Etela-Suomi (Finland)

Etela- Suomi

The province of Southern Finland is the focal point of Finland with three of the five largest cities in Finland located here (Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa). Although the province of Southern Finland covers only 10% of the Finland’s land area, 40% of Finland’s population is located in here. The province of Southern Finland is divided into six regions and 86 municipalities (28 cities) with the biggest region being the region of Uusimaa (1,3 million inhabitants) and the smallest Itä-Uusimaa (92,000 inhabitants). About 50% of the Finland’s GNP is produced in the province of Southern Finland and 40% of corporate head offices are found here. Most of the public governance, economy, media and traffic are located in the province, mostly in the Helsinki region.

Facts about Etela- Suomi 

Area: 34 378 km²
Land area: 30 173 km²
Water area: 4 205 km²

Demographic details (as of 31.12.2004):
Population: 2 127 056 inhabitants
Swedish speaking population: 137 359 inhabitants
Foreign population: 65 500 inhabitants
Population density: 70 inhabitants/km²

Demographic trends:
7 % population growth by year 2020 mostly by migration inside Finland.

Industrial and commercial structure:
Services 74,1 %, industry 22,7 %, agriculture and forestry 1,9 %, other 1,3 %.

Employment: (as of 5/2005)
Unemployment rate 8,0 % for Southern Finland, 10,2 % whole country
Employment: 1 062 000 persons in Southern Finland

Government

The municipalities in Finland have a dual function. Firstly, they function as the basic regional administrative units of our country, and secondly, as the basic units of the self-government of the citizens. In addition, the municipalities play a central role in society through organising most of the welfare services.

Within central state administration, municipal affairs are covered by several ministries. The Ministry of the Interior has the responsibility for the development of municipal legislation and administration and cooperation between the State and municipalities. The Ministry also performs regional development tasks related to municipalities. The Ministry of Justice is responsible for developing, preparing and implementing legislation concerning the municipal election and referendum procedure. The Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Transport and Communications as well as The Ministry of Trade and Industry develop and carry out tasks related to municipal infrastructure and develop and implement related legislation. The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health develop basic municipal services and related legislation and handle central government transfers concerning these services. The Ministry of Finance, in turn, handles municipal tax matters, such as calculating the shares of corporate tax.

Regional councils defend the interest of the member communities and their citizens by promoting the social and economical welfare of the region. The councils work as a regional development and planning authority defined by law and also to look after the interests of the region and its communities by regarding the overall development of region, the typical features of the communities the regional and social balance and the unique of the environment and the principles in sustainable development.

Economy

About 50% of the Finland's GNP is produced in the province of Southern Finland and 40% of corporate head offices are found here. Most of the public governance, economy, media and traffic are located in the province, mostly in the Helsinki region. The most prominent businesses in the region include wholesale trade, finance and insurance services, and information-intensive business services. Most people in the region are employed in the service sector.

GDP by Region 2003

Health System

There are about 55 Local Health Centres in the Province of Southern Finland, with some of them jointly owned by municipalities. Total amount of staff is about 22 000 (+ 70 % since 1980). Southern Finland is divided into five Hospital Districts. Their total annual budget is about  2.0 billion, and number of staff 27 000 (+ 50 % since 1980). Municipal Social Welfare Services are produced by 45 000 staff members (+ 100 % since 1980). Private social services employ about 14 400 and private health units about 18 000 persons, both numbers are increasing. In all, social welfare and healthcare employ about 130 000.

The State Provincial Office of Southern Finland