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Geonivora
Municipality

Vaala

Located in Kajaani, Kainuu Coordinates: 64°30′49″ N 26°54′50″ E

Map showing the location of Vaala Vaala
Location in Finland
Population
3,370
3.4K
Elevation
137 m
above sea level
Local time
UTC+02:00
Europe/Helsinki · UTC+02:00
Places inside
1
listed under Vaala
When to go
June–August
See the climate
Airports
KAJ Kajaani Airport45 km
OUL Oulu Airport88 km

About Vaala

Vaala is a municipality. Location: Kajaani, Kainuu. Population: 3,370. Elevation: 137 m.

From Wikipedia

Vaala (Finnish pronunciation: [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 2,544 (31 December 2025) and covers an area of 1,764.04 square kilometres (681.10 sq mi) of which 461.45 km2 (178.17 sq mi) is water. The population density is 1.95 inhabitants per square kilometre (5.1/sq mi).

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

At a glance

Built
1865
Area
1,302 km²
Official website
vaala.fi

Source: Wikidata

Travel notes for Vaala

From Wikivoyage

Vaala is a municipality in Eastern Oulu region, Finland.

Understand+

Until 1954, the municipality's main seat was on the Säräisniemi village. Vaala's current centre (Vaalan kirkonkylä) lies where the river Oulujoki starts, at Oulujärvi, which is the fifth largest lake in Finland. Niskanselkä, the part of the lake north of Manamonsalo (about a third of it) belongs to the municipality.

Get in+

Regional road 800 (called Vaalantie) runs through the village centre of Vaala. The nearest highway is the national road 22 between Oulu and Kajaani, passing 2 km to the north-east.

Buses run between Oulu, Vaala, and Kajaani.

There are also trains. The 1 Vaala railway station in the town centre has several trains daily, but no other services.

There is a marina in the south part of the centre, at Saharanta. 1.5-m boating route from Sotkamo, 1.8-m fairway from Kajaani, 3,5-m fairway from Paltamo.

Source: Wikivoyage · CC BY-SA 4.0 · abridged

Places bordering Vaala

  • Kajaani
  • Liminka
  • Muhos
  • Paltamo
  • Puolanka
  • Siikalatva
  • Utajärvi

Population of Vaala over time

Population of Vaala over time
2007 3,561
2008 3,470
2009 3,400
2010 3,370
2011 3,314
2012 3,250
2013 3,193
2014 3,205
2015 3,074
2016 3,040
2017 2,941
2023 2,589

Censuses and official estimates; source: Wikidata.

Climate of Vaala

Best months for sightseeing

Best months for sightseeing: June–August.

This month · November

A cold month

Day -1° · Night -7° · Rain 50 mm

Hottest month
July (day 21°)
Coldest month
January (night -15°)
Wettest month
July (77 mm)
Driest month
April (27 mm)

Bars: average monthly low and high temperature. Below: precipitation. Monthly averages for 1970–2000 at about 18 km resolution, adjusted for elevation. Highlighted months are mild and relatively dry. Source: WorldClim 2.1 (CC BY 4.0).

Show values as a table
Climate of Vaala
Month JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Average high (°C)-7°-6°-1°5°12°18°21°17°11°4°-1°-5°
Average low (°C)-15°-14°-9°-4°2°8°11°8°4°-1°-7°-12°
Precipitation (mm)392930274360777657545042

Other places to visit in this season: June July August

How to get to Vaala

The nearest airport is Kajaani Airport (KAJ), 45 km to the southeast as the crow flies. For international flights: Oulu Airport (OUL) (88 km). The nearest large city is Umeå, 332 km to the west.

Airports

  • Kajaani Airport (KAJ) Kajaani 45 kmsoutheast
  • Oulu Airport (OUL) Oulu / Oulunsalo 88 kmnorthwest
  • Kuopio Airport (KUO) Kuopio / Siilinjärvi 174 kmsouth

Nearby large cities

  • Umeå Population: 130.2K 332 kmwest

Straight-line distances; road distances are longer. Airport data: OurAirports.

Day trips from Vaala

Within 100 km: 1 historic or cultural site, 1 natural site, 27 lakes, rivers and coasts.

0–25 km2 places

  • Otermanjärvi Lake 17 kmNE
  • Rokuan Kansallispuisto Natural site 21 kmW

25–60 km9 places

  • Uljuan tekojärvi Lake 52 kmSW
  • Oulujärvi Lake 26 kmSE
  • Osmankajärvi Lake 31 kmE
  • Kivesjärvi Lake 26 kmE

60–100 km18 places

  • Näläntöjärvi Lake 81 kmS
  • Kiuruvesi Lake 100 kmS
  • Iso Lamujärvi Lake 64 kmSW
  • Livojoki River 99 kmN

Straight-line distances.

Places in Vaala

1 place
  1. 1 Vaala 2.6K

Bar: population relative to the most populous place in this list.

Nearby attractions & nature

Everything nearby

Sources & licences

Data last updated: · 2 independent sources