Haparanda
Haparanda (Swedish: [hapaˈrǎnːda]; Finnish: Haaparanta, lit. 'aspen shore or bank') is a locality and the seat of Haparanda Municipality in Norrbotten County, Sweden. It is adjacent to Tornio, Finland. Haparanda had a population of 4,856 in 2010, out of a municipal total of 10,200 inhabitants.
Haparanda | |
|---|---|
Haparanda railway station | |
Haparanda Haparanda | |
| Coordinates: 65°50′N 024°08′E | |
| Country | Sweden |
| Province | Norrbotten |
| County | Norrbotten County |
| Municipality | Haparanda Municipality |
| Area | |
| • Total | 4.43 km2 (1.71 sq mi) |
| Population (31 December 2010) | |
| • Total | 4,856 |
| • Density | 1,097/km2 (2,840/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
Haparanda is located at the northerly extreme of the Swedish coastline, far removed from large cities. Its summers are very mild for a coastal location so far north, and winters are normally not extremely cold in spite of the relative proximity to the Arctic Circle.
As a twin city, Haparanda has strong connections to Tornio and the Finnish side of the river and bilingualism of Swedish and Finnish is common although Swedish is the sole official language and the mother tongue of a vast majority of inhabitants. In 2010, it was estimated that 70% of Haparanda's inhabitants spoke Finnish as a second language.
Haparanda, for historical reasons, is often still referred to as a "city" despite its small population, although Statistics Sweden only counts localities with more than 10,000 inhabitants as cities. The municipality itself, on the other hand, uses the term Haparanda stad (City of Haparanda) not only for the town itself, but for its whole territory (927 km2 or 358 sq mi). At 24° 8' E, Haparanda is Sweden's easternmost settlement.