Vaala

{{Infobox settlement

|name = Vaala

| official_name = {{lang|fi|Vaalan kunta}}
{{lang|sv|Vaala kommun}}

| settlement_type = Municipality

| image_skyline = Vaalankurkku railway bridge.jpg

| image_caption = Mist rising from Oulujoki river in Vaala

| image_shield = Vaala.vaakuna.svg

| shield_size = 120x80px

| image_map = Vaala sijainti Suomi.svg

| map_caption = Location of Vaala in Finland

|coordinates = {{coord|64|33|N|026|50|E|display=inline,title}}

|subdivision_type = Country

|subdivision_name = {{flag|Finland}}

| subdivision_type1 = Region

| subdivision_name1 = North Ostrobothnia

| subdivision_type2 = Sub-region

| subdivision_name2 = Oulunkaari

| seat = Säräisniemi (1865–1954)
Vaala (1954–)

| leader_title = Municipality manager

| leader_name = Tytti Seppänen

| established_title = Charter

| established_date = 1954

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

|timezone = EET

|utc_offset = +02:00

|timezone_DST = EEST

|utc_offset_DST = +03:00

| website = {{Url|https://www.vaala.fi/}}

}}

Vaala ({{IPA|fi|ˈʋɑːlɑ}}) is a municipality in Finland. It is located in the North Ostrobothnia region. Established in 1954 (predecessor municipality Säräisniemi, established in 1867), the municipality has a population of {{formatnum: {{Data Finland municipality/population count|Vaala}}}} ({{#time: j F Y|{{Data Finland municipality/population count|sourcedate}} }}) and covers an area of {{convert|{{Data Finland municipality/total area|Vaala}}|km2}} of which {{convert|{{Data Finland municipality/waters area|Vaala}}|km2|abbr=on}} is water. The population density is {{convert|{{Data Finland municipality/population density|Vaala|round=2}}|PD/km2}}. Previously Vaala was part of the Kainuu region but was transferred to Northern Ostrobothnia on 1 January 2016.

Half of Oulujärvi, the fifth largest lake of Finland is located in Vaala.

The municipality is unilingually Finnish.

Vaala is also an old Finnish word, which means the phase in a river just before rapids.

History

The original center of the area was Manamansalo, the largest island in the Oulujärvi with a village by the same name. Both it and Säräisniemi were first mentioned in 1555 when they were parts of the large Liminka parish.{{Cite web|title=SuomalainenPaikannimikirja_e-kirja_kuvallinen.pdf|url=https://kaino.kotus.fi/www/verkkojulkaisut/julk63/SuomalainenPaikannimikirja_e-kirja_kuvallinen.pdf|page=436+485|access-date=December 27, 2022|website=kaino.kotus.fi|language=fi}} The parish of Oulujärvi, covering all of Kainuu with its center in Manamansalo, was separated from Liminka in 1559, but merged back into Liminka in the 1580s after Russians raided the island. In 1599, the area became a parish again, this time with its center in Paltaniemi, due to which the parish was now known as Paltamo.{{Cite web|title=Suomen Sukututkimusseura|url=https://hiski.genealogia.fi/seurakunnat/srk?CMD=SRK&ID=380&TYPE=HTML&LANG=FI|access-date=December 27, 2022|website=hiski.genealogia.fi|language=fi}}

Säräisniemi acquired its own church under Paltamo in 1779 and became a separate parish and municipality in 1864. Vuolijoki was separated from Säräisniemi as a parish in 1896 and as a municipality in 1915. Some parts of Kajaanin maalaiskunta were also used in the municipality's formation. The village of Vaala was transferred from Utajärvi to Säräisniemi in 1954, becoming the new administrative center of the municipality. The municipality itself was also renamed Vaala in the process.{{Cite web|title=Suomen Sukututkimusseura|url=https://hiski.genealogia.fi/seurakunnat/srk?CMD=SRK&ID=529&TYPE=HTML&LANG=FI|access-date=December 27, 2022|website=hiski.genealogia.fi|language=fi}}{{Cite web|title=Suomen Sukututkimusseura|url=https://hiski.genealogia.fi/seurakunnat/srk?CMD=SRK&ID=638&TYPE=HTML&LANG=FI|access-date=December 27, 2022|website=hiski.genealogia.fi|language=fi}}

Vaala was transferred from Kainuu to North Ostrobothnia in 2016.

