| Helsinki capital region | |
| Native Name: | Finnish: pääkaupunkiseutu – Swedish: huvudstadsregion |
| Settlement Type: | Capital region |
| Subdivision Type: | Capital region |
| Subdivision Name: | Finland |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Uusimaa |
| Subdivision Type2: | Sub-region |
| Subdivision Name2: | Helsinki sub-region |
| Subdivision Type3: | Metropolitan area |
| Subdivision Name3: | Helsinki metropolitan area |
| Seat: | Helsinki |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
The Helsinki capital region (Finnish: pääkaupunkiseutu, Swedish: huvudstadsregion) is the area formed by the cities of Espoo, Helsinki, Kauniainen and Vantaa in Finland.[1] [2] [3] The area is limited around Helsinki, the capital of Finland. The area is located in the southern part of Finland on the shores of the Gulf of Finland and is an important growth centre with a population of million.
The municipalities of the capital region have a legal obligation to cooperate in the areas of waste management and public transport, with HSL being responsible for public transport and HSY for waste management and water supply. Municipalities other than the four capital region municipalities may also be members of the association of municipalities. HSL has Kirkkonummi, Kerava, Tuusula, Sipoo from the Helsinki metropolitan area and Siuntio from outside the area, and Kirkkonummi for the waste management of HSY.[2]
Sometimes the term Greater 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.[2]
The term Helsinki 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.[2]
The Helsinki 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 of Lohja, Karkkila and Siuntio.[2]
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