Helsinki is spread across a number of bays and peninsulas and over a number of islands. The inner city area occupies a southern peninsula, which is rarely referred to by its actual name Vironniemi. Population density in certain parts of Helsinki's inner city area is very high, reaching 16,494 inhabitants per square kilometre (42,720 /sq mi) in the district of Kallio, but as a whole Helsinki's population density of 3,050 per square kilometre (7,900 /sq mi) ranks it as quite sparsely populated in comparison to other European capital cities. Much of Helsinki outside the inner city area consists of postwar suburbs separated from each other by patches of forest. A narrow, ten-kilometre-long (6 mi) Helsinki Central Park that stretches from the inner city to the northern border of Helsinki is an important recreational area for residents.
Major islands in Helsinki include Seurasaari, Lauttasaari and Korkeasaari – the lattermost being the site of the country's biggest zoo. Other significant islands are the fortress island of Suomenlinna (Sveaborg) and the military island of Santahamina. Pihlajasaari island is a favourite summer spot for gay men and naturists, very much comparable to Fire Island off New York City.
Urban area Urban area of HelsinkiHelsinki urban area spreads to 10 different municipalities and is considered to be the only metropolis in Finland. It has population of 1 159 211, land area of 631,11m2 and population density of 1 836,8 per square kilometre It is by far the biggest and most densely populated area of Finland, 3,7 times bigger than subsequent Tampere.
The Helsinki Metropolitan Area consists of the cities of Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa and Kauniainen. The Metropolitan Area covers 745 square kilometres and contains a total population of approximately one million. With about 19 per cent of the country’s population in just 0.2 per cent of its surface area, the housing density of the area is high by Finnish standards. The Metropolitan Area also has a high concentration of employment: approximately 580,000 jobs. Despite the intensity of land use, the region also has large recreational areas and green spaces.
The Helsinki metropolitan area is the world's northernmost urban area among those with a population of over one million people, and the city is the northernmost capital of an EU member state. Altogether 1.3 million people, approximately one in four Finns, live in the Greater Helsinki area.
ClimateHelsinki has a humid continental climate (Köppen: Dfb). Owing to the mitigating influence of the Baltic Sea and Gulf Stream, temperatures in winter are much higher than the far northern location might suggest, with the average in January and February around −5 °C (23 °F). Temperatures below −20 °C (−4 °F) occur normally a week or two in a year. However, because of the latitude, days last less than six hours around the winter solstice with very low sun rays, and the very cloudy weather at this time of year accentuates the darkness. Conversely, Helsinki enjoys long days in summer, close to nineteen hours around the summer solstice. The average maximum temperature from June to August is around 19 °C (66 °F). Due to the marine effect, especially in the summer daily temperatures are cooler and night temperatures are higher than further away in the mainland. The highest temperature ever recorded in the city centre was 33.1 °C (91.6 °F) on 18 July 1945 and the lowest was −34.3 °C (−30 °F) on 10 January 1987. Helsinki Airport recorded a temperature of 34.0 °C (93.2 °F) on 29 July 2010 and a low of −35.9 °C (−33 °F) on 9 January 1987.
