Portal:Finland/Featured article
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Turku (IPA: [ˈturku], Swedish: Åbo ) is a city in Finland, founded in the 13th century. Turku is the fifth largest city in Finland, with a population of 174 824 (2004), and is located in the south-west of the country at the mouth of the Aura river. It is the capital city of both the region of Finland Proper and the province of Western Finland, as well as being the centre of the country's third largest urban area with over 300,000 inhabitants.
Turku is the oldest city in Finland, having been founded on an as of yet undetermined date during the late 13th century. It has a long history as the country's largest city and administrative centre, but has during the last two centuries lost that status to Helsinki. As a remnant of the its long history, the city hosts a number of important historical landmarks, such as the Turku Castle and the Cathedral of Turku. It also has one of the largest Finland-Swedish populations in the country.
Due to the city's location, the sea is also an important part of the its history and present. Today the Port of Turku is possibly the most important seaport in the whole of Finland.
