HELSINKI CAPITAL AREA

# HELSINKI METROPOLITAN AREA

## Welcome to Daughter of Baltic

Founded in 1550 by King Gustav Vasa, Helsinki became the Finnish capital in 1812. The city covers a total 590,4 square kilomters, 403,4 of which are seawater. More than 501 000 inhabitants: men 45,4 % and women 54,6 %. Roughly 70 % of the population are economically active; 7,3 % speak Swedish as their native language.

The 1993 city budget amounts to a total of 16 248 million FIM, 42 % of which is covered by municipal tax. The city employs approximately 39 000 persons.