Närpes (; ) is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located in Western Finland and is part of the Ostrobothnia region. The town has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . Economically, the municipality is known for extensive greenhouse farming of tomatoes and manufacture of trailers for trucks. Närpes has been a bilingual municipality since 2016. Before that, Närpes was the last unilingually Swedish-speaking municipality in continental Finland. Most locals speak a divergent variety of Ostrobothnian Swedish. The bands who sing in that dialect include 1G3B and Nektor. The most significant main roads in Närpes are Highway 8 between Turku and Vaasa, and Highway 67 between Kaskinen and Seinäjoki. History Närpes has a history that can be dated back to 1331, when Klas Bengtsson in "Nærpes" pawned goods to bishop Bengt in Turku. In 1348 king Magnus IV of Sweden declared "all who live in Nerpis socken, Mustasaari socken and Pedersöre socken" the right to buy and sell "all eatables". Thus creating the first official marketplaces in Ostrobothnia. Demographics Närpes has attracted many immigrants, and has also welcomed refugees. Largest immigrant groups: Vietnam (403) Bosnia and Herzegovina (388) Sweden (254) Yugoslavia (254) Thailand (58) Russia (54) Ukraine (51) Estonia (42) Croatia (32) Lithuania (30) United States (28) Ecuador (25) International relations Twin towns — Sister cities Närpes is twinned with: Akranes, Iceland Bamble, Norway Tønder, Denmark Västervik Municipality, Sweden See also Bothnian Highway Kaskinen References External links Town of Närpes – Official website Municipalities of Ostrobothnia (region) Cities and towns in Finland Populated coastal places in Finland Populated places established in 1867