Utsjoki

Utsjoki (Finnish: [ˈutsjoki]; Northern Sami: Ohcejohka [ˈoht͡seˌjohka]; Inari Sami: Uccjuuhâ; Skolt Sami: Uccjokk; Norwegian: Utsjok) is a municipality in Finland, the northernmost in the country. It is in Lapland and borders Norway as well as the municipality of Inari. The municipality was founded in 1876. It has a population of 1,112 (31 December 2025) and covers an area of 5,372.00 square kilometres (2,074.14 sq mi) of which 227.51 km2 (87.84 sq mi) is water. The population density is 0.22 inhabitants per square kilometre (0.57/sq mi). Utsjoki has two official languages: Finnish and Northern Sami. It is the municipality in Finland with the largest portion of official Sami speakers; 41.4% of the population. Ethnically, 54.6% of the population were Sami in 2019, making Utsjoki the only municipality in Finland with a Sami majority. The border with Norway follows the river Teno, which flows into the Arctic Sea. The northernmost village in Finland and in the European Union is Nuorgam. Utsjoki is at the northern end of highway 4, the longest highway in Finland. The European route E75 runs along the Sami Bridge and continues on to Norway. The Kevo nature reserve is located within the municipality. It covers a territory of 712 km2 (275 sq mi) and there is a 63 km (39 mi) hiking trail. The trail partly follows the edge of the Kevo gorge.