Ii, Finland
Ii (Finnish pronunciation: [iː]; Swedish: Ijo) is a municipality of Finland. It is situated by the Bothnian Bay, at the mouth of river Iijoki, and it is part of the Northern Ostrobothnia region. The municipality has a population of 9,768 (31 December 2023) and covers an area of 2,872.44 km2 (1,109.06 sq mi) of which 1,256.69 km2 (485.21 sq mi) is water. The population density is 6.05/km2 (15.7/sq mi).
Ii
Ijo | |
|---|---|
Municipality | |
| Iin kunta Ijo kommun | |
Roadsign marking the entrance to Ii (in uppercase) | |
|
Coat of arms | |
Location of Ii in Finland | |
| Coordinates: 65°19′N 025°22′E | |
| Country | Finland |
| Region | North Ostrobothnia |
| Sub-region | Oulunkaari |
| Charter | 1445 |
| Government | |
| • Municipal manager | Ari Alatossava |
| Area (2018-01-01) | |
| • Total | 2,872.44 km2 (1,109.06 sq mi) |
| • Land | 1,615.71 km2 (623.83 sq mi) |
| • Water | 1,256.69 km2 (485.21 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 42nd largest in Finland |
| Population (2023-12-31) | |
| • Total | 9,768 |
| • Rank | 98th largest in Finland |
| • Density | 6.05/km2 (15.7/sq mi) |
| Population by native language | |
| • Finnish | 99% (official) |
| • Swedish | 0.2% |
| • Others | 0.8% |
| Population by age | |
| • 0 to 14 | 22.5% |
| • 15 to 64 | 56.2% |
| • 65 or older | 21.3% |
| Time zone | UTC+02:00 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+03:00 (EEST) |
| Website | www |
The municipality is unilingually Finnish.
Ii merged with Kuivaniemi on 1 January 2007. The new municipality retained the name Ii, but adopted the coat of arms of Kuivaniemi. Ii is notable for having the shortest place name in Finland, and also one of the shortest ones in the world. The etymology is not definitively established; options are either Germanic origin or Sami origin. In the latter, it would mean "a place to stay overnight in"; cf. Northern Sami idja "night".
Beginning in 2008, Ii is home to the ART Ii Biennale of Northern Environmental and Sculpture Art, an international art fair.
The city has ambition to become the first zero waste town in the world, and its municipal manager claims that it does not use fossil fuels for energy.