The Pyhäjoki (literally: "sacred river") is a river in Northern Ostrobothnia, Finland. It is long and the town of Pyhäjoki is located where it empties into the Gulf of Bothnia on the Baltic Sea.

The river originates in Lake Pyhäjärvi and flows generally north-northwest through the Pyhäjokilaakso basin, a lightly settled region in southwest Northern Ostrobothnia. Towns along its course are Kärsämäki, Haapavesi and Oulainen. It empties into the Gulf of Bothnia at the town of Pyhäjoki, dividing into two branches shortly beforehand. The drainage basin of the Pyhajöki is variously described as Suomen päävesistöalueet -taulukko , Ympäristöministeriö (Finnish Department of the Environment), updated 22 May 2012 and ;"Пюхя-Йоки (Pyhäjoki)", Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd ed. 1969–1978 its mean discharge is approximately .

The river has rapids and is used for rafting. Timber was formerly rafted down it, but like the other short rivers in the region, it could not support a major sawmill industry at its mouth."Geographical Regions" in Finland and Its Geography, ed. Raye R. Platt, American Geographical Society of New York, London: Methuen, 1957, , p. 391. In 1979 the river still had a salmon run, but numbers declined and in 1993 the river was included in a salmon action plan (SAP) under which fry were introduced from the Torne.Journal de L'Office Des Recherches Sur Les Pêcheries Du Canada 36 (1979) 434.Action Before Extinction: An International Conference on Conservation of Fish Genetic Diversity, ed. Brian Harvey et al., Victoria, British Columbia: World Fisheries Trust, 1998, , p. 111.Valtiopäivät Asiakirjat F4 (2002) p. 266

The element pyhä-, meaning "sacred", in the name of the river and of the lake where it originates, stems from Finnish paganism.John Martin Crawford, "Preface", The Kalevala: The Epic Poem of Finland, 2 vols. New York: Alden, 1888, , Volume 1, p. xvii.

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Further reading

Keijo Juntunen, Juha Paso and Erkki Jokikokko. Lohi nousee Simojokeen, Kuivajokeen, Kiiminkijokeen ja Pyhäjokeen: tuloksia ja päätelmiä vuosien 1999–2000 seurannoista (Salmon recovery in the Simojoki, Kuivajoki, Kiiminkijoki and Pyhäjoki – monitoring results and conclusions 1999–2000). Kala- ja riistaraportteja 221. Helsinki/Oulu: Riista- ja kalatalouden tutkimuslaitos, 2001.