Southwest Finland
Southwest Finland
Finland Proper | |
|---|---|
| Region of Finland Proper Varsinais-Suomen maakunta Landskapet Egentliga Finland | |
 Coat of arms | |
 Finland Proper on a map of Finland | |
| Country | Finland |
| Historical province | Finland Proper |
| Capital | Turku |
| Area | |
| • Total | 10,910.05 km2 (4,212.39 sq mi) |
| Population (2019) | |
| • Total | 479,341 |
| • Density | 44/km2 (110/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| ISO 3166 code | FI-19 |
| NUTS | 183 |
| Regional animal | Red fox |
| Regional bird | Western jackdaw |
| Regional fish | Baltic herring |
| Regional flower | Oak |
| Regional lake | Pyhäjärvi |
| Website | varsinais-suomi.fi |
Southwest Finland,[1] calqued as Finland Proper (Finnish: Varsinais-Suomi; Swedish: Egentliga Finland), is a region in the southwest of Finland. It borders the regions of Satakunta, Pirkanmaa, Tavastia Proper (Kanta-Häme), Uusimaa, and Åland. The region's capital and most populous city is medieval Turku, which was known as the former capital city of Finland before Helsinki.
The area comprising the Southwest is largely the same as the historical province of Finland Proper, so named because it is the original home of the tribe known as the Finns.
Origin of the name Finland Proper[]
The name of Finland Proper has a historical function. In historic times, in the area of the present Southern Finland lived three tribes, which were the Finns, the Tavastians and the Karelians. The southwestern part of the country, the province where the Finns lived, was called simply Finland (Finnish: Suomi). In the 17th century the name began to be used to refer to the whole land and a specified name for the lesser Finland was required. The first notes Fennigia specialiter dicta and Fennigia presse dicta were recorded in Latin in the 1650s and the Swedish Finland för sig sielft and Egenteliga Finland later in the 18th century the modern form Egentliga Finland being in official use at the end of the century. The Finnish term Varsinais-Suomi became established only around the 1850s.[2]
Geography[]
Southwest Finland's nature differs from other regions. The most notable biotopes are the Archipelago Sea and groves. 80% of Finland's insect species can be found in Southwest Finland.[3] There are around 20,000 islands near the coast.[4]
The southernmost point of Southwest Finland and the southernmost inhabited island is Utö.[5] Its highest point is 164 meters in Kiikala.[6]
Historical provinces[]
Municipalities[]
The region of Southwest Finland is made up of 27 municipalities, of which 11 have city status (marked in bold).
|
Åboland–Turunmaa sub-region: Salo sub-region: Turku sub-region:
|
Loimaa sub-region:
Vakka-Suomi sub-region:
|
|
Demographics[]
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 406,360 | — |
| 1985 | 415,899 | +2.3% |
| 1990 | 425,282 | +2.3% |
| 1995 | 435,119 | +2.3% |
| 2000 | 447,103 | +2.8% |
| 2005 | 455,584 | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 465,183 | +2.1% |
| 2015 | 474,323 | +2.0% |
| 2018 | 478,582 | +0.9% |
| Source: Statistics Finland | ||
As of 2018, Southwest Finland had an population of 478,582, making it the third most populated Finnish region after Uusimaa and Pirkanmaa. 87.18% speak Finnish, 5.67% Swedish and 7.15% speak other languages, the most common being Russian, Estonian, Arabic, Kurdish and Albanian.
