| Kempele | |
| Official Name: | Finnish: Kempeleen kunta Swedish: Kempele kommun |
| Settlement Type: | Municipality |
| Coordinates: | 64.9125°N 25.5083°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: |  Finland |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | North Ostrobothnia |
| Subdivision Type2: | Sub-region |
| Subdivision Name2: | Oulu |
| Leader Title: | Municipality manager |
| Leader Name: | Tuomas Lohi |
| Established Title: | Charter |
| Established Date: | 1867 |
| Timezone: | EET |
| Utc Offset: | +02:00 |
| Timezone Dst: | EEST |
| Utc Offset Dst: | +03:00 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Postal Code: | 90440, 90450 |
Kempele is a municipality 11km (07miles) south of the city of Oulu and 7km (04miles) south of the Oulu Airport in Northern Finland. Historically it was in the province of Oulu, but today it is in the region of North Ostrobothnia. The population of Kempele is and the municipality covers an area of NaNKempele}}-{{Data Finland municipality/sea area (excluding sea), of which NaNKempele}} is inland waters . The population density is NaNKempele}}/{{Data Finland municipality/land area . The municipality of Kempele was founded in 1867.
Kempele is the birthplace of former NHL goaltender Pekka Rinne.
The neighbouring municipalities are Liminka, Oulu and Tyrnävä.
Kempele was first permanently settled about 500 years ago, at a time when the coastline was closer than it is today. Kempele was considered part of Greater Liminka and consisted of only three houses in 1568, when it was called Kempele for the first time in official records. In 1774 full church privileges were granted to Kempele, which meant separation from Liminka and establishment as an autonomous parish. The municipal government was established in 1867.
The old church of Kempele, which was built between 1688 and 1691, is one of the oldest wooden churches in Finland. Kempele was granted the right to build a prayer room in 1688, but parishioners decided to construct a church with a steeple. Given the custom of burying local notables under the church, there are about 150 graves in the crypt, the last of them dating from 1796. The church includes decorations by the noted Finnish painter Mikael Toppelius.
The old church ceased to be in active use after a new church was built next to it in the 1990s, but some events are still held in it from time to time.
Kempele may be best known for being the headquarters of the world-famous heart rate monitor corporation Polar Electro, which first brought the device to market in 1978.
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Finland.
