Kemi

Kemi, town, northwestern Finland. It lies along the Gulf of Bothnia at the mouth of the Kemi River, north-northwest of Oulu. It was chartered in 1869, although the site had been inhabited for three centuries. The largest bridge and viaduct in Finland formerly stood just north of Kemi, but both were destroyed by the Germans in World War II. A major centre for the pulp and timber industries, Kemi is also a seaport handling most of the export trade on the Gulf of Bothnia. The nearby Isohaara hydroelectric station provides power for the northern two-thirds of Finland. The town is on the rail line between Tornio and Oulu (completed 1903) and has an airport 4 mi (6.5 km) northeast. Pop. (2000) 29,189.