Uusimaa
Encyclopedia
Uusimaa, or Nyland in Swedish
, is a region
in Finland
. It borders the regions Finland Proper, Tavastia Proper
, Päijänne Tavastia
and Kymenlaakso
. Finland’s capital Helsinki
and its second largest city Espoo
are both located centrally in Uusimaa, making it by far the most populous region.
Uusimaa/Nyland was, along with the rest of Southern and Western Finland, held by the Kingdom of Sweden from the 12th or 13th century.
The coastal Uusimaa had earlier been sparsely populated, mostly by Tavastians
, but was from the 12th century populated by Swedish settlers, mostly from Hälsingland
, and Swedish-speaking villages came up near the mouth
s of Vantaanjoki and Keravanjoki
.
The names Uusimaa and Nyland mean “new land” in English. The Swedish-language name Nyland appears in the documents from the 14th century. The Finnish-language name Uusimaa appears for the first time in 1548 as Wsimaa in the first translation
of the New Testament
to Finnish by Mikael Agricola
.
The Finnish provinces were ceded to Imperial Russia in the War of Finland in 1809. After this, Uusimaa became the Province of Uusimaa/Nyland of the old lääni system. From 1997 to 2010, Uusimaa was a part of the Province of Southern Finland
. It has been divided in the regions
of Uusimaa and Eastern Uusimaa
. In 2011, two regions were merged.
The region, especially coastal areas, is traditionally Swedish-speaking, the traditional regional dialects of Swedish (nyländska) are currently mostly spoken in Eastern Uusimaa
, while in the rest of Uusimaa/Nyland Swedish language became more standardised.
The Finnish-speaking population started to grow when the capital of the Grand Duchy of Finland
was moved from Turku
to Helsinki
by Emperor of Russia Alexander I
in 1812, and the region attracted settlers from other parts of Finland. Helsinki
's stadin slangi of Finnish
first evolved in the late 19th century.
7.7% of population of the region speak languages other than Finnish or Swedish as native.
Helsinki Sub-region:
Raseborg Sub-region:
Porvoo Sub-region:
Loviisa Sub-region:
s published in the region are Helsingin Sanomat
and Hufvudstadsbladet
in Helsinki
, Aamuposti
in Hyvinkää
, Länsi-Uusimaa in Lohja
, Loviisan Sanomat and Östra Nyland
in Loviisa
, Uusimaa
and Borgåbladet
in Porvoo
, Västra Nyland
in Raseborg
, and Keski-Uusimaa in Tuusula
. Also two popular tabloid newspaper
s, Iltalehti
and Ilta-Sanomat
, are published there.
Ylen läntinen and Swedish-language
YLE Radio Vega Västnyland
, in the Capital Region
Finnish-language
Ylen aikainen and Swedish-language
YLE Radio Vega Huvudstadsregionen
, and in the eastern part Finnish-language
YLE Radio Itä-Uusimaa and Swedish-language
YLE Radio Vega Östnyland
.
The coat of arms of the region shows a yellow boat which is a symbol for the coastal areas, and two silver streams which are the symbol for rivers.
Uusimaa/Nyland received its coat of arms at the end of the 16th century. There is an image of the coat of arms made in 1599. In 1997, the traditional coat of arms became the official coat of arms of the region.
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
, is a region
Regions of Finland
Finland consists of 19 regions called in Finnish and in Swedish. The regions are governed by regional councils, which serve as forums of cooperation for the municipalities of a region. The main tasks of the regions are regional planning and development of enterprise and education. In addition,...
in Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. It borders the regions Finland Proper, Tavastia Proper
Tavastia Proper
Tavastia Proper is a region of Finland. It borders to the regions Finland Proper, Pirkanmaa, Päijänne Tavastia, and Uusimaa.Hämeenlinna is the largest urban area in the region...
, Päijänne Tavastia
Päijänne Tavastia
Päijänne Tavastia is a region in Southern Finland south of the lake Päijänne. It borders the regions Uusimaa, Tavastia Proper, Pirkanmaa, Central Finland, Southern Savonia and Kymenlaakso.- Historical provinces :...
and Kymenlaakso
Kymenlaakso
Kymenlaakso is a region in Finland. It borders to the regions Uusimaa, Päijänne Tavastia, Southern Savonia, and South Karelia.- Historical provinces :For history, geography and culture see: Uusimaa , Karelia- Municipalities :...
. Finland’s capital Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
and its second largest city Espoo
Espoo
Espoo is the second largest city and municipality in Finland. The population of the city of Espoo is . It is part of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area along with the cities of Helsinki, Vantaa, and Kauniainen. Espoo shares its eastern border with Helsinki and Vantaa, while enclosing Kauniainen....
are both located centrally in Uusimaa, making it by far the most populous region.
