Pori

For other uses, see Pori (disambiguation).
Pori
Björneborg (Swedish)
City
Porin kaupunki
Björneborgs stad
City of Pori
Montage of Pori
Montage of Pori
Flag of Pori
Flag
Coat of arms of Pori
Coat of arms
Nickname: 
Bear City
Motto: 
"Deus protector noster." (English: "God is our protector.")[1]
Location of Pori in Finland
Location of Pori in Finland
Coordinates: 61°29′N 021°48′E / 61.483°N 21.800°E / 61.483; 21.800
Country Finland
Region Satakunta
Sub-regionPori sub-region
CharterMarch 8, 1558[2]
Government
 • City ManagerLauri Inna [fi]
Area
 (2018-01-01)[3]
 • City2,062.00 km2 (796.14 sq mi)
 • Land1,156.16 km2 (446.40 sq mi)
 • Water870.01 km2 (335.91 sq mi)
 • Urban
121.37 km2 (46.86 sq mi)
 • Rank64th largest in Finland
Population
 (2024-08-31)[4]
 • City83,334
 • Rank10th largest in Finland
 • Density72.08/km2 (186.7/sq mi)
 • Urban
84,026
 • Urban density693.6/km2 (1,796/sq mi)
Population by native language
[5]
 • Finnish94.3% (official)
 • Swedish0.6%
 • Others5.2%
Population by age
[6]
 • 0 to 1414%
 • 15 to 6459.7%
 • 65 or older26.3%
Time zoneUTC+02:00 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+03:00 (EEST)
Unemployment rate11.08%
ClimateDfb
Websitewww.pori.fi

Pori (Finnish: [ˈpori]; Swedish: Björneborg [bjœːrneˈborj] ⓘ; Latin: Arctopolis[8]) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Satakunta. It is located on the west coast of the country, on the Gulf of Bothnia. The population of Pori is approximately 83,000, while the sub-region has a population of approximately 129,000. It is the 10th most populous municipality in Finland, and the eighth most populous urban area in the country.

Pori is located some 10 kilometres (6 mi) from the Gulf of Bothnia, on the estuary of the Kokemäki River, 110 kilometres (68 mi) west of Tampere, 140 kilometres (87 mi) north of Turku and 241 kilometres (150 mi) north-west of Helsinki, the capital of Finland. Pori covers an area of 2,062.00 square kilometres (796.14 sq mi) of which 870.01 km2 (335.91 sq mi) is water.[3] The population density is 72.08/km2 (186.7/sq mi).

Pori was established in 1558 by Duke John, who later became King John III of Sweden.[1][2] The municipality is unilingually Finnish. Pori was also once one of the main cities with Turku in the former Turku and Pori Province (1634–1997). The neighboring municipalities are Eurajoki, Kankaanpää, Kokemäki, Merikarvia, Nakkila, Pomarkku, Sastamala, Siikainen and Ulvila.

Pori is especially known nationwide for its Jazz Festival, Yyteri's sandy beaches, Kirjurinluoto, Porin Ässät ice hockey club, FC Jazz football club, which won two championships in the Veikkausliiga in the 1990s, and Pori Theater, which is the first Finnish-language theater in Finnish history.[9] Pori is also known for its local street food called porilainen.[10] During its history, the city of Pori has burned down nine times; only Oulu has burned more often, as many as ten times.[11][12][13][14][15] The current coat of arms of Pori was confirmed for use by President P. E. Svinhufvud on December 11, 1931,[16] and was later redrawn by Olof Eriksson. The city council reaffirmed the use of the redrawn version on October 27, 1959. The bear motif of the coat of arms comes from a 17th century seal and the motto, deus protector noster or "God is our protector", is also on the coat of arms of the city's founder, Duke John.[1]

  1. ^ a b c Vuonokari, Pekka (June 22, 2017). "Pori – joen ja meren kaupunki". Päivämies (in Finnish). Retrieved April 29, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference ruuth was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b "Area of Finnish Municipalities 1.1.2018" (PDF). National Land Survey of Finland. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  4. ^ "Finland's preliminary population figure was 5,625,011 at the end of August 2024". Population structure. Statistics Finland. 2024-09-24. ISSN 1797-5395. Retrieved 2024-09-25.
  5. ^ "Population growth biggest in nearly 70 years". Population structure. Statistics Finland. 2024-04-26. ISSN 1797-5395. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
  6. ^ "Population according to age (1-year) and sex by area and the regional division of each statistical reference year, 2003–2020". StatFin. Statistics Finland. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  7. ^ a b "Luettelo kuntien ja seurakuntien tuloveroprosenteista vuonna 2023". Tax Administration of Finland. 14 November 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  8. ^ Mead, William Richard (1993). An Experience of Finland. Hurst. ISBN 978-1-85065-165-9.
  9. ^ "Teatteritalon historia" (in Finnish). City of Pori. Archived from the original on September 21, 2008. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
  10. ^ MTV:n grilliraportti: Näin syntyy legendaarinen porilainen – on siinä makkarasiivulla kokoa! – MTV Uutiset (in Finnish)
  11. ^ "Meren kaupunki Pori". YLE Elävä arkisto (in Finnish). YLE. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
  12. ^ "Porin seutu" (in Finnish). Porin seudun kehittämiskeskus Oy POSEK. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
  13. ^ Dialogiluento, Kaarina Niskala ja Markus H. Korhonen: Kylästä kaupungiksi – mikä kaupunkirakenteessa ja -kulttuurissa on pysyvää Archived 2005-09-09 at the Wayback Machine (in Finnish)
  14. ^ Elo Jarkko (1999). Satakunnan maakuntakirja (in Finnish). Pori: Satakuntaliitto. ISBN 952-5295-08-7.
  15. ^ "Hotellit – Pori". Kuumat.com (in Finnish). Retrieved April 29, 2021.
  16. ^ "Asetus vaakunan vahvistamisesta Porin kaupungille". Valtionarkisto (in Finnish). Retrieved April 29, 2021.