Climate

{{Weatherbox

| single line = Y

| location = Vaala Pelso (normals 1991-2020, extremes 1959-present)

| source =

| metric first = Y

| collapsed = Y

| width = auto

| Jan mean C = -9.2

| Jan low C = -13.5

| Jan high C = -5.8

| Feb mean C = -9.4

| Feb low C = -14.0

| Feb high C = -5.4

| Dec mean C = -6.1

| Dec low C = -9.8

| Dec high C = -3.4

| Mar mean C = -5.1

| Mar low C = -10.1

| Mar high C = -0.3

| Nov mean C = -2.3

| Nov low C = -5.2

| Nov high C = -0.2

| Apr mean C = 1.2

| Apr low C = -3.6

| Apr high C = 6.1

| Oct mean C = 2.4

| Oct low C = -0.6

| Oct high C = 5.2

| May mean C = 7.8

| May high C = 13.5

| May low C = 1.8

| Jun mean C = 13.0

| Jun low C = 6.8

| Jun high C = 18.4

| Jul mean C = 15.7

| Jul low C = 9.9

| Jul high C = 21.2

| Aug mean C = 13.5

| Aug low C = 8.0

| Aug high C = 18.8

| Sep mean C = 8.3

| Sep low C = 3.8

| Sep high C = 13.0

| Jan record low C = -41.7

| Feb record low C = -42.1

| Mar record low C = -36.8

| Apr record low C = -23.4

| May record low C = -11.3

| Jun record low C = -4.3

| Jul record low C = -1.2

| Aug record low C = -4.1

| Sep record low C = -11.4

| Oct record low C = -26.1

| Nov record low C = -36.5

| Dec record low C = -35.0

| Jul avg record low C = 2.1

| Aug avg record low C = -0.3

| Jun avg record low C = -0.8

| Sep avg record low C = -4.6

| May avg record low C = -5.4

| Oct avg record low C = -12.0

| Apr avg record low C = -14.8

| Nov avg record low C = -18.3

| Mar avg record low C = -24.6

| Dec avg record low C = -25.1

| Jan avg record low C = -29.8

| Feb avg record low C = -29.5

| year avg record low C = -32.4

| Jan record high C = 8.3

| Feb record high C = 8.4

| Mar record high C = 13.4

| Apr record high C = 22.3

| May record high C = 28.4

| Jun record high C = 30.9

| Jul record high C = 33.0

| Aug record high C = 30.5

| Sep record high C = 25.0

| Oct record high C = 19.9

| Nov record high C = 10.5

| Dec record high C = 7.2

| Jan precipitation mm = 36

| Feb precipitation mm = 30

| Mar precipitation mm = 30

| Apr precipitation mm = 27

| May precipitation mm = 51

| Jun precipitation mm = 69

| Jul precipitation mm = 89

| Aug precipitation mm = 69

| Sep precipitation mm = 60

| Oct precipitation mm = 59

| Nov precipitation mm = 51

| Dec precipitation mm = 44

| year precipitation mm = 614

| precipitation color = green

| Jan precipitation days = 10

| Feb precipitation days = 8

| unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm

| Mar precipitation days = 8

| Apr precipitation days = 7

| May precipitation days = 9

| Jun precipitation days = 11

| Jul precipitation days = 12

| Aug precipitation days = 10

| Sep precipitation days = 10

| Oct precipitation days = 12

| Nov precipitation days = 12

| Dec precipitation days = 11

| Jan avg record high C = 2.4

| Feb avg record high C = 3.0

| Dec avg record high C = 3.2

| Mar avg record high C = 7.0

| Apr avg record high C = 15.1

| May avg record high C = 23.5

| Jun avg record high C = 25.9

| Jul avg record high C = 27.5

| Aug avg record high C = 25.6

| Sep avg record high C = 19.8

| Oct avg record high C = 11.9

| Nov avg record high C = 6.7

| year avg record high C = 28.4

| source 1 = FMI normals 1991-2020{{cite web

|url = https://helda.helsinki.fi/items/d7ce3a4f-bf47-4453-be76-2a0de738c59a

|title = FMI normals 1991-2020

|publisher = FMI

|access-date = 1 June 2025}}

| source 2 = Record highs and lows 1959- present{{cite web

| url = https://kilotavu.com/asema-taulukko.php?asema=101800

| title = FMI open data

| publisher = FMI

| access-date = 1 June 2025}}

}}

Dialect

File:Vaala murrealueet.svg

Vaala is located on the border between the Northern Ostrobothnian and Savonian (Kainuu) dialects.{{Cite web|title=Keski- ja pohjoispohjalaismurteiden pitäjät|url=http://sokl.uef.fi/aineistot/aidinkieli/murteet/keskipoh.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210526150831/http://sokl.uef.fi/aineistot/aidinkieli/murteet/keskipoh.html|archive-date=May 26, 2021|access-date=December 27, 2022|website=sokl.uef.fi|language=fi}}{{Cite web|title=Savolaismurteiden alue|url=http://sokl.uef.fi/aineistot/aidinkieli/murteet/savolais.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211217170312/http://sokl.uef.fi/aineistot/aidinkieli/murteet/savolais.html|archive-date=December 17, 2021|access-date=December 27, 2022|website=sokl.uef.fi|language=fi}}

Notable people

Anne Huotari (born 1959)
Maustetytöt, band
Tytti Seppänen (born 1980)

References

{{Reflist|refs=

{{cite web|title=Vaala siirtyy Kainuusta Pohjois-Pohjanmaahan vuoden 2016 alusta|url=http://vm.fi/en/article/-/asset_publisher/vaala-siirtyy-kainuusta-pohjois-pohjanmaahan-vuoden-2016-alusta|publisher=Ministry of Finance|access-date=3 January 2016|location=Helsinki|language=fi|date=5 February 2015}}

}}