Etelä-Suomi - Geography and history
Etelä-Suomi (Southern Finland) covers 40 797 km2, which represents a little more than 13% of the total country's area. It has common borders with Länsi-Suomi and Itä-Suomi. It consists of seven regions: Uusimaa, Itä-Uusimaa (Eastern Uusimaa), Kanta-Häme, Päijät-Häme, Kymenlaakso, Etelä-Karjala (Southern Karelia) and Varsinais-Suomi. The population density in the region is the highest in the country and, with 62.7 inhabitants per km2, is more than three times higher than the country's average. The region is bilingual: it offers experiences in both of Finland's official languages (Finnish and Swedish), with its multicultural community of immigrants adding a dash of variety.
The capital of the country, Helsinki is situated in the region. It has 559 716 inhabitants at first of January 2003 and more than 3 000 inhabitants per square kilometre. Other cities with more than 100 000 inhabitants in the region are Espoo and Vantaa in the capital area and Turku in the south-western part of the region.
A historic region
Southwest Finland was Finland's first province. The region holds a central position in the Baltic Sea area, with age-old connections to the south and west. The Crusades brought Finland fully within the sphere of influence of the Roman Catholic Church and the Kingdom of Sweden, with Southwest Finland serving as Sweden's point of entry for its occupation of inner Finland. Southwest Finland adopted the West's laws, municipal and social structures, and modes of thought. Southwest Finland enjoyed a strong position under Swedish rule. Turku was the academic centre-point and Episcopal see of Finland as well as the home of its richest merchants. When Finland was annexed by Russia, Southwest Finland found itself on the periphery of other regions of the country. However, the region soon set things straight, by joining in the second Industrial Revolution with a focus on the metals industry, whose professional skills brought Southwest Finland into the highly demanding modern age. It also preserved its legacy as the breadbasket of Finland and managed to combine stability and wealth with a radicalism that demands change.
An important geographical position
The major region is at the heart of Northern Europe. Its location on the Baltic Sea, its cultural climate and its green landscapes have made it a growing centre for new European business and politics. It is one of the historical regions of Finland which has old and valuable buildings and cultural surroundings.
The favourable geographical position is a decisive potential of the region. Due to its central location between East and West, it was already known as a focal point for busy trade in the Middle Ages. Since the last century, traffic connections have been greatly extended, turning the region into a "Gate to the East". The railway from Helsinki to S. Petersburg via Lahti was completed already in 1870.
The countryside in Etelä-Suomi has remained strong and viable, and offers an excellent opportunity to get acquainted with Finnish nature. The nature is rich, offering a lot of variety, and the changing seasons are visible everywhere. The landscape is varied in topography, featuring a multitude of different types of forests, lakes, rivers, marshland, ridges and archipelagos. Today the region offers a balanced mixture of original Finnish traditions and a modern way of life.
The number of lakes in the region is rather small compared to other major regions. Two big lakes, however, are partly within the region: in east Lake Saimaa, the largest lake system in Finland and in the north the third largest lake of Finland, Lake Päijänne. Lake Päijänne is also an important drinking water reservoir for the region. Winter lasts from October/November to March; lakes freeze in December, at the latest, and are freed from ice at the end of April or beginning of May.
|
|