Greater Helsinki

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Map of the Metropolitan Area (Dark Green) and the Capital Region (Light Green).

Central Helsinki, the focal point of the Capital Region, from the sky.

Greater Helsinki (Finnish: Suur-Helsinki or Pääkaupunkiseutu, Swedish: Storhelsingfors), Capital Region (Pääkaupunkiseutu, Huvudstadsregionen), Helsinki Metropolitan Area, and Helsinki Region (Helsingin seutu, Helsingforsregionen) all refer to regions of different size surrounding Helsinki, the capital of Finland. It is located in the south of Finland, on the coast of the Gulf of Finland, which is part of the Baltic Sea. The area has a population of 1 to 1.3 million, depending on how one draws the boundaries. Greater Helsinki has only 1,232,595 people spread over 2,970.6 km² area, resulting in a population density of just 415.0/km², so it could be the lowest density metropolitan area in the world.

The Helsinki region is the largest urbanised area in the country, and is by far the most important economic, cultural, as well as scientific region of Finland. Eight out of Finland's 20 universities and most of the headquarters of notable companies and governmental institutions are located in Greater Helsinki, as is Finland's main aviation hub, Helsinki-Vantaa airport, which is located in Vantaa.

[edit] Definitions of Greater Helsinki

In the strictest sense, the Finnish Capital Region consists of four municipalities with city status, Helsinki, Vantaa, Espoo and Kauniainen, whose total population is about 990,000 (2006). This area is most often called the Helsinki Metropolitan Area or Capital region in English, and Pääkaupunkiseutu in Finnish, although the use of the terms is not especially consistent. Sometimes it is called the "YTV area", referring to YTV, or the Helsinki Metropolitan Area Council, which serves as a co-operation agency for the four central municipalities, mainly providing for public transport and waste management services. The vast majority of the inhabitants live in the conurbation of the cities, but within the boundaries of these cities there are also non-urban and suburban areas.

Commonly about eight more municipalities are considered to be part of Greater Helsinki. When Hyvinkää, Järvenpää, Kerava, Kirkkonummi, Nurmijärvi, Sipoo, Tuusula, and Vihti are included, the number of inhabitants rises to 1.2 million. All of the municipalities belong to the region of Uusimaa, with the exception of Sipoo, located on the coast east of Vantaa, which belongs to Eastern Uusimaa.

In the broadest sense, the Helsinki Region encompasses some 25 municipalities, with a total population of more than 1.3 million. The commuter belt of Helsinki, however, stretches even further with many people from as far as Lahti and even Tampere commuting to Helsinki daily.

[edit] Statistics

The table below lists population, area, and population density for the most central municipalities of the Greater Helsinki area. (Note that "Metropolitan Area" and the other terms used are not completely established, and may vary in different contexts.)

[edit] See also

• Metropolitan area
• Largest European metropolitan areas
• Largest urban areas of the European Union

[edit] External links

• Satellite image of the Helsinki region
• Virtual Finland: Helsinki Metropolitan Area
• Guide map of the Helsinki Region
• YTV, the Helsinki Metropolitan Area Council
• Marketing site for the Helsinki Region
• Helsinki region portal