History
The coastal Uusimaa had earlier been sparsely populated, mostly by Tavastians
Häme
Häme is the name of a geographical region in Finland. It is an ancient Finnish word, etymologically related to sápmi, the endonym of the Sami people...
, but was from the 12th century populated by Swedish settlers, mostly from Hälsingland
Hälsingland
' is a historical province or landskap in central Sweden. It borders to Gästrikland, Dalarna, Härjedalen, Medelpad and to the Gulf of Bothnia...
, and Swedish-speaking villages came up near the mouth
Mouth (water stream)
A river mouth or stream mouth is a part of a stream where it flows into another stream, river, lake, reservoir, sea, or ocean.* River delta* Estuary* Liman...
s of Vantaanjoki and Keravanjoki
Keravanjoki
The is a river in Finland. It is a tributary of the Vantaa River that flows into the Gulf of Finland at Helsinki.-See also:*List of rivers of Finland...
.
The names Uusimaa and Nyland mean “new land” in English. The Swedish-language name Nyland appears in the documents from the 14th century. The Finnish-language name Uusimaa appears for the first time in 1548 as Wsimaa in the first translation
Se Wsi Testamenti
Se Wsi Testamenti is the first translation of the New Testament to Finnish, by Mikael Agricola, the Bishop of Turku. Generally regarded as his most prominent work, the manuscript was completed in 1543, but it underwent correction for five more years. The whole work took eleven years...
of the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
to Finnish by Mikael Agricola
Mikael Agricola
Mikael Agricola was a clergyman who became the de facto founder of written Finnish and a prominent proponent of the Protestant Reformation in Sweden . He is often called the "father of the Finnish written language". Agricola was consecrated as the bishop of Turku in 1554, without papal approval...
.
The Finnish provinces were ceded to Imperial Russia in the War of Finland in 1809. After this, Uusimaa became the Province of Uusimaa/Nyland of the old lääni system. From 1997 to 2010, Uusimaa was a part of the Province of Southern Finland
Southern Finland
Southern Finland was a province of Finland from 1997 to 2010. It bordered the provinces of Western Finland and Eastern Finland. It also bordered the Gulf of Finland and Russia.- History :...
. It has been divided in the regions
Regions of Finland
Finland consists of 19 regions called in Finnish and in Swedish. The regions are governed by regional councils, which serve as forums of cooperation for the municipalities of a region. The main tasks of the regions are regional planning and development of enterprise and education. In addition,...
of Uusimaa and Eastern Uusimaa
Eastern Uusimaa
Eastern Uusimaa was a region in Finland, until it was consolidated with the region of Uusimaa on January 1, 2011. It bordered to the regions Uusimaa, Päijänne Tavastia, and Kymenlaakso.- Municipalities :...
. In 2011, two regions were merged.
Languages
Uusimaa/Nyland is officially bilingual region, with both Finnish and Swedish having the same status.The region, especially coastal areas, is traditionally Swedish-speaking, the traditional regional dialects of Swedish (nyländska) are currently mostly spoken in Eastern Uusimaa
Eastern Uusimaa
Eastern Uusimaa was a region in Finland, until it was consolidated with the region of Uusimaa on January 1, 2011. It bordered to the regions Uusimaa, Päijänne Tavastia, and Kymenlaakso.- Municipalities :...
, while in the rest of Uusimaa/Nyland Swedish language became more standardised.
The Finnish-speaking population started to grow when the capital of the Grand Duchy of Finland
Grand Duchy of Finland
The Grand Duchy of Finland was the predecessor state of modern Finland. It existed 1809–1917 as part of the Russian Empire and was ruled by the Russian czar as Grand Prince.- History :...
was moved from Turku
Turku
Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...
to Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
by Emperor of Russia Alexander I
Alexander I of Russia
Alexander I of Russia , served as Emperor of Russia from 23 March 1801 to 1 December 1825 and the first Russian King of Poland from 1815 to 1825. He was also the first Russian Grand Duke of Finland and Lithuania....
in 1812, and the region attracted settlers from other parts of Finland. Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
's stadin slangi of Finnish
Finnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
first evolved in the late 19th century.
7.7% of population of the region speak languages other than Finnish or Swedish as native.
Municipalities
There are 28 municipalities in Uusimaa. Cities and towns are marked in bold.Helsinki Sub-region:
- Helsinki
HelsinkiHelsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
(Helsingfors) - VantaaVantaaVantaa is a city and municipality in Finland. Helsinki, Vantaa, Espoo and Kauniainen make up the Helsinki Metropolitan Area.Vantaa, with its population of , is the fourth most populated city of Finland. The biggest airport in Finland, the Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, is located there...
(Vanda) - Espoo
EspooEspoo is the second largest city and municipality in Finland. The population of the city of Espoo is . It is part of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area along with the cities of Helsinki, Vantaa, and Kauniainen. Espoo shares its eastern border with Helsinki and Vantaa, while enclosing Kauniainen....
