Editing Merikarvia

{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Merikarvia
| official_name      = {{lang|fi|Merikarvian kunta}}<br />{{lang|sv|Sastmola kommun}}
| other_name         = Sastmola
| settlement_type    = Municipality
| image_skyline      = Kauppatie Merikarvia.jpg
| image_caption      = The town center along the Kauppatie street
| image_shield       = Merikarvia.vaakuna.svg
| shield_size        = 120x80px
| image_map          = Merikarvia sijainti Suomi.svg
| map_caption        = Location of Merikarvia in Finland
| coordinates        = {{coord|61|51.5|N|021|30|E|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = {{flag|Finland}}
| subdivision_type1  = [[Regions of Finland|Region]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[Satakunta]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[Sub-regions of Finland|Sub-region]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Pori sub-region|Pori]]
| leader_title       = Municipal manager
| leader_name        = Juha Vasama
| established_title  = [[Charter]]
| established_date   = 1639
| area_footnotes     = {{Data Finland municipality|area_footnotes|Merikarvia}}
| area_total_km2     = {{Data Finland municipality|area_total_km2|Merikarvia}}
| area_land_km2      = {{Data Finland municipality|area_land_km2|Merikarvia}}
| area_water_km2     = {{Data Finland municipality|area_water_km2|Merikarvia}}
| area_rank          = {{Data Finland municipality|area_rank|Merikarvia}}
| population_as_of   = {{Data Finland municipality|population_as_of|Merikarvia}}
| population_footnotes = {{Data Finland municipality|population_footnotes|Merikarvia}}
| population_total   = {{Data Finland municipality|population_total|Merikarvia}}
| population_density_km2 = {{Data Finland municipality|population_density_km2|Merikarvia}}
| population_rank    = {{Data Finland municipality|population_rank|Merikarvia}}
| demographics_type1 = {{Data Finland municipality|demographics_type1|Merikarvia}}
| demographics1_footnotes = {{Data Finland municipality|population_footnotes|Merikarvia}}
| demographics1_title1 = {{Data Finland municipality|demographics1_title1|Merikarvia}}
| demographics1_info1 = {{Data Finland municipality|demographics1_info1|Merikarvia}}
| demographics1_title2 = {{Data Finland municipality|demographics1_title2|Merikarvia}}
| demographics1_info2 = {{Data Finland municipality|demographics1_info2|Merikarvia}}
| demographics1_title3 = {{Data Finland municipality|demographics1_title3|Merikarvia}}
| demographics1_info3 = {{Data Finland municipality|demographics1_info3|Merikarvia}}
| demographics1_title4 = {{Data Finland municipality|demographics1_title4|Merikarvia}}
| demographics1_info4 = {{Data Finland municipality|demographics1_info4|Merikarvia}}
| demographics_type2 = {{Data Finland municipality|demographics_type2|Merikarvia}}
| demographics2_footnotes = {{Data Finland municipality|demographics2_footnotes|Merikarvia}}
| demographics2_title1 = {{Data Finland municipality|demographics2_title1|Merikarvia}}
| demographics2_info1 = {{Data Finland municipality|demographics2_info1|Merikarvia}}
| demographics2_title2 = {{Data Finland municipality|demographics2_title2|Merikarvia}}
| demographics2_info2 = {{Data Finland municipality|demographics2_info2|Merikarvia}}
| demographics2_title3 = {{Data Finland municipality|demographics2_title3|Merikarvia}}
| demographics2_info3 = {{Data Finland municipality|demographics2_info3|Merikarvia}}
| blank_name         = {{Data Finland municipality|blank_name|Merikarvia}}
| blank_info         = {{Data Finland municipality|blank_info|Merikarvia}}
| blank3_name        = [[Köppen climate classification|Climate]]
| blank3_info        = [[Subarctic climate|Dfc]]
| timezone           = [[Eastern European Time|EET]]
| utc_offset         = +02:00
| timezone_DST       = [[Eastern European Summer Time|EEST]]
| utc_offset_DST     = +03:00
| website            = [http://www.merikarvia.fi/ www.merikarvia.fi]
}}
'''Merikarvia''' ({{IPA|fi|ˈmeriˌkɑrʋiɑ|lang}}; {{langx|sv|Sastmola}}) is a [[municipalities of Finland|municipality]] in [[Finland]]. It is located in the [[Satakunta (region)|Satakunta]] [[regions of Finland|region]]. The neighboring municipalities are [[Isojoki]], [[Kristinestad]], [[Pomarkku]], [[Pori]] and [[Siikainen]].

The municipality has a population of 3,169
(2024)<ref name="population_count" /> and it covers an area of {{convert|{{Data Finland municipality/total area|Merikarvia}}|km2}},  of
which {{convert|{{Data Finland municipality/waters area|Merikarvia}}|km2|abbr=on}}
is water.<ref name="total_area" /> The [[population density]] is
{{convert|{{Data Finland municipality/population density|Merikarvia|round=2}}|PD/km2}}.

The municipality is unilingually [[Finnish language|Finnish]]. The coastline was formerly Swedish-speaking. Merikarvia is known for the [[Oura Archipelago]], which is part of the [[Bothnian Sea National Park]].

==History==
The area has been inhabited since as early as 1800 BC.{{citation needed|date=May 2024}} There are grave sites from the [[Bronze Age|Bronze]] and [[Iron Age]]s within the municipality. Most of the [[cairn]]s are located in Tuorila village located east of the municipal center.

