Kittilä
Kittilä
Gihttel Kittâl Ǩiʹttel | |
|---|---|
Municipality | |
| Kittilän kunta Kommunen Kittilä | |
View from the top of Kätkätunturi | |
|
Coat of arms | |
Location of Kittilä in Finland | |
Interactive map of Kittilä | |
| Coordinates: 67°39′N 024°54.5′E / 67.650°N 24.9083°E | |
| Country | Finland |
| Region | Lapland |
| Sub-region | Fell Lapland |
| Charter | 1854 |
| Government | |
| • Municipality manager | Timo Kurula |
| Area (2018-01-01) | |
• Total | 8,262.97 km2 (3,190.35 sq mi) |
| • Land | 8,095.28 km2 (3,125.61 sq mi) |
| • Water | 168.71 km2 (65.14 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 3rd largest in Finland |
| Population (2025-06-30) | |
• Total | 6,658 |
| • Rank | 135th largest in Finland |
| • Density | 0.82/km2 (2.1/sq mi) |
| • Village | 2,229 |
| Population by native language | |
| • Finnish | 93.7% (official) |
| • Swedish | 0.4% |
| • Sami | 0.4% |
| • Others | 5.5% |
| Population by age | |
| • 0 to 14 | 15% |
| • 15 to 64 | 63.6% |
| • 65 or older | 21.5% |
| Time zone | UTC+02:00 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+03:00 (EEST) |
| Website | kittila |
Kittilä (Finnish: [ˈkitːilæ]; Northern Sami: Gihttel, Inari Sami: Kittâl, Skolt Sami: Ǩiʹttel) is a municipality of Finland and a popular holiday resort. It is located in northern Finland north of the Arctic Circle within the Lapland region. The municipality has a population of 6,658 (30 June 2025) and covers an area of 8,262.97 square kilometres (3,190.35 sq mi) of which 168.71 km2 (65.14 sq mi) is water. The population density is 0.82 inhabitants per square kilometre (2.1/sq mi).
Kittilä is famous for being the location of the lowest recorded temperature in Finnish history: −51.5 °C (−60.7 °F), measured in January 1999 in Pokka. The "midnight sun" is above the horizon from 29 May to 16 July, and the period with continuous daylight lasts a bit longer, polar night from 14 December to 29 December.
The wolverine in the municipal coat of arms refers to the nature of Lapland. The coat of arms was designed by Einari Junttila, and was approved by the Kittilä municipal council at its meeting on 1 July 1963. The Ministry of the Interior confirmed the coat of arms for use on 26 November of the same year.