- Population
- 3,776
- 3.8K
- Elevation
- 163 m
- above sea level
- Local time
- UTC+02:00
- Europe/Helsinki · UTC+02:00
- Places inside
- 2
- listed under Sonkajärvi
- Airports
- KAJ Kajaani Airport60 km
- KUO Kuopio Airport82 km
About Sonkajärvi
Sonkajärvi is a municipality. Location: Ylä-Savo, Northern Savonia. Population: 3,776. Elevation: 163 m.
Sonkajärvi (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈsoŋkɑˌjærʋi]; formerly known as Rutakko) is a municipality of Finland. It is located in North Savo region, 105 kilometres (65 mi) north of Kuopio. The municipality has a population of 3,521 (31 December 2025) and covers an area of 1,576.78 square kilometres (608.80 sq mi) of which 110.86 km2 (42.80 sq mi) is water. The population density is 2.4 inhabitants per square kilometre (6.2/sq mi). The municipality is unilingually Finnish.
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
Travel notes for Sonkajärvi
From Wikivoyage
Sonkajärvi is a municipality of 3,800 people (2021) in the North Savonia region of Eastern Finland.
Get in+
Iisalmi is the nearest town of any size, while Kuopio has the closest airport.
By train:
Sukeva station on the line between Iisalmi and Kajaani fields a few trains per day.
By bus:
Coaches coordinated by Matkahuolto connect Sonkajärvi to Iisalmi.
Source: Wikivoyage · CC BY-SA 4.0 · abridged
Places bordering Sonkajärvi
- Iisalmi
- Kajaani
- Lapinlahti
- Rautavaara
- Sotkamo
- Vieremä
Twin towns and sister cities of Sonkajärvi
- Väike-Maarja vald· Estonia
Source: Wikidata. Only places with a page on this site are shown.
Population of Sonkajärvi over time
| 2007 | 4,825 | |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 4,706 | |
| 2009 | 4,694 | |
| 2010 | 4,671 | |
| 2011 | 4,600 | |
| 2012 | 4,493 | |
| 2013 | 4,454 | |
| 2014 | 4,415 | |
| 2015 | 4,278 | |
| 2016 | 4,199 | |
| 2017 | 4,075 | |
| 2023 | 3,637 |
Censuses and official estimates; source: Wikidata.
Climate of Sonkajärvi
Best months for sightseeingBest months for sightseeing: June–August.
This month · November
A cold month
Day -1° · Night -6° · Rain 58 mm
- Hottest month
- July (day 21°)
- Coldest month
- January (night -14°)
- Wettest month
- August (87 mm)
- Driest month
- February (33 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
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average high (°C) | -7° | -7° | -1° | 5° | 13° | 19° | 21° | 18° | 11° | 5° | -1° | -5° |
| Average low (°C) | -14° | -14° | -9° | -3° | 3° | 9° | 11° | 9° | 5° | 0° | -6° | -11° |
| Precipitation (mm) | 42 | 33 | 36 | 35 | 44 | 68 | 81 | 87 | 67 | 60 | 58 | 48 |
How to get to Sonkajärvi
The nearest airport is Kajaani Airport (KAJ), 60 km to the north as the crow flies. For international flights: Kuopio Airport (KUO) (82 km). The nearest large city is Umeå, 364 km to the west.
Airports
- Kajaani Airport (KAJ) Kajaani 60 kmnorth
- Kuopio Airport (KUO) Kuopio / Siilinjärvi 82 kmsouth
- Joensuu Airport (JOE) Joensuu 156 kmsoutheast
Nearby large cities
- Umeå Population: 130.2K 364 kmwest
Straight-line distances; road distances are longer. Airport data: OurAirports.
Day trips from Sonkajärvi
Within 100 km: 3 natural sites, 36 lakes, rivers and coasts.
0–25 km2 places
- Rautavesi Lake 19 kmN
- Laakajärvi Lake 16 kmNE
25–60 km13 places
- Porovesi Lake 34 kmSW
- Näläntöjärvi Lake 58 kmW
- Kiuruvesi Lake 48 kmW
- Nuasjärvi Lake 52 kmNE
60–100 km24 places
- Iso Lamujärvi Lake 74 kmNW
- Koivujärvi Lake 75 kmW
- Pieni Maaninkajärvi Lake 68 kmSW
- Vuotjärvi Lake 76 kmSE
Straight-line distances.
Places in Sonkajärvi
2 placesBar: population relative to the most populous place in this list.
Cities & villages1
- Sälevä · Village
Nearby attractions & nature
Everything nearby-
Laakajärvi Lake, Finland16 km NE
-
Rautavesi Lake, Finland19 km N
Sources & licences
Data last updated: · 2 independent sources