Central Ostrobothnia

Central Ostrobothnia (Finnish: Keski-Pohjanmaa; Swedish: Mellersta Österbotten) is a region in Finland. Central Ostrobothnia borders the Bothnian Bay and the regions of Ostrobothnia, North Ostrobothnia, Central Finland and South Ostrobothnia.^[3] The regional bird of Central Ostrobothnia is the Eurasian skylark, the regional stone is Gneiss, the regional lake is Lake Lestijärvi, the regional fish is European whitefish. The capital and largest city of the region is Kokkola.

Central Ostrobothnia Keski-Pohjanmaa (Finnish) Mellersta Österbotten (Swedish)
Region
Region of Central Ostrobothnia Keski-Pohjanmaan maakunta Landskapet Mellersta Österbotten
Flag Coat of arms
Central Ostrobothnia on a map of Finland
Coordinates: 63°30′N 24°15′E
Country	Finland
Historical province	Ostrobothnia
Capital	Kokkola
Other town	Kannus
Area
• Total	6,463 km2 (2,495 sq mi)
Population  (2023)[1]
• Total	67,736
• Density	13/km2 (30/sq mi)
GDP [2]
• Total	€2.425 billion (2015)
• Per capita	€35,181 (2015)
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
ISO 3166 code	FI-07
NUTS	1A1
Regional bird	Skylark (Alauda arvensis)
Regional fish	European whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus)
Regional flower	Bluebell (Harebell)
Regional stone	Gneiss
Regional lake	Lake Lestijärvi
Website	keski-pohjanmaa.fi

Central Ostrobothnia has an area of 6,462.93 km, of which 5,019.98 km² is land area.^[4] Central Ostrobothnia, including the sea areas, is the smallest province in mainland Finland in terms of population and total area, and the second smallest province in Finland after Åland. However, if you count the land area alone, Kymenlaakso is smaller than Central Ostrobothnia.

Historical provinces

For history, geography and culture, see Ostrobothnia (historical province).

Municipalities

Main article: Municipalities of Central Ostrobothnia

The region of Central Ostrobothnia consists of eight municipalities, two of which have city status (marked in bold).

Sub-regions

Kaustinen sub-region:

• Halsua
• Kaustinen
• Lestijärvi
• Perho
• Toholampi
• Veteli

Kokkola sub-region:

• Kannus
• Kokkola

List of municipalities

Coat of arms	Municipality	Population	Land area (km2)	Density (/km2)	Finnish speakers	Swedish speakers	Other speakers
	Halsua	993	413	2	94 %	0 %	5 %
	Kannus	5,255	468	11	97 %	0.4 %	3 %
	Kaustinen	4,098	354	12	95 %	2 %	3 %
	Kokkola	48,361	1,446	33	83 %	11.9 %	6 %
	Lestijärvi	653	480	1	99 %	0 %	2 %
	Perho	2,572	748	3	99 %	0.4 %	1 %
	Toholampi	2,787	609	5	98 %	0 %	3 %
	Veteli	2,931	502	6	95 %	1.6 %	4 %
	Total	67,650	5,020	13	87 %	9 %	5 %

Politics

Results of the 2019 Finnish parliamentary election in Central Ostrobothnia:

• Centre Party 31.09%
• Finns Party 19.60%
• Social Democratic Party 16.06%
• National Coalition Party 7.42%
• Christian Democrats 7.29%
• Swedish People's Party 6.26%
• Green League 6.03%
• Left Alliance 4.11%
• Blue Reform 0.80%
• Seven Star Movement 0.36%
• Other parties 0.98%