Raahe
| Raahe | ||
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| Town | ||
| Raahen kaupunki | ||
Raahe Church and statue of Per Brahe
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 Location of Raahe in Finland |
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| Coordinates: 64°41′N 024°28′E / 64.683°N 24.467°ECoordinates: 64°41′N 024°28′E / 64.683°N 24.467°E | ||
| Country |
 Finland
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| Region | Northern Ostrobothnia | |
| Sub-region | Raahe sub-region | |
| Charter | 1649 | |
| Government | ||
| • City manager | Kari Karjalainen | |
| Area (2016-01-01) | ||
| • Total | 1,014.26 km2 (391.61 sq mi) | |
| • Land | 528.49 km2 (204.05 sq mi) | |
| • Water | 870.77 km2 (336.21 sq mi) | |
| Area rank | 77th largest in Finland | |
| Population (2016-03-31) | ||
| • Total | 25,126 | |
| • Rank | 42nd largest in Finland | |
| • Density | 47.54/km2 (123.1/sq mi) | |
| Population by native language | ||
| • Finnish | 98.5% (official) | |
| • Swedish | 0.1% | |
| • Others | 1.4% | |
| Population by age | ||
| • 0 to 14 | 19.2% | |
| • 15 to 64 | 66.9% | |
| • 65 or older | 13.9% | |
| Time zone | EET (UTC+2) | |
| • Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) | |
| Municipal tax rate | 20% | |
| Website | www.raahe.fi | |
Raahe (Swedish: Brahestad) is a town and municipality of Finland. Founded by Swedish statesman and Governor General of Finland Count Per Brahe the Younger in 1649, it is one of 10 historic wooden towns (or town centers) remaining in Finland. Examples of other Finnish historic wooden towns are Kaskinen (Kaskö), Old Rauma, Porvoo (Borgå), Jakobstad (Pietarsaari), and Vaasa (Vasa). After a devastating fire in 1810, Raahe was rebuilt adhering to new design principles which minimized the risk of fire and enlarged some civic spaces. Old Raahe is noted for its Renaissance-inspired rectilinear town plan featuring an unusual central-square (called Pekkatori) with closed corners.
Raahe is located on the northern shores of the Gulf of Bothnia in the Northern Ostrobothnia region. The municipality has a population of 25,126 (March 31, 2016) and covers an area of 1,014.26 square kilometres (391.61 sq mi) of which 870.77 km2 (336.21 sq mi) is water. The population density is 47.54/km2 (123.1/sq mi). Historically an agricultural and maritime region, Ostrobothnia supplied the largest number of immigrants from Finland to the US and other countries such as Canada and Australia during the great migration of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Founded as a Swedish-and-Finnish-speaking town, the municipality is now unilingually Finnish.
The asteroid 1786 Raahe was named after this town and municipality.
Count Per Brahe the Younger, governor general, gave charter to the town of Salo in the year of 1649 with the purpose of constructing a town at Satamakangas, nearby the old harbour site. However, the harbour area had become so low that the future town was decided to be transferred. A new and better location was found further to the north, at the bay of Raahe. Having acquired the possession of the parish of Salo in 1652, Per Brahe renamed the town Brahestad or Raahe in Finnish.
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Wikipedia