46RHwHY">Siikainen</a></td><td>1,257</td><td>463</td><td>3</td><td>99 %</td><td>0 %</td><td>2 %</td></tr><tr><td></td><td><a href="/facts/S%25C3%25A4kyl%25C3%25A4/pJ5DBzHX">Säkylä</a></td><td>6,234</td><td>407</td><td>15</td><td>95 %</td><td>0.3 %</td><td>5 %</td></tr><tr><td></td><td><a href="/facts/Ulvila/tenSnyfu">Ulvila</a></td><td>12,326</td><td>401</td><td>31</td><td>97 %</td><td>0.3 %</td><td>3 %</td></tr><tr><th></th><th>Total</th><th>211,201</th><th>7,823</th><th>27</th><th>94 %</th><th>0.4 %</th><th>6 %</th></tr></tbody></table> <h2 id="politics">Politics</h2> <p>Results of the <a href="/facts/2023_Finnish_parliamentary_election/h6AXV4k1">2023 Finnish parliamentary election</a> in Satakunta:<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10"><sup>10</sup></a> </p> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Finns_Party/SFofBnqU">Finns Party</a> 26.6%</li> <li><a href="/facts/Social_Democratic_Party_of_Finland/neRwsrs3">Social Democratic Party</a> 24.6%</li> <li><a href="/facts/National_Coalition_Party/L7RHyP2x">National Coalition Party</a> 17.0%</li> <li><a href="/facts/Centre_Party_(Finland)/1FfaHWvg">Centre Party</a> 13.9%</li> <li><a href="/facts/Left_Alliance_(Finland)/uWRk1aFm">Left Alliance</a> 8.3%</li> <li><a href="/facts/Christian_Democrats_(Finland)/40nsKfFy">Christian Democrats</a> 3.2%</li> <li><a href="/facts/Green_League/a6hhDe9y">Green League</a> 2.7%</li> <li><a href="/facts/Movement_Now/EQXVd9VD">Movement Now</a> 1.8%</li> <li><a href="/facts/Freedom_Alliance_(Finland)/XXLeeKIj">Freedom Alliance</a> 1.2%</li> <li><a href="/facts/Swedish_People%2527s_Party_of_Finland/1blhPMJy">Swedish People's Party</a> 0.3%</li> <li>Other parties 0.3%</li></ul> <h2 id="geography">Geography</h2> <p>The exact borders of Satakunta towards Southwest Finland, Ostrobothnia and Southern Tavastia are rather well-defined. However, this is not the case with the Northern Tavastia, i.e. in the modern day region of <a href="/facts/Pirkanmaa/d2XPRQSF">Pirkanmaa</a>. This is because northern parts of Pirkanmaa were only sparsely inhabited wilderness and the borders of the provinces were never well defined before the introduction of <a href="/facts/Counties_of_Sweden/AuXtPdgK">county system</a> in 1634. In that year, the border between <a href="/facts/Turku_and_Pori_County/FLzwu8R8">Turku and Pori County</a> which included Satakunta, and Uusimaa and Tavastia county was rather arbitrarily drawn in <a href="/facts/Tammerkoski/EnmD2Hyz">Tammerkoski</a>. To further complicate matters, <a href="/facts/Tampere/2nnkIHSj">Tampere</a> with her surroundings was transferred to Tavastia Province in the 19th century. As a result, the region around <a href="/facts/Ikaalinen/oM8tXCPX">Ikaalinen</a> and <a href="/facts/Parkano/eleKqvRX">Parkano</a> is variously described as being part of Satakunta, Tavastia, <i>Sata-Häme</i> or Pirkanmaa. </p> <p>Satakunta is characterized by a strong contrast of coast and inland areas. The southernmost part of the coast is flanked by the <a href="/facts/Archipelago/50BeC9tl">archipelago</a> of <a href="/facts/Rauma%2c_Finland/FAjDIdlH">Rauma</a> but towards north, the number of coastal islands decreases markedly. The seabed is flat and due to this, the still-continuing post-glacial rising is perceivable even during a single person's lifetime. The dominating feature of the northern coast of Satakunta is the <a href="/facts/River_delta/fmWuaRqX">delta</a> of <a href="/facts/Kokem%25C3%25A4enjoki/rp23XYRv">Kokemäenjoki</a> northwest of the town of <a href="/facts/Pori/5YufTe1w">Pori</a>. </p><p>The valley of river Kokemäenjoki and the area south of it form one of the most important agricultural regions of Finland. The main crops are <a href="/facts/Rye/LwdwSNcp">rye</a>, <a href="/facts/Barley/GH7X2qtG">barley</a>, <a href="/facts/Potato/F8jRVExs">potato</a> and <a href="/facts/Sugar_beet/Rzcof5lb">sugar beet</a>. On the other hand, north of Kokemäenjoki valley, forests dominate the landscape and population density is much lower than in southern Satakunta. Towards inland, the flat agricultural plain gives way to a more hilly landscape blotted by lakes. In this area, the population centers are located along the most important waterways, as a result of the original inhabitation period. </p> <h2 id="economy">Economy</h2> <p>In 2019, the biggest tax payers in Satakunta were <a href="/facts/Boliden_AB/flbKyn5g">Boliden</a> Harjavalta, Raumaster, Forchem, Länsi-Suomen <a href="/facts/Osuuspankki/ysuG3ech">Osuuspankki</a>, <a href="/facts/Oras_(company)/hvpVDDkq">Oras</a>, <a href="/facts/Alfa_Laval/MC34tBCu">Alfa Laval</a> Aalborg and <a href="/facts/L%25C3%25A4hiTapiola/4IcEtoUH">LähiTapiola</a> Lännen.