Ii (Finnish pronunciation:[iː]; Swedish: Ijo) is a municipality of Finland. It is situated by the Bothnian Bay, at the mouth of river Iijoki, and it is part of the Northern Ostrobothniaregion. The municipality has a population of 9,766 (31 December 2023)[2] and covers an area of 2,872.44 km2 (1,109.06 sq mi) of which 1,256.69 km2 (485.21 sq mi) is water.[1] The population density is 6.04/km2 (15.6/sq mi).
Ii merged with Kuivaniemi on 1 January 2007. The new municipality retained the name Ii, but adopted the coat of arms of Kuivaniemi. Ii is notable for having the shortest place name in Finland, and also one of the shortest ones in the world. The etymology is not definitively established; options are either Germanic origin or Sami origin. In the latter, it would mean "a place to stay overnight in"; cf. Northern Samiidja "night".[5]
The city has ambition to become the first zero waste town in the world, and its municipal manager claims that it does not use fossil fuels for energy.[6]
History
Ii is named after the river Iijoki. The original name of the settlement was Iijoen kylä, first mentioned in 1374 as Yioki when it was a chapel community within the Pedersöre parish. The marketplace Iin Hamina has existed since the 14th century. Ii became a separate parish sometime before 1445.
Kuivaniemi became a part of Ii again in 2007. When Yli-Ii was merged into Oulu, a part of it was given to Ii as an exclave. This exclave contains the Pahkakoski hydroelectric power plant.
The Jakkukylä area, transferred from Oulu to Ii in 2018.
The village of Jakkukylä and its surroundings, originally part of Yli-Ii and a part of Oulu from 2013, decided to join Ii in 2018.[8]