Rovaniemi (Roavenjarga in Sami) is the administrative capital and the centre of commerce of Finland’s northernmost Province, Lapland. It is situated close to the Arctic Circle and between the hills of Ounasvaara and Korkalovaara, at the confluence of the Kemijoki River and its tributary, the Ounasjoki River. Due to its advantageous location it is the starting point of the Great Arctic Highway. The city is completely surrounded by Rovaniemen maalaiskunta (Rural municipality of Rovaniemi). The two municipalities will be joined into one on January 1, 2006. and the new municipality will have an area of 7 900 km and an approximate population of 60 000.
The word Rovaniemi has often been considered to be of Lappish origin, as “roavve” in Sami denotes a forested ridge or hill or the site of an old forest fire. In the dialects of southern Lapland, however, “rova” means a heap of stones, a rock or a group of rocks in a stretch of rapids, or even a sauna stove.
History
There has probably been continuous settlement in the Rovaniemi area since the Stone Age. Periodic clearance of new land for agriculture and the practice of slash-and-burn cultivation began around 750-530 B.C. Artifacts found in the area suggest that an increasing number of travellers from Karelia in the east, Hme in the south and the Arctic Ocean coast in the north must have come there from 500 A.D. onwards. The Sami are considered to be Lapland’s own indigenous population.
The exploitation of Lapland’s natural resources in the 1800s boosted Rovaniemi’s growth. Extensive logging sites and gold fever attracted thousands of people to Lapland. As the mining of natural resources was increased, Rovaniemi became the business centre of the Province of Lapland.
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