Helsinki capital region pääkaupunkiseutu –huvudstadsregion | |
|---|---|
Capital region | |
 The capital region marked on the map in dark blue. Light blue covers the rest ofmetropolitan area. | |
| Capital region | Finland |
| Region | Uusimaa |
| Sub-region | Helsinki sub-region |
| Metropolitan area | Helsinki metropolitan area |
| Seat | Helsinki |
| Area | |
| • Land | 771 km2 (298 sq mi) |
| Population (2025-03-31) | |
• Total | 1,270,887 |
| • Density | 1,648/km2 (4,270/sq mi) |
TheHelsinki capital region (Finnish:pääkaupunkiseutu,Swedish:huvudstadsregion) is the area formed by the cities ofEspoo,Helsinki,Kauniainen andVantaa inFinland.[note 1][1][2] The area is limited around Helsinki, the capital of Finland. The area is located in the southern part of Finland on the shores of theGulf of Finland and is an important growth centre with a population of 1.3 million.
The municipalities of the capital region have a legal obligation to cooperate in the areas of waste management and public transport, withHSL being responsible forpublic transport andHSY forwaste management andwater supply. Municipalities other than the four capital region municipalities may also be members of the association of municipalities. HSL hasKirkkonummi,Kerava,Tuusula,Sipoo from theHelsinki metropolitan area andSiuntio from outside the area, andKirkkonummi for the waste management of HSY.[1]
Sometimes the termGreater Helsinki (Finnish:Suur-Helsinki) has been used in the same sense as the Capital region, but not in the official language. The term Capital region is already established in both official and unofficial use.[1]
The termHelsinki metropolitan area (Finnish:Helsingin seutu) may be broader than the capital region in common parlance, but it also has a precise meaning in the official language. For example, when the term Helsinki metropolitan area is used in statistics, it includes 14 municipalities, namely Helsinki, Espoo, Kauniainen, Vantaa, Kirkkonummi, Vihti, Nurmijärvi, Tuusula, Kerava,Järvenpää,Hyvinkää,Mäntsälä,Pornainen and Sipoo.[1]
TheHelsinki sub-region (Finnish:Helsingin seutukunta), which is related to the national regional division that was abolished at the beginning of 2014, must be distinguished from the Helsinki metropolitan area. The Helsinki sub-region included some of the same municipalities as the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, with the addition ofLohja,Karkkila andSiuntio.[1]
| Coat of arms | Municipality | Population | Land area (km2) | Density (/km2) | Finnish speakers | Swedish speakers | Other speakers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Espoo | 322,180 | 312 | 1,031 | 68 % | 6 % | 25 % |
 | Helsinki | 686,595 | 214 | 3,202 | 74 % | 5 % | 20 % |
 | Kauniainen | 10,176 | 6 | 1,728 | 59 % | 31 % | 11 % |
 | Vantaa | 251,936 | 238 | 1,057 | 69 % | 2 % | 29 % |
| Total | 1,270,887 | 771 | 1,648 | 71 % | 5 % | 23 % |
Helsingin seutu koostuu pääkaupunkiseudun kunnista Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa ja Kauniainen sekä KUUMA-kunnista Hyvinkää, Järvenpää, Kerava, Kirkkonummi, Nurmijärvi, Sipoo, Tuusula, Vihti, Mäntsälä ja Pornainen.