Vaala

Vaala [ vɑ lɑ ː ] is a municipality with 3255 inhabitants ( 31 December 2012) in north-eastern Finland.

The municipality is located on the eastern shore of the Oulusees, the fourth-largest Finnish lake, in the countryside of Kainuu. Around half of the Oulusees located in the municipality Vaalas, as are the largest with 76 square kilometers island in the lake, Manamansalo. Vaala is halfway, each 90 kilometers away, between the cities of Oulu and Kajaani and is connected via its railway station on the Finnish railway network; here trains to the lines Oulu and Oulu Kontiomäki Iisalmi.

The community was founded in 1867 under the name Säräisniemi and renamed to Vaala 1954. It includes the settlements Alasalmi, Enonlahti, Jaalanka, Jylhämä, Järvikylä, Kangaskylä, Kankari, Liminpuro, Manamansalo, Neittävä, Nimisjärvi, Nuojua, Oterma, Pelso, Suutarinkylä, Säräisniemi and Veneheitto.

The largest employers are the municipal administration, the municipal hospital, schools and correctional Pelso; besides agriculture and forestry has evolved in recent years tourism one of the main economic sectors.