Turku is a city and former capital on the southwestern coast of Finland at the mouth of the River Aura, in the region of Southwest Finland (Varsinais-Suomi) and the former Turku and Pori Province. The region was originally called Suomi (Finland), which later became the name of the whole country. The population of Turku is 199,954 making it the sixth largest city in Finland. The Turku region has a population of 344,350, making it the third largest urban area in Finland after the Helsinki and Tampere regions. The city is officially bilingual, with 5.5 per cent of the population having Swedish as their mother tongue.
The Finnish Border Guard is the agency responsible for enforcing the security of Finland's borders. It is a military organisation, subordinate to the Ministry of the Interior in administrative issues and to the president of Finland in issues pertaining to his authority as Commander-in-Chief. The agency has police and investigative powers in immigration matters and can independently investigate immigration violations. The Finnish Coast Guard has search and rescue (SAR) duties, both maritime and inland. Missions inland are often carried out in co-operation with local fire and rescue departments or other authorities.
The Finnish Security Intelligence Service, formerly the Finnish Security Police, is the security and intelligence agency of Finland in charge of national security, such as counter-intelligence and counter-terrorism, under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Interior. The agency had a distinct role during the Cold War in monitoring communists as well as in the balance between Finnish independence and Soviet appeasement. After the 1990s, Supo has focused more on countering terrorism and in the 2010s, on preventing hybrid operations.
Gatorade Center is a multi-functional indoor arena in the district of Artukainen in Turku, Finland. Opened in November 1990, it can hold up to 11,820 spectators for ice hockey games.
Turun sinappi is a mustard made in Finland. It is often served with makkara.
The Market Square is a city square in the city of Turku, in Finland. It is located in the city's VI District, and is generally considered the city's central square. It hosts a lively market on weekdays, and there are several cafés and restaurants on the square.
The Great Fire of Turku was a conflagration in the city of Turku in 1827. It is still the largest urban fire in the history of Finland and the Nordic countries. The city had burned once before, in 1681.
Amos Rex is an art museum named after the publisher and arts patron Amos Anderson and located in Lasipalatsi, on Mannerheimintie boulevard in Helsinki, Finland. It opened in 2018 and rapidly reached international popularity, attracting more than 10,000 visitors in a matter of weeks.
The Mission Diocese, officially the Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland, is an independent confessional Lutheran "ecclesial structure" in Finland. The Mission Diocese considers itself to be "part of ‘the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church’" to be "truly a church" and to act "fully independently as a church", although it has not applied for state-recognition as a registered religious community. The Mission Diocese has its origins in the conservative movements of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland (ELCF) and it self-identifies as existing in the same continuum of Lutheran faith and congregational life of the ELCF whose spiritual heritage it cherishes, yet not being part of its administrative structures.
Perno shipyard is a shipyard in Turku, southwest Finland, that specialises in building cruise ships, passenger ferries, special vessels and offshore projects. The yard area is 144 hectares. The yard is operated by Meyer Turku Oy. The dry dock is 365 metres (1,198 ft) long, 80 metres (260 ft) wide and 10 metres (33 ft) deep, and equipped with two bridge cranes with capacities of 600 tonnes and 1,200 tonnes. The newer bridge crane with a capacity of 1,200 tonnes is the largest in the Nordic region.
The 2017 Turku attack took place on 18 August 2017 at around 16:02–16:05 (UTC+3) when 10 people were stabbed in central Turku, Southwest Finland. Two women were killed in the attack and eight people sustained injuries.
Turku Repair Yard Ltd is a Finnish ship repair company. Its premises are situated in Luonnonmaa island, Naantali. The company has focused on repairing of ships and boats.
The COVID-19 pandemic in Finland has resulted in 1,487,090 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 10,321 deaths.
The Phoenix Hotel was a hotel located in Turku, Finland, on the edge of the Market Square along the street Kirkkokatu, which operated from 1878 to 1922. The building was known as the Phoenix House even when it was the main building of the private University of Turku, founded in 1920. The Phoenix House was demolished in 1959.
Turku Prison is the main correctional facility in southwestern Finland, located in the Saramäki district of Turku. It was formed in 2003 by the merger of the earlier Turku Central Prison, also commonly known as 'Kakola', and Turku County Prison, and moved in 2007 from its old location on the Kakolanmäki hill in central Turku to its new premises. It is a closed prison, with capacity for 255 inmates. Along with Riihimäki, Turku is one of two prisons in Finland with the highest A+ security rating. In 2021, a new high security wing was added, to house prisoners associated with organised crime or otherwise likely to pose particular risks.
Minna Arve is a Finnish politician who serves as the mayor of Turku. Since August 2021 the post of the mayor became an elected office instead of a hired position. She represents the National Coalition Party.
Markus J. Rantala is a Finnish biologist and evolutionary psychologist who is a university lecturer at the University of Turku. Rantala has a doctorate in both biology and psychology. As of November 2022, he has published 219 scientific articles.
Tuuli Hypén is a Finnish comics artist known especially for her Nanna comics. Nanna cartoons have been published in several albums and in newspapers such as Turun Sanomat and Helsingin Sanomat, and was a candidate for the Sarjakuva-Finlandia prize in 2011. In addition to comics, Hypén has published two children's books, Veikan metsäretki and Veikka ja talvi. Hypén also makes illustrations for games and teaches cartoon drawing, among other things.
The Museum of History and Future is a museum planned for Turku, which will open to the public in its entirety in 2030. The purpose of the interactive and experiential museum is to present the history of both Finland and Turku and to combine the different characteristics of museums, science centers and theme parks.
