Puumala

{{Infobox settlement

|name = Puumala

| official_name = {{lang|fi|Puumalan kunta}}
{{lang|sv|Puumala kommun}}

| settlement_type = Municipality

| image_skyline = Puumala.jpg

| image_caption =

| image_shield = Puumala.vaakuna.svg

| shield_size = 120x80px

| image_map = Puumala sijainti Suomi.svg

| map_caption = Location of Puumala in Finland

|coordinates = {{coord|61|31.5|N|028|11|E|display=inline,title}}

|subdivision_type = Country

|subdivision_name = {{flag|Finland}}

| subdivision_type1 = Region

| subdivision_name1 = Southern Savonia

| subdivision_type2 = Sub-region

| subdivision_name2 = Mikkeli

| leader_title = Municipal manager

| leader_name = Matias Hildén

| established_title = Charter

| established_date = 1868

| motto = {{lang|fi|Saimaan kaunein, Suomen kuumin.}} ({{langx|en|The most beautiful in Saimaa, the hottest in Finland.}})[https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-6207811 YLE: Mikä on sinun kotikuntasi iskulause?] (in Finnish)

|area_footnotes = {{Data Finland municipality|area_footnotes|Puumala}}

|area_total_km2 = {{Data Finland municipality|area_total_km2|Puumala}}

|area_land_km2 = {{Data Finland municipality|area_land_km2|Puumala}}

|area_water_km2 = {{Data Finland municipality|area_water_km2|Puumala}}

|area_rank = {{Data Finland municipality|area_rank|Puumala}}

|population_as_of = {{Data Finland municipality|population_as_of|Puumala}}

|population_footnotes = {{Data Finland municipality|population_footnotes|Puumala}}

|population_total = {{Data Finland municipality|population_total|Puumala}}

|population_density_km2 = {{Data Finland municipality|population_density_km2|Puumala}}

|population_rank = {{Data Finland municipality|population_rank|Puumala}}

|demographics_type1 = {{Data Finland municipality|demographics_type1|Puumala}}

|demographics1_footnotes = {{Data Finland municipality|demographics1_footnotes|Puumala}}

|demographics1_title1 = {{Data Finland municipality|demographics1_title1|Puumala}}

|demographics1_info1 = {{Data Finland municipality|demographics1_info1|Puumala}}

|demographics1_title2 = {{Data Finland municipality|demographics1_title2|Puumala}}

|demographics1_info2 = {{Data Finland municipality|demographics1_info2|Puumala}}

|demographics1_title3 = {{Data Finland municipality|demographics1_title3|Puumala}}

|demographics1_info3 = {{Data Finland municipality|demographics1_info3|Puumala}}

|demographics1_title4 = {{Data Finland municipality|demographics1_title4|Puumala}}

|demographics1_info4 = {{Data Finland municipality|demographics1_info4|Puumala}}

|demographics_type2 = {{Data Finland municipality|demographics_type2|Puumala}}

|demographics2_footnotes = {{Data Finland municipality|demographics2_footnotes|Puumala}}

|demographics2_title1 = {{Data Finland municipality|demographics2_title1|Puumala}}

|demographics2_info1 = {{Data Finland municipality|demographics2_info1|Puumala}}

|demographics2_title2 = {{Data Finland municipality|demographics2_title2|Puumala}}

|demographics2_info2 = {{Data Finland municipality|demographics2_info2|Puumala}}

|demographics2_title3 = {{Data Finland municipality|demographics2_title3|Puumala}}

|demographics2_info3 = {{Data Finland municipality|demographics2_info3|Puumala}}

|blank_name = {{Data Finland municipality|blank_name|Puumala}}

|blank_info = {{Data Finland municipality|blank_info|Puumala}}

|timezone = EET

|utc_offset = +02:00

|timezone_DST = EEST

|utc_offset_DST = +03:00

| website = [http://www.puumala.fi/ www.puumala.fi]

}}

Puumala ({{IPA|fi|ˈpuːmɑlɑ|lang}}) is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the Southern Savonia region. The municipality has a population of {{formatnum: {{Data Finland municipality/population count|Puumala}}}} ({{#time: j F Y|{{Data Finland municipality/population count|sourcedate}} }}){{Cite web |url=http://vrk.fi/default.aspx?docid=6847&site=3&id=0 |title=VÄESTÖTIETOJÄRJESTELMÄ REKISTERITILANNE 31.1.2012 |publisher=Population Register Center of Finland |language=Finnish, Swedish |access-date=11 February 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131003192016/http://vrk.fi/default.aspx?docid=6847&site=3&id=0 |archive-date=3 October 2013}}

and covers an area of {{convert|{{Data Finland municipality/total area|Puumala}}|km2}} of which {{convert|{{Data Finland municipality/waters area|Puumala}}|km2|abbr=on}} is water. The population density is {{convert|{{Data Finland municipality/population density|Puumala|round=2}}|PD/km2}}.

The municipality is unilingually Finnish.

The main road route through the region is route 62, which connects to Mikkeli to the north and Imatra to the south. Until the year 1995 a cable ferry connected the two sides of Puumalansalmi-strait. In 1995, a {{convert|781|m|ft|adj=mid|-long}} bridge replaced the ferry. The bridge is a very dominant structure when looking Puumala town center from a distance.

Puumala has relatively good services compared to the amount of population. In the town center is situated a post office, an Alko store, a kiosk, several supermarkets and a few restaurants. The reason for the survival of these entrepreneurs is the arrival of summer inhabitants who triple the population of Puumala during the season.

In June 1788, Swedish soldiers wearing uniforms of the Imperial Russian Army, staged an attack against the town. This would allow King Gustav III to declare a defensive war against the Russian Empire, as Swedish law prohibited starting offensive wars without approval by the Riksdag.

The subject of Puumala's coat of arms refers to the local history: in the Treaty of Åbo in 1743, Puumala became a border parish, but due to its strategic location, the narrow Puumalansalmi has been the scene of several battles since the 16th century, which the flaming bombshells on the coat of arms refer to. The coat of arms was designed by Tapio Vallioja, and the Puumala municipal council approved it at its meeting on September 24, 1962. The Ministry of the Interior approved the coat of arms for use on April 18, 1963.{{cite book |title=Suomen kunnallisvaakunat |publisher=Suomen Kunnallisliitto |year=1982 |page=157 |isbn=951-773-085-3 |language=fi}}{{cite web |title=Sisäasiainministeriön vahvistamat kaupunkien, kauppaloiden ja kuntien vaakunat I:12 Puumala |url=http://digi.narc.fi/digi/view.ka?kuid=10281631 |publisher=Kansallisarkiston digitaaliarkisto |access-date=July 27, 2022 |language=fi}}

The Puumala virus is named after this place as it was first isolated from samples from the Puumala area.