Outokumpu is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located in the North Karelia region, 48 kilometres (ca. 30 mi) west of Joensuu and 92 kilometres (ca. 57 mi) east of Kuopio. The municipality covers an area of 584.05 square kilometres (225.50 sq mi) of which 138.22 km² (53.37 sq mi) is water. The most important road connection in the locality is Highway 9.

Neighbouring municipalities are Heinävesi, Kaavi, Liperi, Polvijärvi, and Tuusniemi. The municipality is unilingually Finnish.

The fir-twigged line in the coat of arms of Outokumpu refers to the name Kuusjärvi (literally "spruce lake") at the time the municipality's coat of arms was established, and the copper symbol refers to Outokumpu Oyj's mines, which later gave their name to the entire township. The coat of arms was designed by Olof Eriksson, and the Kuusjärvi municipal council approved it at its meeting on November 21, 1952. The Ministry of the Interior approved the coat of arms for use on February 18, 1953.

The municipality was formerly known as Kuusjärvi. In 1968, it became a market town and was renamed as Outokumpu after the copper mine located in the municipality. Outokumpu gained town privileges in 1977. The town began to form around the Outokumpu Copper Mine, which was active between 1913 and 1989. The old mining area is still clearly visible, as it is situated in the town centre, and nowadays, it has been developed into a tourist attraction.

The steel manufacturer Outokumpu originates from the town of Outokumpu. Outokumpu Copper Mine was a big employer in Outokumpu from the beginning of the 20th century until 1989, when it was shut down.

In Outokumpu there is a rather vibrant industrial park, which was founded in 1979 when it became apparent that the mine was to be shut down during the next decade. Most of the town's biggest employers are situated in Outokumpu Industrial Park, as it has the role of organizing and developing the local businesses.

Nowadays Outokumpu is home to many technology industry companies such as Outotec Turula workshop, Finelcomp Oy, Okun Hammaspyörä Oy, Okun Koneistuspalvelu Oy, and Outokummun Metalli Oy. It is said that in Outokumpu there is one of the highest densities of CNC machines and tools in Finland compared to the population.

Relevant employers from other branches of the economy include, among others, Piippo Oyj, Mondo Minerals, and HK Scan Finland.

The main tourist attraction in Outokumpu is the Outokumpu Old Mine. An area where you can find a mining museum, a theme park called Children's Mine for children, some restaurants, and a disc golf track that surrounds the old mining area.

Other destinations of interest are the Outokumpu Nature Park, the Keretti Golf Track (in an old mining area), Lake Juojärvi, and the municipal Sports and Swimming Centre.

During the summer season, you can go for a canoe trip on the small and beautiful lakes surrounding the Outokumpu Nature Park. You can also go fishing in Children's Fishing Oasis and rent a beach sauna from touristic services.

In the 1980s, a meat soup called kaivossoppa ("mine soup") and rye-lingonberry porridge were named as Outokumpu's traditional parish dishes.

Fossils

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Other Databases

Wikipedia:	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outokumpu,_Finland
Wikidata ID:	Q952374
GeoNames ID:	830266

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