Features of the area

Topography

Kuusamo is the only highland south of Lapland. The height differences are considerable, over 200 metres. The southernmost fells in Finland are situated in Kuusamo, of which the highest are Ruka, Valtavaara, Iivaara and Kuntivaara. There are still no real mountain species breeding in the area, as the highest mountains do not reach above the tree line.
The largest lakes of the area are at c. 240-250 above sea level. The lowest point is in the Oulanka river (c. 140 above sea level).

Location

Kuusamo is a meeting point for the eastern, southern and northern species. The most interesting species are the eastern ones (Red-flanked Bluetail , Eastern Stonechat and Little Bunting ). There are favourable conditions for both southern and northern species, including a suitable latitude and variable vegetation, caused by the topography and the nutritious soil. The northern species are rep-resented by Bluethroat , Siberian Tit and Siberian Jay, which are regular breeding species. Sout-hern representatives are Blue Tit and Wood Warbler.

The lakes

There are c. 800 km2 of lakes in Kuusamo (total area c. 5800 km2). In addition to the larger lakes Kitka, Muojärvi and Kuusamojärvi, there are many smaller lakes and hundreds of ponds. The Kuu-samo highland divides the water, causing it to flow in five directions. The most well-known rivers are Oulanka, Kitka and Kuusinki, which flow into the White Sea via lake Paanajärvi. There are also many smaller rivers and streams. Good birding waters are the Oulanka river valley including the national park, lake Toranki and Helilampi pond.

The wilderness

Kuusamo has long been regarded as a wilderness county. Because of the dense roughroad network and the heavy forestry which has followed the land division, the wilderness impression has disap-peared from many areas. But there are still areas where the wilderness remains intact. These espe-cially include the protected areas, eg Oulanka, Ruka-Valtavaara-Konttainen and Iivara-Peninkavaara and some old-growth forests, which recently have been hotly debated. Golden Eagle and Siberian Jay represent these areas.

Urban areas

The centrum of Kuusamo, more or less a town, is in contrast to the wilderness. The village has a population of 12.000 inhabitants, creating a habitat for cultural and town birds. Feral pigeons occur, and sometimes Collared Dove and Hawfinch are seen. Swift, which breeds in urban areas in the south, is a wilderness bird in Kuusamo.