Helsinki is the capital and most populous city in Finland. It is located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and serves as the seat of the Uusimaa region in southern Finland. Approximately 0.67 million people live in the municipality, with 1.25 million in the capital region, and 1.58 million in the metropolitan area. As the most populous urban area in Finland, it is the country's most significant centre for politics, education, finance, culture, and research. Helsinki is situated 80 kilometres (50 mi) to the north of Tallinn, Estonia, 360 kilometres (220 mi) to the north of Riga, Latvia, 400 kilometres (250 mi) to the east of Stockholm, Sweden, and 300 kilometres (190 mi) to the west of Saint Petersburg, Russia. Helsinki has significant historical connections with these four cities.
The municipalities represent the local level of administration in Finland and act as the fundamental, self-governing administrative units of the country. The entire country is incorporated into municipalities and legally, all municipalities are equal, although certain municipalities are called cities or towns. Municipalities have the right to levy a flat percentual income tax, which is between 16 and 22 percent, and they provide two thirds of public services. Municipalities control many community services, such as schools, health care and the water supply, and local streets. They do not maintain highways, set laws or keep police forces, which are responsibilities of the central government.
Kirkkonummi is a municipality in Finland, located in the southern coast of the country. Kirkkonummi is situated in the western part of the Uusimaa region. The population of Kirkkonummi is approximately 41,000. It is the 28th most populous municipality in Finland. Kirkkonummi is part of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, which has approximately 1.58 million inhabitants.
Pirkanmaa, also known as Tampere Region in government documents, is a region of Finland. It borders the regions of Satakunta, South Ostrobothnia, Central Finland, Päijät-Häme, Kanta-Häme and Southwest Finland. Most of the water area in the Kokemäki River watershed is located in the Pirkanmaa region, although Lake Vanajavesi is partly in the Kanta-Häme region. The region got its name from Pirkkala, which in the Middle Ages comprised most of present-day Pirkanmaa. Tampere is the regional center and capital of Pirkanmaa, and at the same time the largest city in the region.
Sub-regions are divisions used for statistical purposes in Finland. The country is divided into 69 sub-regions, which are formed by groups of municipalities within the 19 regions of Finland. These sub-regions represent a LAU 1 level of division used in conjunction with the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics.
Vihti is a municipality in Finland, located in the southern interior of the country. Vihti is situated in the Uusimaa region. The population of Vihti is approximately 29,000. It is the 37th most populous municipality in Finland. Vihti is part of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, which has approximately 1.58 million inhabitants.
Uusimaa is a region of Finland. It borders the regions of Southwest Finland, Tavastia Proper (Kanta-Häme), Päijänne Tavastia (Päijät-Häme), and Kymenlaakso. Finland's capital and largest city, Helsinki, along with the surrounding Greater Helsinki area, are both contained in the region, and Uusimaa is Finland's most populous region. The population of Uusimaa is 1,734,000.
Karkkila is a town and a municipality of Finland.
Kerava is a town in Finland, located in the southern interior of the country. Kerava is situated in the centre of the Uusimaa region. The population of Kerava is approximately 38,000. It is the 30th most populous municipality in Finland. Kerava is part of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, which has approximately 1.58 million inhabitants.
Lohja is a town in Finland, located in the southern interior of the country. Lohja is situated in the western part of the Uusimaa region. The population of Lohja is approximately 46,000. It is the 25th most populous municipality in Finland. Lohja is part of the Helsinki sub-region, but not directly part of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area.
Siuntio is a municipality in the Uusimaa region of Southern Finland. Its neighboring municipalities are Ingå to the west, Kirkkonummi, to the east, Lohja to the north-west, and Vihti to the north. It is 46 kilometres (29 mi) west of Helsinki.
Somero is a town and municipality of Finland. It is part of the Southwest Finland region in the province of Western Finland, located 36 kilometres (22 mi) northeast of Salo, 86 kilometres (53 mi) east of Turku and 105 kilometres (65 mi) northwest of Helsinki. The municipality has a population of 8,409 and covers an area of 697.67 square kilometres (269.37 sq mi) of which 29.9 km2 (11.5 sq mi) is water. The population density is 12.59 inhabitants per square kilometre (32.6/sq mi). Somero is unilingually Finnish.
Greater Helsinki or Helsinki metropolitan area is the metropolitan area around Helsinki, the capital city of Finland. It also includes the smaller capital region. The terms Helsinki metropolitan area, Greater Helsinki, Capital region and the other terms used are not fixed and may vary in different contexts.
Turku sub-region is a subdivision of Southwest Finland in Finland. It is the third most populous sub-region in Finland with about 347,000 inhabitants after Helsinki and Tampere. The sub-regions are used for statistical purposes. Statistics Finland uses the term Turku sub-region as SK023 Turku.
Maalaiskunta (Finnish), landskommun (Swedish), "rural municipality", abbreviated mlk, was one of the four types of municipality in Finland in 1865–1976. Other types in 1865–1959 were city and market town, in 1960–1976 old city, new city and market town. Maalaiskunta was the most common type of municipality. In the 1977 reform, all municipalities were given fully equal legal standing. Previous maalaiskuntas associated with a city retained their name. For example, Rovaniemen maalaiskunta surrounded the city of Rovaniemi, but were independently governed. From 2009, no municipalities will carry this name any more, after the merger of Jyväskylä and Jyväskylän mlk.
Tampere sub-region is a subdivision of Pirkanmaa in Finland. It is the second most populous sub-region in Finland with about 435,000 inhabitants after the Helsinki sub-region. The sub-regions are used for statistical purposes. Statistics Finland uses the term Tampere sub-region as SK064 Tampere.
Lohja sub-region was a subdivision of Uusimaa and one of the Sub-regions of Finland. The sub-region was abolished in 2009 and merged into the Helsinki sub-region.
The Helsinki capital region is the area formed by the cities of Espoo, Helsinki, Kauniainen and Vantaa in Finland. The area is limited around Helsinki, the capital of Finland. The area is located in the southern part of Finland on the shores of the Gulf of Finland and is an important growth centre with a population of 1.25 million.
Turku metropolitan area or Turku region is the metropolitan area around the city of Turku in Finland. The joint municipal authority of the Turku city region consists of six municipalities: Turku, Kaarina, Lieto, Naantali, Raisio and Rusko. The Turku metropolitan area forms a compact, urban-like regional growth centre where people commute from a relatively large area of the Southwest Finland region.
Tampere metropolitan area or Tampere region is the metropolitan area around the city of Tampere in Finland. The joint municipal authority of the Tampere city region consists of eight municipalities: Tampere, Kangasala, Lempäälä, Nokia, Orivesi, Pirkkala, Vesilahti and Ylöjärvi. The Tampere metropolitan area forms a compact, urban-like regional growth centre where people commute from a relatively large area of the Pirkanmaa region.
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