| Southwest Finland | |
| Other Name: | Finland Proper |
| Native Name: | |
| Official Name: | Region of Finland Proper Finnish: Varsinais-Suomen maakunta Swedish: Landskapet Egentliga Finland |
| Settlement Type: | Region |
| Mapsize: | 150px |
| Coordinates: | 60.5°N 67°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Finland |
| Subdivision Type1: | Historical province |
| Subdivision Name1: | Finland Proper |
| Seat Type: | Capital |
| Seat: | Turku |
| Parts Type: | Other towns |
| Parts: | Kaarina, Laitila, Loimaa, Naantali, Paimio, Pargas, Raisio, Salo, Somero and Uusikaupunki |
| Area Total Km2: | 10910.05 |
| Population Total: | 485,567 |
| Population As Of: | 2022 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Demographics Type1: | GDP |
| Demographics1 Footnotes: | [1] |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Total |
| Demographics1 Info1: | €16.219 billion (2015) |
| Demographics1 Title2: | Per capita |
| Demographics1 Info2: | €34,252 (2015) |
| Timezone1: | EET |
| Utc Offset1: | +2 |
| Timezone1 Dst: | EEST |
| Utc Offset1 Dst: | +3 |
| Blank Name Sec1: | NUTS |
| Blank Info Sec1: | 183 |
| Blank Name Sec2: | Regional animal |
| Blank Info Sec2: | Red fox |
| Blank1 Name Sec2: | Regional bird |
| Blank1 Info Sec2: | Western jackdaw |
| Blank2 Name Sec2: | Regional fish |
| Blank2 Info Sec2: | Baltic herring |
| Blank3 Name Sec2: | Regional flower |
| Blank3 Info Sec2: | Oak |
| Blank4 Name Sec2: | Regional stone |
| Blank4 Info Sec2: | Red granite |
| Blank5 Name Sec2: | Regional lake |
| Blank5 Info Sec2: | Pyhäjärvi |
| Iso Code: | FI-19 |
| Website: | varsinais-suomi.fi |
Southwest Finland,[2] calqued as Finland Proper (Finnish: Varsinais-Suomi, in Finnish pronounced as /ˈʋɑrs̠inɑi̯s̠ˌs̠uo̞̯mi/; Swedish: Egentliga Finland), is a region in the southwest of Finland. It borders the regions of Satakunta, Pirkanmaa, Tavastia Proper (Kanta-Häme), Uusimaa, and Åland. The region's capital and most populous city is Turku, which was the capital city of Finland before Helsinki.
The area comprising the Southwest is largely the same as the historical province of Finland Proper, so named because it is the original home of the tribe known as the Finns proper.
The name of Finland Proper has a historical function. In historic times, in the area of the present Southern Finland lived three tribes, which were the Finns proper, the Tavastians and the Karelians. The southwestern part of the country, the province where the Finns proper lived, was simply called Finland (Finnish: Suomi). In the 17th century the name began to be used to refer to the whole land and a specified name for the lesser Finland was required. The first notes Fennigia specialiter dicta and Fennigia presse dicta were recorded in Latin in the 1650s, and the Swedish Finland för sig sielft and Egenteliga Finland later in the 18th century. The modern form Egentliga Finland was in official use at the end of the century, and the Finnish term Varsinais-Suomi became established only around the 1850s.[3]
Southwest Finland's nature differs from other regions. The most notable biotopes are the Archipelago Sea and groves. 80% of Finland's insect species can be found in Southwest Finland.[4] There are around 20,000 islands near the coast.[5]
The southernmost point of Southwest Finland and the southernmost inhabited island is Utö.[6] Its highest point is 164 meters in Kiikala.[7]
See main article: Finland Proper (historical province).
The region uses the coat of arms of the historical province of Finland Proper.
See main article: Municipalities of Southwest Finland. The region of Southwest Finland consists of 27 municipalities, 11 of which have city status (marked in bold).
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As of 2020, Southwest Finland had a population of 481,403, making it the third most populated Finnish region after Uusimaa and Pirkanmaa. 86.45% speak Finnish, 5.68% Swedish and 7.86% speak other languages, the most common being Russian, Estonian, Arabic, Kurdish and Albanian.
It has the most summer cottages out of any Finnish region, with 49,000 as of 2012.[8]
| Significant foreign resident groups [9] | ||||
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| 31 December 2020 | ||||
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Results of the 2023 Finnish parliamentary election in Southwest Finland: