List of cities and towns in Finland


The following is a list of cities in Finland. In the year 1977, the legal difference between towns and municipalities was removed. Today they are all classified as municipalities, some of which are commonly referred to as cities . A municipality can decide whether it calls itself a municipality or a city.
but suurkaupunki'' is used for a few cities in Finland. This fits the EU's definition of a city, which has the criteria of a minimum population of 50,000 and a minimum population density of 500 inhabitants per square kilometer. A simple, independent decision in the municipal council is sufficient to call a municipality a city. For cities founded before the 1960s, the list includes the year the city was chartered.
Many municipal mergers have been carried out in Finland. Mergers also make it difficult to define what towns are cities because mergers make the population increase a bit but make the population density decrease. For example, according to the EU definition, Tampere is no longer a city, due to the municipal mergers with Messukylä, Aitolahti, and Teisko, which decreased its official population density to 410.5 inhabitants per square kilometer, as of 1 July 2012. In Finland, the whole area inside a municipality's borders is officially considered the city or town area.
The names used in this encyclopedia are usually the Finnish or Swedish forms, depending on the majority language of the municipality, except when there is a commonly used English name.

Cities (founded)

Finnish nameSwedish nameDistrictFoundedPopulation
AkaaAckas200716,709
Alajärvi19869,752
AlavusAlavo197711,611
EspooEsboHelsinki1972281,866
Forssa196417,079
Haapajärvi19777,178
Haapavesi19966,895
HaminaFredrikshamn165320,410
HankoHangö18748,448
Harjavalta19777,076
Heinola183919,007
HelsinkiHelsingfors1550648,650
HuittinenVittis197710,140
HyvinkääHyvinge196046,622
HämeenlinnaTavastehus163967,713
IisalmiIdensalmi189121,546
IkaalinenIkalis19777,037
Imatra197127,035
PietarsaariJakobstad165219,303
Joensuu184876,228
Jyväskylä1837140,812
Jämsä197720,764
JärvenpääTräskända196743,170
KaarinaS:t KarinsTurku199333,335
KajaaniKajana165137,039
Kalajoki186512,446
KangasalaTampere201831,815
Kankaanpää197211,506
Kannus19865,496
KarkkilaHögfors19778,804
KaskinenKaskö17851,275
Kauhajoki200113,441
Kauhava198616,159
KauniainenGrankullaHelsinki19729,577
Kemi186921,019
Kemijärvi19737,410
KeravaKervoHelsinki197036,174
KeuruuKeuru19869,858
KiteeKides199210,382
Kiuruvesi19938,196
KokemäkiKumo19777,300
KokkolaKarleby162047,723
Kotka187853,110
Kouvola196083,600
KristiinankaupunkiKristinestad16496,605
Kuhmo19868,377
Kuopio1775118,434
Kurikka197721,050
Kuusamo200015,219
LahtiLahtis1905119,999
LaitilaLetala19868,658
LappeenrantaVillmanstrand164972,801
LapuaLappo197714,545
Lieksa197311,157
LohjaLojo196946,490
Loimaa196916,106
LoviisaLovisa174514,968
MaarianhaminaMariehamn186111,769
MikkeliS:t Michel183853,983
Mänttä-Vilppula200910,062
NaantaliNådendalTurku144319,168
Nivala199210,764
NokiaTampere197733,403
Nurmes19747,675
UusikaarlepyyNykarleby16207,476
NärpiöNärpes19939,503
Orimattila199216,071
Orivesi19869,221
Oulainen19777,457
OuluUleåborg1605202,753
Outokumpu19776,825
PaimioPemarTurku199710,784
ParainenPargasTurku197715,261
Parkano19776,519
Pieksämäki196218,039
PoriBjörneborg155884,566
PorvooBorgåHelsinki134650,224
Pudasjärvi20048,033
Pyhäjärvi19935,282
RaaheBrahestad164924,852
RaaseporiRaseborg200927,792
RaisioResoTurku197424,219
RaumaRaumo144239,401
Riihimäki196028,835
Rovaniemi196062,667
Saarijärvi19869,509
Salo196052,580
Sastamala200924,727
SavonlinnaNyslott163933,866
Seinäjoki196063,072
Somero19938,859
Suonenjoki19777,179
TampereTammerforsTampere1779234,441
TornioTorneå162121,912
TurkuÅboTurku1200–1300190,935
UlvilaUlvsby1365 to 1558, later 200013,074
UusikaupunkiNystad161715,737
VaasaVasa160667,465
Valkeakoski196321,199
VantaaVandaHelsinki1974226,160
Varkaus196220,956
Viitasaari19966,295
VirratVirdois19776,756
Ylivieska197115,205
YlöjärviTampere200433,034
ÄhtäriEtseri19865,788
Äänekoski197318,971