Finland Outside Helsinki (by Liisa Salmi)

There are also other places than Helsinki, the capital, in Finland. Approximately 20% of the population lives in Helsinki and around it, altogether almost one million people. The fact is, of course, that the biggest universities and a lot of other schools are in the metropolitan area, where the cultural life is also liveliest. But, there is life outside Helsinki, although some people living in Helsinki, who have never been farther than 50 km from there, don't believe it.

Turku with 175 000 inhabitants is one of these famous second cities, like Uppsala in Sweden, Tartu in Estonia and Krakow in Poland, and it was the first town or city in Finland (founded in late 13th century) and also the first capital. The first university was founded there in the mid-1600s. Turku (Åbo in Swedish) also has the only purely Swedish-language university called Åbo Akademi. Turku University includes all faculties, among them one of the five medical schools in Finland.

Some two hours by car to the NW from Helsinki is Tampere, with about 208 000 inhabitants and industrial traditions. The university of Tampere was originally focused on social sciences but includes now faculties in most fields, also a medical school.

Jyväskylä is situated some 300 km to the North from Helsinki. The university there is focused on sports and physical exercise sciences and humanities.

Kuopio is a city with 91 000 inhabitants, situated in between lakes. The university is markedly a health sciences university, with medical, pharmaceutical and nursing sciences.

Joensuu close to the Eastern border of Finland has some 58 000 people, and the university emphasises forest sciences and it is the only place in Finland where Russian Orthodox theology is taught.

The universities in N. Finland are in Oulu (132 000 inhabitants) and Rovaniemi (58 000 inhabitants), the capital of Lapland, with the largest area of all cities in Europe. Oulu is strong in IT and computer sciences, medicine and technical sciences and it has been able to create intensive industry in these fields in the city. The University of Lapland in Rovaniemi teaches law, arts, including the new media, and tourism.

Vaasa (58 000 inhabitants) on the W. coast also has a university. Lappeenranta (59 000 inhabitans) in SE Finland has a technical university.

Liisa Salmi