Mikkeli

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Mikkeli —  Town  — Mikkelin kaupunki Mikkeli Coat of arms Location of Mikkeli in Finland Coordinates: 61°41′N 027°16′E / 61.683°N 27.267°E / 61.683; 27.267Coordinates: 61°41′N 027°16′E / 61.683°N 27.267°E / 61.683; 27.267 Country Finland Region Southern Savonia Sub-region Mikkeli sub-region Charter 1838 Government  • Town manager Kimmo Mikander Area(2011-01-01)  • Total 2,124.60 km2 (820.31 sq mi)  • Land 1,699.90 km2 (656.34 sq mi)  • Water 424.7 km2 (164.0 sq mi) Area rank 39th largest in Finland Population (2013-02-28)  • Total 48,970  • Rank 20th largest in Finland  • Density 28.81/km2 (74.6/sq mi) Population by native language  • Finnish 97.7% (official)  • Swedish 0.1%  • Others 2.2% Population by age  • 0 to 14 15.6%  • 15 to 64 65.7%  • 65 or older 18.7% Time zone EET (UTC+2)  • Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3) Municipal tax rate 19.5% Website www.mikkeli.fi

Mikkeli (Swedish: Sankt Michel) is a town and municipality in Finland. It is located in what used to be the province of Eastern Finland and is part of the Southern Savonia region. The municipality has a population of 48,970 (28 February 2013) (around 34,000 in the town itself) and covers an area of 2,124.60 square kilometres (820.31 sq mi) of which 424.7 km2 (164.0 sq mi) is water. The population density is 28.81 inhabitants per square kilometre (74.6 /sq mi) .

Mikkeli was the site for the headquarters of the Finnish armed forces during World War II. In recognition of this, the town's coat of arms incorporates a pair of crossed Marshal's batons, and the town was awarded the Cross of Liberty, 4th class, to be displayed with the coat of arms.