Introduction
This article is about the Finnish town. For other uses, see Kemi (disambiguation). Town in Lapland, FinlandKemi GiepmaKiemâǨeeʹmmTownKemin kaupunkiKemi stadClockwise, from top left: Kemi Railway Station, Kemi City Hall, Karihaara School, Café at the inner harbour, and Kemi Church Coat of armsNickname: Monaco of FinlandLocation of Kemi in FinlandInteractive map of KemiCoordinates: 65°44′10″N 024°33′49″E / 65.73611°N 24.56361°E / 65.73611; 24.56361Country FinlandRegionLaplandSub-regionKemi–TornioCharter1869Government • Town managerMatti RuotsalainenArea (2018-01-01) • Total747.28 km2 (288.53 sq mi) • Land95.38 km2 (36.83 sq mi) • Water652.1 km2 (251.8 sq mi) • Rank300th largest in FinlandElevation4 m (13 ft)Population (2025-12-31) • Total19,339 • Rank60th largest in Finland • Density202.76/km2 (525.1/sq mi)Population by native language • Finnish92.4% (official) • Swedish0.2% • Others7.5%Population by age • 0 to 1414.4% • 15 to 6457.2% • 65 or older28.4%Time zoneUTC+02:00 (EET) • Summer (DST)UTC+03:00 (EEST)Postal code94100Websitewww.kemi.fi/en/ Kemi (Finnish: [ˈkemi]; Northern Sami: Giepma [ˈkie̯pma]; Inari Sami: Kiemâ; Skolt Sami: Ǩeeʹmm) is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located approximately 30 kilometres (19 mi) from the city of Tornio and the Swedish border. The distance to Oulu is 105 kilometres (65 mi) to the south and to Rovaniemi is 117 kilometres (73 mi) to the northeast. It was founded in 1869 by a decree of the Emperor Alexander II of Russia because of its proximity to a deepwater port. The town has a population of 19,339 (31 December 2025) and covers an area of 747.28 km2 (288.53 sq mi) of which 652.1 square kilometers (251.8 sq mi) are water. The population density is 202.76 inhabitants per square kilometre (525.1/sq mi). According to current statistics, Kemi has the highest number of drug crimes than any other town in Finland. This is thought to be due to its proximity to the Swedish border and the drug smuggling that occurs across it.