Uusimaa

The place name of Nuuksio derives from Sami word njukča which means Swan.[2] Later Finns proper and Tavastians inhabited the area. Some place names have traces of Tavastian village names, like Konala which likely derives from older Tavastian village name Konhola.[3] Estonians inhabited the region to a smaller extent, specifically for seasonal fishing.[4]

Swedish colonisation of coastal Uusimaa started after the second crusade to Finland in the 13th century.[5][6] The colonisation was part of converting pagan areas to Catholicism. Eastern Uusimaa had its first Christian Swedish colonialists earlier than the western part, which got its colonialists in one mass transfer of people to Porvoo in the 14th century. The colonisation was supported by the Swedish kingdom and the immigrants were provided with grain seeds and cattle. They also got a four-year tax exemption from the crown.[4] All the Swedish placenames of Uusimaa date back to this period.[7]

The names Uusimaa and Nyland meaning “new land” in English derives from the Swedish colonisation era. 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.[8] Much of Uusimaa is literally new - it has risen off Baltic sea due to post-glacial rebound.

The Finnish provinces were ceded to Imperial Russia in the War of Finland in 1809. After this, Uusimaa became the Province of Uusimaa in the old lääni system. From 1997 to 2010, Uusimaa was a part of the Province of Southern Finland. In 1994 it was divided into the regions of Uusimaa and Eastern Uusimaa, but in 2011 the two regions were merged as Uusimaa.

March 28, 2020, Uusimaa was isolated from the rest of Finland due to the worst coronavirus outbreak in the region.[9]

The Gross domestic product (GDP) of the region was 91.2 billion € in 2018, accounting for 38.9% of Finnish economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 43,500 € or 144% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 120% of the EU average.[10]

Uusimaa is a bilingual region, with municipalities both bilingual in Finnish and Swedish, and monolingual in Finnish. Uusimaa's coastal areas tend to be Swedish-speaking. The traditional regional dialects of Swedish (nyländska) are currentlymostly spoken in Eastern Uusimaa, while in the rest of the Uusimaa Swedish dialect has become 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 slang first evolved in the late 19th century. 8,5% of population of the region speak the Swedish language natively.

The regional council is the main governing body for region and focuses primarily on urban planning. Like all regional councils, it is mandated by law.

Uusimaa sub-regions, towns and municipalities

The region of Uusimaa is made up of 26 municipalities, of which 13 have city status (marked in bold).[12]

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  Helsinki Cathedral, a symbol of the capital
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  Porvoo Old Town
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  Nurmijärvi Church
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  Ekenäs Old Town
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  A view of central Helsinki with the Railway Station
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  The Heureka science center in Tikkurila, Vantaa
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  Helsinki-Vantaa Airport in Vantaa, the largest airport in Finland
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  A view of Hanko, the southernmost town in Finland
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  The house where Aleksis Kivi born, Nurmijärvi; an example of early 19th century housing in the area
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  Aleksis Kivi's statue in the Nurmijärvi church village
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  Fagervik Manor, Ingå; there are plenty of manor houses in the area
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  The medieval, late 15th century Lohja Church is one of the biggest of its kind in Finland
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  Tapiola, one of the major urban centres of Espoo
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  Lake Bodom in Oittaa, Espoo
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  Serena Waterpark in Lahnus, Espoo
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  Pornainen Church in Kirveskoski, Pornainen
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  The childhood home of Johannes Linnankoski in Askola
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  Hvitträsk, a residence in national romantic style in Kirkkonummi, now a museum
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  A view from Fiskars, Pohja; the corporation was founded as an ironworks in the village
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  A rural 19th century peasant interior in Lohilampi Museum, Sammatti
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  Ainola, Home of Jean Sibelius, in Järvenpää
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  Loviisa Town Hall
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  A view of Finnish Gulf in Porvoo Archipelago with Söderskär Lighthouse
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  Raseborg Castle from the 14th century, partly ruined
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  Church of St. Lawrence in Vantaa, the oldest building in the capital region
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  Hyvinkää Church, an example of modern Finnish church architecture
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  A rural landscape in Pusula with Lake Hiidenvesi
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  Scandic Siuntio, hotel and spa in Siuntio
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  Kerava town centre tower blocks
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  Hirvihaara Manor, Mäntsälä
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  Karkkila, a small town in north of the region
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  Myrskylä village in the municipality by same name (also in north of the region)
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  Suomenlinna Fortress with the city of Helsinki in the background
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  A view from Nuuksio National Park, Espoo
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  Leppävaara, one of Espoo's centres

Results of the 2019 Finnish parliamentary election in Uusimaa (consisting of two constituencies, named Helsinki and Uusimaa):

• National Coalition Party 21.28%
• Green League 17.62%
• Social Democratic Party 16.04%
• Finns Party 14.37%
• Swedish People's Party 7.51%
• Left Alliance 7.42%
• Centre Party 4.97%
• Movement Now 4.11%
• Christian Democrats 2.38%
• Blue Reform 1.24%
• Seven Star Movement 0.43%
• Other parties 2.63%

Household pennant of Finnish-speaking Uusimaa

Household pennant of Swedish-speaking Uusimaa

The coat of arms of the province is Azure, a boat Or between two fesses wavy Argent (a golden boat which is a symbol for the coastal areas, and two silver wavy fesses which are the symbol for rivers.)

Uusimaa 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.

• List of European regions by GDP

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Uusimaa.

• Uusimaa Regional Council

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Uusimaa.