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Regions Finland is divided into the following provinces (lääni): Southern Finland — the southern stretch of coastline up to the Russian border, including the capital Helsinki Western Finland — the coastal areas, the old capital Turku and Finland's number two city Tampere Eastern Finland — forests and lakes by the Russian border, including Savonia (Savo) Oulu — the former province of Ostrobothnia (Pohjanmaa) and Kajanaland (Kainuu), named after the technology city of Oulu Finnish Lapland — tundra and reindeer above the Arctic Circle The Åland Islands — an autonomous and monolingually Swedish group of islands off the southwestern coast of Finland While a convenient and unambiguous bureaucratic division, the provinces do not really correspond to geographical or cultural boundaries very well. Other terms you may hear include Tavastia (Häme), covering a large area of central Finland around Tampere; Uusimaa, centred on Helsinki; and Karelia (Karjala) to the east, the bulk of which was lost to the Soviet Union in World War II (still a sore topic in some circles).

Cities Helsinki — the capital and the largest city in Finland Porvoo — one of the oldest towns in Finland, medieval wooden houses, quite near to Helsinki Turku — the former capital on the western coast. Medieval castle and cathedral. Tampere — an industrial town, home to the Lenin Museum, in the middle of other big cities in Southern Finland Jyväskylä — a university town located in Central Finland Lappeenranta — the capital of the province of South Carelia, near Vyborg, Russia. Kuopio — the largest city in eastern Finland known for its delicious fish filled bread ("kalakukko") Oulu — a technology city at the end of the Gulf of Bothnia Rovaniemi — gateway to Lapland