The area of Merikarvia was initially held by the people of [[Sastamala]] ([[Karkku]] and [[Tyrvää]]) as hunting grounds, which is the origin of the Swedish name ''Sastmola''. The name was first mentioned in 1303 as ''Sastamall''.<ref>{{Cite web|title=SuomalainenPaikannimikirja_e-kirja_kuvallinen.pdf|url=https://kaino.kotus.fi/www/verkkojulkaisut/julk63/SuomalainenPaikannimikirja_e-kirja_kuvallinen.pdf|page=404|access-date=December 30, 2022|website=kaino.kotus.fi|language=fi}}</ref>

The birth of the earliest villages in Merikarvia - Kasala, Riispyy, Alakylä, Ylikylä and Köörtilä - is dated to between the 13th and 14th centuries.

Merikarvia was a part of the [[Ulvila]] parish until 1639.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Suomen Sukututkimusseura|url=https://hiski.genealogia.fi/seurakunnat/srk?CMD=SRK&ID=325&TYPE=HTML&LANG=FI|access-date=December 30, 2022|website=hiski.genealogia.fi|language=fi}}</ref> Municipal administration was adopted in 1865.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Historia - Merikarvia|url=https://merikarvia.fi/kunta-ja-hallinto/tietoa-merikarviasta/historia/|access-date=December 30, 2022|website=merikarvia.fi|language=fi}}</ref> [[Siikainen]] became a chapel community under Merikarvia in 1772 and was separated from Merikarvia as a parish in 1861<ref>{{Cite web|title=Suomen Sukututkimusseura|url=https://hiski.genealogia.fi/seurakunnat/srk?CMD=SRK&ID=487&TYPE=HTML&LANG=FI|access-date=December 30, 2022|website=hiski.genealogia.fi|language=fi}}</ref> and as a municipality in 1871.<ref>{{Cite web|title=150 -juhlavuosi - Siikainen|url=http://www.siikainen.fi/?page_id=6714|access-date=December 30, 2022|website=siikainen.fi|language=fi}}</ref>

The first [[Church (building)|church]] in Merikarvia was built in 1776 and was named after the queen consort of [[Sweden]] at the time, [[Sophia Magdalena of Denmark|Sofia Magdalena]]. The church, still in use today, was finished in 1899.

As a coastal municipality, Merikarvia largely lived from the sea until modern times. [[Fishing]], [[sawmill]]s and [[shipyard]]s were common businesses until the end of the 19th century.

=== Language and dialect ===
Like neighboring [[Ahlainen]] (Vittisbofjärd), Merikarvia was originally predominantly Swedish-speaking due to the Swedish settlement in the area during the Middle Ages. The Swedish language mostly disappeared from the area in the early 20th century, mainly remaining in the village of Kasala (Kasaböle) near the border with [[Sideby]]. Kasala became a majority Finnish-speaking village between the 20th and 21st centuries.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Dialekter och småstadsspråk - 1683.pdf|url=https://www.sls.fi/sites/default/files/publications/pdf/1683.pdf|access-date=December 30, 2022|website=sls.fi|language=sv}}</ref>

A Swedish-language school was active in Kasala from 1897 until 1967.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Kasaböle svenska folkskola|url=http://sydaby.eget.net/eng/nybond/ksf.htm|access-date=December 30, 2022|website=sydaby.eget.net|language=sv}}</ref>

The Finnish dialect of Merikarvia is a [[Southwest Finnish dialects|southwestern dialect]], similar to the other dialects of northern Satakunta.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Lounaismurteiden alue|url=http://sokl.uef.fi/aineistot/aidinkieli/murteet/lounais.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191007232031/http://sokl.uef.fi/aineistot/aidinkieli/murteet/lounais.html|archive-date=October 7, 2019|access-date=December 30, 2022|website=sokl.uef.fi|language=fi}}</ref> The dialects of Merikarvia and Ahlainen are among the few dialects of Finnish where the sound [[Voiced dental and alveolar plosives|/d/]] is used in native words (e.g. ''lähde''), as in standard Finnish. Most other dialects of the area use [[Voiced alveolar trill|/r/]] in its place.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Kartta 65: (pata:) padan, palan, paran, paan jne. - Kettunen: Suomen murteet|url=http://kettunen.fnhost.org/html/kett065.html?i=1|access-date=December 30, 2022|website=kettunen.fnhost.org|language=fi}}</ref>

==Politics==
{{Update section|date=May 2024}}
Results of the [[2011 Finnish parliamentary election]] in Merikarvia:

*[[Centre Party (Finland)|Centre Party]]   35.7%
*[[True Finns]]   23.7%
*[[Social Democratic Party of Finland|Social Democratic Party]]   18.6%
*[[National Coalition Party]]   11.3%
*[[Left Alliance (Finland)|Left Alliance]]   6.1%
*[[Christian Democrats (Finland)|Christian Democrats]]   2.6%
*[[Green League]]   1.7%

==Sights==
* Lankoski rapids
* The church of Merikarvia
* Oura Archipelago{{citation needed|date=May 2024}}
* Krookka marina <ref>{{Cite web |title=Krookan vierassatama - Krookka Guest Harbor |url=https://merikarvia.fi/matkailijalle/meri-joki/satamat/krookan-vierassatama/ |access-date=2024-08-21 |website=Merikarvia |language=fi}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category-inline|Merikarvia}}
*[http://www.merikarvia.fi/ Municipality of Merikarvia] – Official website

{{Geographic location
 | Centre = Merikarvia
 | N  = [[Kristinestad]] ([[Ostrobothnia (administrative region)|Ostrobothnia]])
 | NE = [[Isojoki]] ([[South Ostrobothnia]])
 | E  = [[Siikainen]]
 | SE = [[Pomarkku]]
 | S  = [[Pori]]
 | W  = ''[[Bothnian Sea]]''
}}
{{Satakunta}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Populated coastal places in Finland]]
[[Category:Municipalities of Satakunta]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1639]]
[[Category:1639 establishments in Sweden]]