Climate data for Helsinki (Kaisaniemi) Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Record high °C (°F) 8.5 (47.3) 11.8 (53.2) 17.1 (62.8) 21.9 (71.4) 29.6 (85.3) 32.0 (89.6) 33.1 (91.6) 31.2 (88.2) 26.2 (79.2) 19.4 (66.9) 11.6 (52.9) 10.0 (50) 33.1 (91.6) Average high °C (°F) −1.3 (29.7) −1.9 (28.6) 1.6 (34.9) 7.6 (45.7) 14.4 (57.9) 18.5 (65.3) 21.5 (70.7) 19.8 (67.6) 14.6 (58.3) 9.0 (48.2) 3.7 (38.7) 0.5 (32.9) 9.0 (48.2) Daily mean °C (°F) −3.9 (25) −4.7 (23.5) −1.3 (29.7) 3.9 (39) 10.2 (50.4) 14.6 (58.3) 17.8 (64) 16.3 (61.3) 11.5 (52.7) 6.6 (43.9) 1.6 (34.9) −2.0 (28.4) 5.9 (42.6) Average low °C (°F) −6.5 (20.3) −7.4 (18.7) −4.1 (24.6) 0.8 (33.4) 6.3 (43.3) 10.9 (51.6) 14.2 (57.6) 13.1 (55.6) 8.7 (47.7) 4.3 (39.7) −0.6 (30.9) −4.5 (23.9) 2.9 (37.2) Record low °C (°F) −34.3 (−29.7) −31.5 (−24.7) −24.5 (−12.1) −16.3 (2.7) −4.8 (23.4) 0.7 (33.3) 5.4 (41.7) 2.8 (37) −4.5 (23.9) −11.6 (11.1) −18.6 (−1.5) −29.5 (−21.1) −34.3 (−29.7) Precipitation mm (inches) 52 (2.05) 36 (1.42) 38 (1.5) 32 (1.26) 37 (1.46) 57 (2.24) 63 (2.48) 80 (3.15) 56 (2.2) 76 (2.99) 70 (2.76) 58 (2.28) 655 (25.79) Snowfall cm (inches) 20 (7.9) 24 (9.4) 15 (5.9) 0.4 (0.16) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 3 (1.2) 10 (3.9) 72 (28.3) Mean monthly sunshine hours 38 70 138 194 284 297 291 238 150 93 36 29 1,858 Source: Climatological statistics for the normal period 1981–2010 Climate data for Helsinki-Vantaa Airport (Helsinki Airport) Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Record high °C (°F) 8.2 (46.8) 10.0 (50) 17.5 (63.5) 23.6 (74.5) 28.8 (83.8) 31.4 (88.5) 34.0 (93.2) 31.5 (88.7) 25.3 (77.5) 18.2 (64.8) 10.5 (50.9) 9.6 (49.3) 34.0 (93.2) Average high °C (°F) −2.4 (27.7) −2.7 (27.1) 1.5 (34.7) 8.7 (47.7) 15.8 (60.4) 19.6 (67.3) 22.5 (72.5) 20.5 (68.9) 14.8 (58.6) 8.6 (47.5) 2.6 (36.7) −0.7 (30.7) 9.1 (48.4) Daily mean °C (°F) −5.0 (23) −5.7 (21.7) −1.9 (28.6) 4.1 (39.4) 10.4 (50.7) 14.6 (58.3) 17.7 (63.9) 15.8 (60.4) 10.7 (51.3) 5.6 (42.1) 0.4 (32.7) −3.2 (26.2) 5.3 (41.5) Average low °C (°F) −8.1 (17.4) −8.9 (16) −5.4 (22.3) −0.2 (31.6) 4.8 (40.6) 9.5 (49.1) 12.6 (54.7) 11.3 (52.3) 6.9 (44.4) 2.7 (36.9) −2.1 (28.2) −6.0 (21.2) 1.4 (34.5) Record low °C (°F) −35.9 (−32.6) −30.2 (−22.4) −27.2 (−17) −12.1 (10.2) −5.4 (22.3) −0.5 (31.1) 4.0 (39.2) 2.0 (35.6) −7.3 (18.9) −14.5 (5.9) −19.9 (−3.8) −29.5 (−21.1) −35.9 (−32.6) Precipitation mm (inches) 54 (2.13) 37 (1.46) 37 (1.46) 32 (1.26) 39 (1.54) 61 (2.4) 66 (2.6) 79 (3.11) 64 (2.52) 82 (3.23) 73 (2.87) 58 (2.28) 682 (26.86) Mean monthly sunshine hours 38 74 131 196 275 266 291 219 143 84 37 26 1,780 Source: Climatological statistics for the normal period 1981–2010 Sun and record temperatures 1981-2011 only
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