of Sodankylä. The bronze statue presents reindeer husbandry, which still is one of the most important trades in Sodankylä. Tankavaara Gold Museum The International Gold Museum of Tankavaara presents the history of Finnish gold, as well as the history of the world's major gold rushes. A display called Golden world, tells the story of gold in more than 20 countries. The outdoor museum is housed within several historic buildings and the courtyard is decorated with a large bronze statue of a gold prospector, by the artist professor Ensio Seppänen. The museum's stone and mineral collection has more than 2500 samples on display from around the world. Museum-gallery Alariesto Andreas Alariesto (1900-1986) was painter from Sodankylä. Museum-Gallery Alariesto was opened in July 1986. The museum's permanent exhibition displays artist Andreas Alariesto's life and works. Museum-Gallery is maintenanted by Riikkas and Andreas Alariesto's Lapinkuvat (pictures of Lapland) Foundation and the Municipality of Sodankylä. The foundations's main goal is to take care of Alariesto's collected works and to preserve old Sompio's distinctive cultural tradition. Geography Sodankylä lies just north of the Arctic Circle. Climate Sodankylä has a subarctic climate (Koppen: Dfc), with short, mild summers and long, freezing, extremely snowy winters. However global warming has brought more extreme snowfalls, typically an increase. Its extreme northerly location combined with frequent overcast skies leads to very low amounts of sunshine in the winter months; December will average just under two minutes of sunshine daily. Sodankylä experiences polar night between 20 and 23 December and polar day between 31 May and 14 July. The temperature is usually between and , but the all-time temperature range is between recorded on 28 January 1999 and recorded on 18 July 2018. Twin towns Kola, Russia, since 1968 Berlevåg, Norway, since 1971 Norsjö, Sweden, since 1977 Heiligenblut, Austria, since 1979 Révfülöp, Hungary Gallery Notable people Andreas Alariesto (1900–1989), painter Benjamin Anneberg (1865–1925), lawyer and politician Aleksi Hihnavaara (1882–1938), frontiersman and reindeer herder Kaija Kärkinen (born 1962), singer and actress Maria Lähteenmäki (born 1957), history researcher and university professor Lasse Näsi (1930–2022), politician Katja Riipi (born 1975), retired ice hockey player Johanna Sinisalo (born 1958), science fiction and fantasy writer Pertti Ukkola (born 1950), wrestler and Olympic champion See also Sodankylä Airfield Unari References External links Municipality of Sodankylä – Official website Midnight Sun Film Festival Tankavaara, goldvillage Gold goldmuseum Koilliskaira Visitor Centre Urho Kekkonen National Park The Sodankylä Geophysical Observatory