North Karelia, Finland · Europe
Ilomantsi sits on the route: 30 minutes from Tuupovaara.
Ilomantsi is a town located in North Karelia, Finland. With a population of 4,327, it is an important destination in Europe.
On a road trip, Ilomantsi sits in Finland, where you drive on the right. It's in the Europe/Helsinki time zone. Below you'll find where to stay, things to do nearby, and everything you need to add Ilomantsi to your route.
Ilomantsi (Karelian: Il'manči or Ilomančči, Swedish: Ilomants, Russian: Иломантси) is a municipality and a village of Finland. It is located in the North Karelia region. The municipality has a population of 4,293 (31 December 2025) and covers an area of 3,172.69 square kilometres (1,224.98 sq mi) of which 409.01 km2Read more
(157.92 sq mi) is water. The population density is 1.55 inhabitants per square kilometre (4.0/sq mi). The easternmost point of Finland (and of the continental part of the European Union) is located in Ilomantsi near the village of Hattuvaara. (In the EU, only Cyprus is located further to the east.)
The nearest town is Joensuu, 72 kilometres (45 mi) away; the distance to Helsinki is 511 km (318 mi). Neighbouring municipalities are Lieksa and Joensuu. In the east, Ilomantsi shares a 100 km (60 mi) long border with the Russian Republic of Karelia. The municipality is sparsely populated and is mostly characterized by forests and boglands. About 250 km2 (97 sq mi) of the area is designated as natural reserves, among them the national parks Petkeljärvi and Patvinsuo. The most important bodies of water in Ilomantsi are the lakes Koitere and Nuorajärvi and the river Koitajoki. The Pampalo gold mine is located in Ilomantsi.
The municipality is unilingually Finnish. Local words of Karelian or Russian extraction might be used in Ilomantsi. The local newspaper is called Pogostan Sanomat, i.e. "The Pogosta News".
Ilomantsi has a 17.4% Orthodox minority, which is the largest percentage among Finnish municipalities. The wooden Orthodox church of Ilomantsi is the largest in Finland and is dedicated to the prophet Elijah. There are also five Orthodox chapels (tsasouna) in the municipality. The Orthodox community of Ilomantsi is more than 500 years old and has 1,100 members.
Fighting in Ilomantsi took place during both the Winter War (1939 Battle of Ilomantsi) and the Continuation War (1944 Battle of Ilomantsi). The latter was the final battle of the Continuation War and ended with a Finnish victory.
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Ilomantsi is located in North Karelia, Finland, Europe. The coordinates are 62.6716 latitude, 30.9328 longitude.
Ilomantsi has a population of approximately 4,327 people, making it a town in Finland.
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Essential numbers in Finland
Winter tyres mandatory December–February.
Full driving guide for FinlandMay to September
Far northern latitude: short daylight hours outside summer make long drives harder.
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