Alavus
Alavus (Swedish: Alavo) is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Southern Ostrobothnia region, 52 kilometres (32 mi) southeast of Seinäjoki, 138 kilometres (86 mi) north of Tampere and 319 kilometres (198 mi) north of Helsinki. The town has a population of 10,935 (31 December 2023) and covers an area of 1,151.46 square kilometres (444.58 sq mi) of which 52.31 km2 (20.20 sq mi) is water. The population density is 10.06 inhabitants per square kilometre (26.1/sq mi). Neighbouring municipalities are Alajärvi, Kuortane, Seinäjoki, Virrat and Ähtäri.
Alavus
Alavo | |
|---|---|
Town | |
| Alavuden kaupunki Alavo stad | |
Former Alavus city hall, demolished in 2021 | |
|
Coat of arms | |
Location of Alavus in Finland | |
| Coordinates: 62°35.5′N 023°37′E | |
| Country | Finland |
| Region | Southern Ostrobothnia |
| Sub-region | Kuusiokunnat sub-region |
| Charter | 1865 |
| Market town | 1974 |
| Town privileges | 1977 |
| Government | |
| • Town manager | Liisa Heinämäki |
| Area (2018-01-01) | |
| • Total | 1,151.46 km2 (444.58 sq mi) |
| • Land | 1,087.23 km2 (419.78 sq mi) |
| • Water | 52.31 km2 (20.20 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 71st largest in Finland |
| Population (2023-12-31) | |
| • Total | 10,935 |
| • Rank | 90th largest in Finland |
| • Density | 10.06/km2 (26.1/sq mi) |
| Population by native language | |
| • Finnish | 97.8% (official) |
| • Swedish | 0.1% |
| • Others | 2.2% |
| Population by age | |
| • 0 to 14 | 16.7% |
| • 15 to 64 | 54.6% |
| • 65 or older | 28.7% |
| Time zone | UTC+02:00 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+03:00 (EEST) |
| Website | www.alavus.fi |
Agriculture and forestry employ a significant share of the population. Most of the industry in Alavus is related to construction: materials, design and contractors. Alavus has 60 lakes with 324 kilometres (201 mi) of shoreline. The town is unilingually Finnish.