It has the most summer cottages out of any Finnish region, with 49,000 as of 2012.[7]
| Nationality [8] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 31 December 2017 | ||
| 1 |  Finland |
444,171 |
| 2 |  Soviet Union |
5,801 |
| 3 |  Estonia |
4,079 |
| 4 |  Albania |
3,148 |
| 5 |  Sweden |
2,746 |
| 6 |  Yugoslavia |
2,714 |
| 7 |  Iran |
1,855 |
| 8 |  Iraq |
1,590 |
| 9 |  Vietnam |
938 |
| 10 |  Macedonia |
874 |
| 11 |  Poland |
842 |
| 12 |  Ukraine |
834 |
| 13 |  China |
774 |
| 14 |  Afghanistan |
679 |
| 15 |  Romania |
679 |
| 16 |  Germany |
511 |
| 17 |  United Kingdom |
436 |
| 18 |  Turkey |
428 |
| 19 |  Syria |
425 |
| 20 |  Bosnia and Herzegovina |
394 |
Politics[]
Results of the 2019 Finnish parliamentary election in Southwest Finland:
- Finns Party 19.14%
- National Coalition Party 18.95%
- Social Democratic Party 17.78%
- Left Alliance 12.84%
- Centre Party 10.78%
- Green League 9.16%
- Swedish People's Party 5.51%
- Movement Now 1.93%
- Christian Democrats 1.85%
- Blue Reform 0.52%
- Seven Star Movement 0.16%
- Other parties 1.38%
Heraldry[]
The region uses the coat of arms of the historical province of Finland Proper.
Image gallery[]
Turku Cathedral dating back to the 13th century is Finland's national shrine and one of Finland's most recognized buildings
A typical view from , the largest archipelago (by number of islands) in the world
Louhisaari Manor in Masku was the birthplace of Baron C. G. E. Mannerheim, Finnish Marshal and the 6th President of Finland
The Old Castle of Lieto and rural landscape
Village of Kitula in Suomusjärvi, Salo
Naantali Harbour with the former Bridgettine monastery church in the background
A general view of the City of Turku from the tower of the cathedral
Bengtskär Lighthouse in Kimitoön is the highest one in the Nordic countries
Nautelankoski Rapids in River Aura in Lieto
The medieval Turku Castle on the banks of River Aura is one of the most influential buildings in Finnish history
A limestone quarry in Pargas
Historical salt warehouses in Uusikaupunki town centre
A bridge from 1850 in Taivassalo
; there are 25 remaining medieval churches in the region
Luostarinmäki Handicrafts Museum is an 18th-century district of the city that survived the Great Fire of Turku which burnt down four-fifths of the city in 1827
May Day celebrations in Turku centre; the Arts Museum on the top of Street Aurakatu
Traffic connections between islands are mostly served with ferries in the archipelago
A street view in Turku; old wooden houses and modern block of flats
Marshland in Loimaa
Naantali Old Town has been well preserved
The functionalistic Paimio Sanatorium by Alvar Aalto
A silo in Salo; the region still has a strong agricultural feel
Windmills in Uusikaupunki
Ruins of the medieval Kuusisto Bishops' Castle demolished in 1528 during the Protestant Reformation in Kaarina
Pargas Old Town
The Utö Island of the Pargas municipality
River and rural landscape in Marttila
in Salo is the smallest in Finland
Turku Market Hall from 1896 in Turku is the second oldest market hall in Finland
See also[]
Finns proper
Notes[]
- ^ https://www.stat.fi/uutinen/alueluokitusmuutokset-112019
- ^ Suomalainen paikannimikirja. Jyväskylä: Gummerus. 2007. ISBN 978-951-593-976-0.
- ^ http://www.vihreapolku.info/kestava_kehitys/parempia_valintoja_-_turkulaisen_toiminta-_ja_kulutusopas/kuntoillaan_kestavasti_ja_nautitaan_lahiluonnosta
- ^ http://www.saaristoon.fi/
- ^ Turun Sanomat
- ^ http://www.salo.fi/ymparistojaluonto/luontojaretkeily/luontokohteetjareitit/hyypparanharjukultalahdejasaramaki/
- ^ http://www.iltalehti.fi/mokkiextra/2013052417065336_mo.shtml
- ^ Statistics Finland
External links[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Finland Proper. |
Finland Proper travel guide from Wikivoyage
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- Southwest Finland
- Western Finland Province
- Regions of Finland