Helsinki Introduction

Helsinki is the capital and largest city of Finland It is in the region of Uusimaa, in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland.

Release time : 2016-05-11 14:49:39

source : WTCF

nland became independent in 1917, and Helsinki assumed the demanding new role of capital of the young republic. City planning was characterized by Classicism and Functionalism.

Recovering from the hardships of war, Helsinki hosted the Summer Olympics in 1952. The games created an international reputation for Helsinki as an efficient and friendly host city.

Helsinki is recognized as a city in which many differing views can interact in a constructive atmosphere. The Finlandia Hall has hosted many international summit meetings, including the Conference for Security and Co-operation in Europe in 1975. Finland became an EU Member State in 1995. Finland has held the EU Presidency in 1999 and 2006. Also in 2006 Helsinki hosted the ASEM6 Summit, the largest meeting held in Finland to date.

Helsinki was one of nine European Cities of Culture in 2000. Helsinki received additional international cultural visibility when it successfully hosted the Eurovision Song Contest in 2007. A couple of years later, Helsinki was chosen as World Design Capital for the year of 2012. In 2014 Helsinki was awarded City of Design status as part of the Creative Cities Network established by UNESCO.

Natural Environment

Called the "Daughter of the Baltic," Helsinki is located on the tip of a peninsula and on 315 islands. The inner city area occupies a southern peninsula, which is rarely referred to by its actual name Vironniemi. Much of Helsinki outside the inner city area consists of postwar suburbs separated from each other by patches of forest. A narrow 10 kilometers long, Helsinki Central Park, stretching from the inner city to the northern border of Helsinki, is an important recreational area for residents. The City of Helsinki has about 11,000 boat berths and possesses over 14,000 hectares of marine fishing waters adjacent to the Capital Region.

Climate

Helsinki’s climate is typical of its northerly situation. Its intermediate climate combines characteristics of both a