| Puolanka | |
| Official Name: | Finnish: Puolangan kunta Swedish: Puolanka kommun |
| Settlement Type: | Municipality |
| Coordinates: | 64.8681°N 27.6708°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: |  Finland |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Kainuu |
| Subdivision Type2: | Sub-region |
| Subdivision Name2: | Kehys-Kainuu |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Harri Peltola |
| Timezone: | EET |
| Utc Offset: | +02:00 |
| Timezone Dst: | EEST |
| Utc Offset Dst: | +03:00 |
| Website: | www.puolanka.fi |
Puolanka (in Finnish ˈpuo̯lɑŋkɑ/ ;Swedish: Puolanka, also Swedish: Puolango) is a municipality in Finland located in the Kainuu region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of NaNPuolanka}} ofwhich NaNPuolanka}}is water. The population density isNaNPuolanka. The municipality is unilingually Finnish.
The fir-tree topped line in the coat of arms of Puolanka refers to local forestry and the cattle bells to livestock management and past grazing in forest lands. The coat of arms was designed by Aake Kaarnama, and the Puolanka municipal council approved it at its meeting on 8 June 1962. The Ministry of the Interior approved the coat of arms for use on 29 August of the same year.[1]
Puolanka has been called the "most pessimistic municipality in Finland". In 2019, the municipality gained worldwide publicity when the BBC published a video about Puolanka, describing it as the "most pessimistic town in the world".[2] Pessimism has a long tradition in the Kainuu region, and the residents of Puolanka decided to make it their trademark, which is why the residents organize various events related to the topic every year.[3]
The first permanent settlers in Puolanka came in the 1550s.
The municipality of Puolanka was established in the year of 1867. In that same year the Puolanka parish became independent from the Hyrynsalmi church to which it had previously belonged to administratively. The municipal council of Puolanka was formed in the year of 1916.[4]
At its peak Puolanka had a population of about 7,520 in 1960. Towards the end of the 1960s, however, Puolanka's population began to decline, alike other municipalities within Kainuu.[4]
Ranked one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Finland, the 24adj=midNaNadj=mid Hepoköngäs, is located 16km (10miles) from the center of Puolanka.
Villages within Puolanka are as follows: