Utsjoki is a municipality in Finland, the northernmost in the country. It is in Lapland and borders Norway as well as the municipality of Inari. The municipality was founded in 1876. It has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is Utsjoki has two official languages: Finnish and Northern Sami. It is the municipality in Finland with the largest portion of Sami speakers; of the population. The border to Norway follows the riverTeno which flows into the Arctic Sea. The river is a popular site for recreational fishing because it is rich in salmon. The northernmost village in Finland and in the European Union is Nuorgam which is also the northernmost landborder crossing in the world. Utsjoki is at the northern end of highway 4, the longest highway in Finland. The European route E75 runs along the Sami Bridge further to Norway. Between the Teno and the Utsjoki river, there is an old hotel very popular with Norwegians and Finns alike, that was built by the Finnish Tourist Association in 1959. The outside look is still the same, but the rooms have been renovated and the hotel is now named Hotel Luossajohka. The Nature reserve Kevo is in the municipality. It covers a territory of and there is a long hiking trail. The trail partly follows the edge of the Kevo canyon. The "midnight sun" is above the horizon from 17 May to 28 July, and the period with continuous night lasts a bit shorter, polar night from 26 November to 15 January.
Despite being over three degrees north of the Arctic Circle, Utsjoki, like most of Finland, has a subarctic climate. Being the northernmost municipality in Finland, Utsjoki is a very cold place with an annual average temperature below freezing. Utsjoki is also the driest place in Finland, as the average annual precipitation varies between, depending on the topography. The driest year on record was 1986 when only of precipitation fell at the Outakoski weather station. The "midnight sun" is above the horizon from 17 May to 28 July, and the period with continuous night lasts a bit shorter, polar night from 26 November to 15 January.