(Esbo) - KarjalohjaKarjalohjaKarjalohja , or Karislojo in Swedish is a municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the Uusimaa region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water...
(Karislojo) - Karkkila
Karkkila- External links :*...
(Högfors) - KauniainenKauniainenKauniainen is a small town and a municipality of inhabitants in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, Finland. It is surrounded by the city of Espoo, in Greater Helsinki...
(Grankulla) - Hyvinkää
HyvinkääHyvinkää is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located in Uusimaa region, approximately north of the capital Helsinki. The town was chartered in 1960. Hyvinkää belongs to the Province of Southern Finland. The population of Hyvinkää is ....
(Hyvinge) - Järvenpää
JärvenpääJärvenpää is a town and municipality of Finland.-History:Järvenpää was separated from its parent community Tuusula in 1951. Järvenpää was granted the status of a market town after the separation. Neighbouring districts Kellokoski and Nummenkylä were not added to the municipality of Järvenpää and...
(Träskända) - Kerava
KeravaKerava is a town and municipality in Finland.It is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the Uusimaa region. The town has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is...
(Kervo) - Kirkkonummi
KirkkonummiKirkkonummi is a municipality of inhabitants in southern Finland. The literal meaning of the words "Kirkkonummi" and "Kyrkslätt" in English is "church moor"....
(Kyrkslätt) - LohjaLohjaLohja , is a town and municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the Uusimaa region. The town has a population of and covers an area of ofwhich is water...
(Lojo) - MäntsäläMäntsäläMäntsälä is a municipality in the province of Southern Finland, and is part of the Uusimaa region. It has a population of and covers an area of ofwhich is water. The population density is....
- Nummi-Pusula
Nummi-PusulaNummi-Pusula is a municipality of Finland. Its seat is in Saukkola. Nummi-Pusula was formed in 1981 from the former municipalities Nummi and Pusula.... - Nurmijärvi
NurmijärviNurmijärvi is the most populated rural municipality of Finland, located north of the capital Helsinki.The close proximity to Helsinki has led to a considerable growth of the major villages such as Klaukkala and Rajamäki, which nowadays are considered dormitory towns of Helsinki... - PornainenPornainenPornainen is a municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the Uusimaa region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water...
(Borgnäs) - Siuntio
SiuntioSiuntio is a municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the Uusimaa region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water...
(Sjundeå) - Tuusula
TuusulaTuusula is a municipality of Finland. It belongs to the Helsinki sub-region of the Uusimaa region. The municipality has a population of .-Geography:...
(Tusby) - Vihti
VihtiVihti is a small municipality located in the Uusimaa region of province of Southern Finland, approximately northwest of the capital city Helsinki. Its seat is Nummela. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water...
(Vichtis)
Raseborg Sub-region:
- Hanko
Hanko, FinlandHanko , is a bilingual port town and municipality on the south coast of Finland, west of Helsinki. Its current population is , with a majority being Finnish speakers and a strong minority being Swedish speakers.-Politics:...
(Hangö) - Ingå
IngåIngå is a municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the Uusimaa region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water...
(Inkoo) - Raseborg
Raseborghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Raseborg&action=editRaseborg is a town and municipality of Finland. It was created on January 1, 2009, when the municipalities of Ekenäs, Karis and Pohja were consolidated into a single town....
(Raasepori)
Porvoo Sub-region:
- Askola
AskolaAskola is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the Uusimaa region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water... - Myrskylä
MyrskyläMyrskylä is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the Uusimaa region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is ....
(Mörskom) - PukkilaPukkilaPukkila is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the Uusimaa region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is .The municipality is unilingually Finnish...
- Porvoo
PorvooPorvoo is a city and a municipality situated on the southern coast of Finland approximately east of Helsinki. Porvoo is one of the six medieval towns in Finland, first mentioned as a city in texts from 14th century...
(Borgå) - SipooSipooSipoo is a municipality of Finland. Its seat is in Nikkilä/Nickby.It is the eastern neighbour of Helsinki and is located in the Uusimaa region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of ofwhich is water...
(Sibbo)
Loviisa Sub-region:
- Lapinjärvi
LapinjärviLapinjärvi is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the Uusimaa region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of ofwhich is water...
(Lappträsk) - Loviisa
LoviisaLoviisa is a municipality and town of inhabitants on the southern coast of Finland. About 43 per cent of the population is Swedish-speaking.The municipality covers an area of of which is water...
