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Oulu
 

(Uleåborg stad, City of Oulu)
Oulun kaupunki
City Oulu (1605) Administrative Province Oulu province Historical Province Ostrobothnia Area (2004-01-01)
 – Total (excl. sea areas)
 – Land
 – Inland water Ranked 244th
384.99 km²
373.10 km²
11.89 km² Population
 – Total (2005-08-31)
 – Density Ranked 6th
128,095
343.3/km²

This article is about the Finnish city; for other uses see Oulu (disambiguation).

Oulu () (Uleåborg in Swedish) (65°00'N 25°28'E) is a city and municipality of about 130,000 inhabitants in the province of Oulu and the region of Northern Ostrobothnia, in Finland. It is the largest and most important city in Northern Finland and the sixth biggest city in the country. Its population growth rate is almost comparable with that of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area.

Oulu was founded on August 8 1605 by King Karl IX of Sweden opposite the castle built on the island of Linnansaari. This took place after favourable peace settlements with the Russians, which removed the threat of them attacking the region via the main east-west waterway, the river Oulu (the surrounding areas were populated much earlier). Oulu is situated by the Gulf of Bothnia, at the mouth of Oulu River, which is an ancient trading site. One source for the name Oulu is a word in the Sami language meaning floodwater, but there are other suggestions. Oulu has been the capital of Oulu province since 1776. In 1822, there was a fire in the city.

From being a town known for wood tar and salmon, Oulu has evolved into a major centre of competence in the field of high technology, particularly IT and wellness technology. Other prominent industries are wood refining, paper and steel industry. The University of Oulu is located 6 km north of the city center. The Oulu Airport, located in neighbouring municipality of Oulunsalo, is the second busiest in Finland.

The best known cultural exports of the city of Oulu are Air guitar World Championships, Mieskuoro Huutajat (also known as the Screaming Men), and metal band Sentenced.

Sights

  • Tietomaa
  • Ainolan puisto (the ex-botanical garden of the University)
  • Rotuaari pedestrian
  • the salt store houses
  • Hupisaaret
  • the F. M. Franzen memorial
  • the North-Ostrobothnia museum
  • the Pateniemi sawmill museum
  • the car museum
  • the botanical garden of the University
  • the Oulu art museum
  • the Arctic gallery
  • the Technology village

Other points of interest

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Oulu".

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