ABSTRACT
Helsinki, the capital of Finland, is situated in the Uusimaa region in the south of the country. The city is built on a narrow peninsula in the Baltic Sea and clamped in between the city of Espoo on the west and the city of Vantaa on the north. From a European perspective, Helsinki is quite peripheral. Until World War II the Finnish economy was predominantly characterized by agriculture and some concentrations of industry. After WWII there was a rapid development into a complex market economy with the USSR as an important trade partner. Finland is a centrally governed welfare state where all cities and municipalities obey the same laws and procedures. Balanced regional development has been one of the main concerns. It is considered to be so important that, for example, measures have been taken to transfer resources from Helsinki Region to the rest of the country, because the economic growth of those other regions lags behind Helsinki Region.
