Helsinki

Helsinki (Swedish: Helsingfors; pop. 501,500), capital of Finland, situated on a rocky peninsula of southern Finland, in the Gulf of Finland. Called “white city of the north” because much of it is built of local white granite, it is Finland's chief industrial center and seaport. Its main industries are shipbuilding, foundries, textiles, and paper and machinery manufacture. Chief exports are timber, pulp, and metal goods. It was founded by Swedish king Gustavus Vasa in 1550 and established as the nation's capital in 1812.