Vantaa Vantaa – Vanda
—  City  —
Vantaan kaupunki Vanda stad
Coat of arms
Location of Vantaa in Finland
Coordinates: 60°17′40″N 025°02′25″E / 60.29444°N 25.04028°E / 60.29444; 25.04028Coordinates: 60°17′40″N 025°02′25″E / 60.29444°N 25.04028°E / 60.29444; 25.04028
Country	Finland
Province	Southern Finland
Region	Uusimaa
Sub-region	Greater Helsinki
Charter	1351
City	1974
Government
- City manager	Juhani Paajanen
Area (2009-01-01)[1]
- Total	240.36 km2 (92.8 sq mi)
- Land	238.38 km2 (92 sq mi)
- Water	2.02 km2 (0.8 sq mi)
Area rank	298th largest in Finland
Population (2009-06-30)[2]
- Total	196,963
- Density	826.26/km2 (2,140/sq mi)
Population rank	4th largest in Finland
Population by native language [3]
- Finnish	88.6% (official)
- Swedish	3% (official)
- Others	8.4%
Population by age [4]
- 0 to 14	18.5%
- 15 to 64	70.5%
- 65 or older	11.1%
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
- Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)
Municipal tax rate[5]	18.5%
Website	www.vantaa.fi

Vantaa (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈʋɑntɑː]; Swedish: Vanda) is a city and municipality in Finland. Helsinki, Vantaa, Espoo, and Kauniainen make up the Helsinki Metropolitan Area.

Vantaa, with its population of 196,963 (30 June 2009),^[2] is the fourth most populated city of Finland. The biggest airport in Finland, the Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, is located there. It also hosts a science centre, Heureka.

Vantaa is notable as the birthplace of racing driver Mika Häkkinen.

In addition there is the city museum next to the railway station in Tikkurila. The museum is housed in the oldest station building in Finland, designed by Carl Albert Edelfelt and completed in 1861. There are exhibitions with various themes on local history.

The city is bilingual, with majority being Finnish and minority Swedish speakers.

[edit] Geography

[edit] Location

Vantaa encompasses 240.36 square kilometres (92.80 sq mi), of which 2.02 km² (0.78 sq mi) is water.^[1] Population density is 826.26 /km² (2,140.0 /sq mi). It borders Helsinki, the Finnish capital, which is to the south and southwest. Other neighbouring municipalities are Espoo to the west, Nurmijärvi, Kerava and Tuusula to the north and Sipoo to the east.

[edit] Subdivision

Vantaa is divided into seven districts (Finnish: palvelualueet, Swedish: storområden): Myyrmäki (Myrbacka), Tikkurila (Dickursby), Hakunila (Håkansböle), Korso, Koivukylä (Björkby) and Aviapolis.

[edit] History

The name Vantaa was taken into use in 1972 when the municipality gained market town rights. The first record of the area is as Helsinge in 1351 when king Magnus II of Sweden granted salmon fishing rights on the river Vantaa to the Estonian Padise monastery. The municipality was formerly known as Helsingin maalaiskunta "Rural municipality of Helsinki". The rapids of river Vantaa were known as Helsingfors, from which the current Swedish name of Helsinki derives. In 1972, the municipality was renamed Vantaa/Vanda and promoted to a market town (i.e. Vantaan kauppala/Vanda köping), and in 1974, finally renamed Vantaan kaupunki/Vanda stad "City of Vantaa".

On October 11, 2002, the city was shocked by the explosion of a bomb in the local Myyrmanni shopping centre, killing 7, including the bomber, a 19-year-old chemistry student from the Espoo-Vantaa Institute of Technology (see Myyrmanni bombing).

[edit] Climate

[edit] Demographics

The Tikkurila railway station is the busiest station in Vantaa.

The Helsinki-Vantaa Airport (HEL), although associated with Helsinki, is located in Vantaa.

[edit] Politics

Districts of Vantaa

[edit] Municipal council

[edit] International relations

[edit] Twin towns — Sister cities

Vantaa is twinned with:

[edit] Mayors

• Lauri Lairala 1974–1989
• Pirjo Ala-Kapee 1989–1997
• Erkki Rantala 1997–2003
• Juhani Paajanen 2003-

[edit] See also

• Districts of Vantaa
• People from Vantaa

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Vantaa

• City of Vantaa – Official website
• Map of Vantaa
• The Finnish Science Center
• Helsinki-Vantaa International Airport
• Vantaa City Museum
• Helsinki.fi – Helsinki region in a nutshell

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