(Lovisa)
Media
Newspapers
The largest subscription newspaperNewspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
s published in the region are Helsingin Sanomat
Helsingin Sanomat
Helsingin Sanomat is the largest subscription newspaper in Finland and the Nordic countries, owned by Sanoma. Except after certain holidays, it is published daily. In 2008, its daily circulation was 412,421 on weekdays and 468,505 on Sundays...
and Hufvudstadsbladet
Hufvudstadsbladet
Hufvudstadsbladet is the highest-circulation Swedish-language newspaper in Finland. Its headquarters are located in Helsinki, the capital of Finland. The name of the newspaper translates approximately into "The Capital City Newspaper", hufvudstad being 19th century Swedish for capital...
in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, Aamuposti
Aamuposti
Aamuposti is a morning broadsheet newspaper published in Finland, six times a week. It was established in 2003 and had a circulation of 22,164 papers in 2008....
in Hyvinkää
Hyvinkää
Hyvinkää is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located in Uusimaa region, approximately north of the capital Helsinki. The town was chartered in 1960. Hyvinkää belongs to the Province of Southern Finland. The population of Hyvinkää is ....
, Länsi-Uusimaa in Lohja
Lohja
Lohja , is a town and municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the Uusimaa region. The town has a population of and covers an area of ofwhich is water...
, Loviisan Sanomat and Östra Nyland
Östra Nyland
Östra Nyland is a Swedish-language newspaper published in Loviisa in Finland. It is owned by KSF Media and is published three times a week. The newspaper was founded in 1881, and is the world's easternmost Swedish-language newspaper....
in Loviisa
Loviisa
Loviisa is a municipality and town of inhabitants on the southern coast of Finland. About 43 per cent of the population is Swedish-speaking.The municipality covers an area of of which is water...
, Uusimaa
Uusimaa (newspaper)
Uusimaa is a morning broadsheet newspaper published in Finland. It is based in Porvoo....
and Borgåbladet
Borgåbladet
Borgåbladet is a Swedish language newspaper that is published five times a week from the town of Borgå in Finland. It is the third oldest newspaper in Finland, having been founded in 1860. It has a daily circulation of about 7,900. This number represents a slight recent increase, after years of...
in Porvoo
Porvoo
Porvoo is a city and a municipality situated on the southern coast of Finland approximately east of Helsinki. Porvoo is one of the six medieval towns in Finland, first mentioned as a city in texts from 14th century...
, Västra Nyland
Västra Nyland
Västra Nyland is a regional Swedish-language newspaper in Finland. Its headquarters are located in Ekenäs. The name of the newspaper translates into "The western part of the Nyland region ", this region also being the area where the newspaper is circulated...
in Raseborg
Raseborg
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Raseborg&action=editRaseborg is a town and municipality of Finland. It was created on January 1, 2009, when the municipalities of Ekenäs, Karis and Pohja were consolidated into a single town....
, and Keski-Uusimaa in Tuusula
Tuusula
Tuusula is a municipality of Finland. It belongs to the Helsinki sub-region of the Uusimaa region. The municipality has a population of .-Geography:...
. Also two popular tabloid newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
s, Iltalehti
Iltalehti
Iltalehti is a daily tabloid newspaper and the third largest newspaper in Finland. Of tabloid newspapers, Iltalehti has a market share of 40% and its biggest rival Ilta-Sanomat has a market share of 60%...
and Ilta-Sanomat
Ilta-Sanomat
Ilta-Sanomat is one of Finland's two prominent tabloid size evening dailys and the second largest newspaper in the country...
, are published there.
Radio stations
YLE's local radio stations in the western part of the region are Finnish-languageFinnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
Ylen läntinen and Swedish-language
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
YLE Radio Vega Västnyland
YLE Radio Vega
Radio Vega is a Finnish radio channel broadcasting in the Swedish language with headquarters in Helsinki. It is a wide-ranging national public service broadcaster with both speech and voice based programming operated by Yleisradio...
, in the Capital Region
Greater Helsinki
Greater Helsinki and the smaller Helsinki Metropolitan Area or Capital Region refer to two regions of different size surrounding Helsinki, the capital of Finland...
Finnish-language
Finnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
Ylen aikainen and Swedish-language
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
YLE Radio Vega Huvudstadsregionen
YLE Radio Vega
Radio Vega is a Finnish radio channel broadcasting in the Swedish language with headquarters in Helsinki. It is a wide-ranging national public service broadcaster with both speech and voice based programming operated by Yleisradio...
, and in the eastern part Finnish-language
Finnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
YLE Radio Itä-Uusimaa and Swedish-language
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
YLE Radio Vega Östnyland
YLE Radio Vega
Radio Vega is a Finnish radio channel broadcasting in the Swedish language with headquarters in Helsinki. It is a wide-ranging national public service broadcaster with both speech and voice based programming operated by Yleisradio...
.
Heraldry
The coat of arms of the region shows a yellow boat which is a symbol for the coastal areas, and two silver streams which are the symbol for rivers.
Uusimaa/Nyland received its coat of arms at the end of the 16th century. There is an image of the coat of arms made in 1599. In 1997, the traditional coat of arms became the official coat of arms of the region.