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11"><sup>11</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> <p> Media related to Satakunta at Wikimedia Commons Satakunta travel guide from Wikivoyage </p> <ul><li><a href="http://www.satakunta.fi/">Regional Council of Satakunta website</a></li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>"Luokitus: Maakunnat 2021 | Tilastokeskus". <a href="https://www.stat.fi/meta/luokitukset/maakunta/001-2018/index_sv.html" target="_blank">https://www.stat.fi/meta/luokitukset/maakunta/001-2018/index_sv.html</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>Jacob Ziegler: Schondia: id est regionum et populorum SeptlntÍionalium perutilis áescriptio. Strasbourg, 1532. <a href="/wiki/Jacob_Ziegler" target="_blank">/wiki/Jacob_Ziegler</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>"Satakunta 101 | Finland". www.finland101.com. Retrieved 2025-02-12. <a href="https://www.finland101.com/page/satakunta" target="_blank">https://www.finland101.com/page/satakunta</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>"Europeana Heraldica". extranet.narc.fi (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 2020-06-21. Retrieved 19 August 2024. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200621055953/http://extranet.narc.fi/heraldica/vaakuna.php?id=4" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20200621055953/http://extranet.narc.fi/heraldica/vaakuna.php?id=4</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>"I-L287 YTree". <a href="https://www.yfull.com/tree/I-L287/" target="_blank">https://www.yfull.com/tree/I-L287/</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>Rapo, Markus. "Statistics Finland - Population Structure 2021". stat.fi. Retrieved 2025-02-12. <a href="https://stat.fi/til/vaerak/2021/vaerak_2021_2022-03-31_tie_001_en.html" target="_blank">https://stat.fi/til/vaerak/2021/vaerak_2021_2022-03-31_tie_001_en.html</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>Lounais-Suomen metsäohjelma. P. 34. Retrieved 11-19-2007. (in Finnish) <a href="http://www.metsakeskus.fi/NR/rdonlyres/AB540D22-F437-4CB2-A037-48CDE9379217/5944/amo_2006_2011.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.metsakeskus.fi/NR/rdonlyres/AB540D22-F437-4CB2-A037-48CDE9379217/5944/amo_2006_2011.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:8"><p>Kokemäenjoen päästötasot romahtaneet. Waternet 1/2007. The magazine is a PR-publication of Finnish chemicals manufacturer, but the fact that the pollution levels of Kokemäenjoki have indeed gone down is correct. Retrieved 11-19-2007. (in Finnish) <a href="http://www.kemira.com/NR/rdonlyres/2871DBC8-4A24-42A9-BD60-A0EA45AAE697/0/WATERNET_107_low.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.kemira.com/NR/rdonlyres/2871DBC8-4A24-42A9-BD60-A0EA45AAE697/0/WATERNET_107_low.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:9"><p>Satakunnan alueellinen tavoiteohjelma. Satakuntaliiton julkaisu A:219. Retrieved 11-19-2007. (in Finnish) <a href="http://www.pori.fi/kirjasto/satakuntaliitto/a219.htm" target="_blank">http://www.pori.fi/kirjasto/satakuntaliitto/a219.htm</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:10"><p>"Satakunnan vaalipiiri, ehdokasasettajakohtaiset tulokset". <a href="https://tulospalvelu.vaalit.fi/EKV-2023/fi/vptulos_04.html" target="_blank">https://tulospalvelu.vaalit.fi/EKV-2023/fi/vptulos_04.html</a> <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:11"><p>"Rauman seudulla paljon suuria yhteisöveron maksajia: Raumaster, Forchem, Osuuspankki, Oras ja niin edelleen". LS24 (in Finnish). 2019-11-04. Retrieved 2021-05-27. <a href="https://ls24.fi/uutiset/rauman-seudulla-paljon-suuria-yhteisoveron-maksajia-raumaster-forchem-osuuspankki-oras-ja-niin-edelleen" target="_blank">https://ls24.fi/uutiset/rauman-seudulla-paljon-suuria-yhteisoveron-maksajia-raumaster-forchem-osuuspankki-oras-ja-niin-edelleen</a> <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>