Vaasa
Vaasa (Finnish: [ˈʋɑːsɑ]; Swedish: Vasa, Finland Swedish: [ˈvɑːsɑ] ⓘ, Sweden Swedish: [ˈvɑ̂ːsa] ⓘ), in the years 1855–1917 as Nikolainkaupunki (Swedish: Nikolajstad; literally meaning "city of Nicholas), is a city on the west coast of Finland. It received its charter in 1606, during the reign of Charles IX of Sweden and is named after the Royal House of Vasa. Vaasa has a population of 68,969 (31 December 2023) (approximately 120,000 in the Vaasa sub-region), and is the regional capital of Ostrobothnia (Swedish: Österbotten; Finnish: Pohjanmaa). Vaasa is also well known as a major university and college city in Finland.
Vaasa
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City | |
| Vaasan kaupunki Vasa stad City of Vaasa | |
Clockwise from top-left: Vaasa Market Hall, the ruins of Saint Mary Church, the Court of Appeal, the Holy Trinity Church, Vaasa railway station, the Port of Vaasa in Vaskiluoto, and Kurtenia House; and in the middle (from top to bottom) Vaasa City Hall, and the Kauppapuistikko esplanade | |
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Flag Coat of arms | |
Location of Vaasa in Finland | |
| Coordinates: 63°06′N 021°37′E | |
| Country | Finland |
| Region | Ostrobothnia |
| Sub-region | Vaasa sub-region |
| Charter | 2 October 1606 |
| Named for | House of Vasa Nicholas I of Russia (1855–1917) |
| Capital city | 29 January 1918 – 3 May 1918 |
| Government | |
| • City manager | Tomas Häyry |
| Area (2018-01-01) | |
| • City | 545.14 km2 (210.48 sq mi) |
| • Land | 364.84 km2 (140.87 sq mi) |
| • Water | 208.63 km2 (80.55 sq mi) |
| • Urban | 66.65 km2 (25.73 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 210th largest in Finland |
| Population (2023-12-31) | |
| • City | 68,969 |
| • Rank | 14th largest in Finland |
| • Density | 189.04/km2 (489.6/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 65,414 |
| • Urban density | 981.5/km2 (2,542/sq mi) |
| Population by native language | |
| • Finnish | 66.2% (official) |
| • Swedish | 23.4% |
| • Others | 10.4% |
| Population by age | |
| • 0 to 14 | 15% |
| • 15 to 64 | 64.4% |
| • 65 or older | 20.6% |
| Time zone | UTC+02:00 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+03:00 (EEST) |
| Website | www |
The city is bilingual with 66.2% of the population speaking Finnish as their first language and 23.4% speaking Swedish. The surrounding Ostrobothnian municipalities (such as Korsholm and Malax) have a clear Swedish-speaking majority, which is why the Swedish language maintains a strong position in the city, making it the most significant cultural center for Swedish-Finns.
Vaasa is also known for Tropiclandia Water Park, which is located in the Vaskiluoto Island right next to a local spa hotel. In the immediate vicinity of Tropiclandia was the now disassembled Wasalandia Amusement Park, which ceased operations in 2015 due to a small number of visitors.