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Jyväskylä

Jyväskylä
City
Jyväskylän kaupunki
Jyväskylä stad
City of Jyväskylä
Clockwise from top-left: Lutakko Square, Äijälänsalmi Strait, apartments in Lutakko, a courtyard in downtown Jyväskylä, the Jyväskylä City Church, and the old power station of Vaajakoski
Clockwise from top-left: Lutakko Square, Äijälänsalmi Strait, apartments in Lutakko, a courtyard in downtown Jyväskylä, the Jyväskylä City Church, and the old power station of Vaajakoski
Coat of arms of Jyväskylä
Coat of arms
Nickname(s): Athens of Finland
Location of Jyväskylä in Finland
Location of Jyväskylä in Finland
Coordinates: 62°14.5′N 025°44.5′E / 62.2417°N 25.7417°E / 62.2417; 25.7417Coordinates: 62°14.5′N 025°44.5′E / 62.2417°N 25.7417°E / 62.2417; 25.7417
Country Finland
Region Central Finland
Sub-region Jyväskylä sub-region
Charter 1837
Government
 • City manager Timo Koivisto
Area (2011-01-01)
 • City 1,466.34 km2 (566.16 sq mi)
 • Land 1,170.99 km2 (452.12 sq mi)
 • Water 295.35 km2 (114.04 sq mi)
 • Urban 99.25 km2 (38.32 sq mi)
Area rank 70th largest in Finland
Population (2016-03-31)
 • City 137,392
 • Rank 7th largest in Finland
 • Density 117.33/km2 (303.9/sq mi)
 • Urban 117,974
 • Urban density 1,188.7/km2 (3,079/sq mi)
Population by native language
 • Finnish 96.7% (official)
 • Swedish 0.2%
 • Others 3%
Population by age
 • 0 to 14 16.4%
 • 15 to 64 69.8%
 • 65 or older 13.8%
Time zone EET (UTC+2)
 • Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3)
Municipal tax rate 19%
Unemployment rate 11.8%
Website www.jyvaskyla.fi

Jyväskylä (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈjyvæsˌkylæ]) is a city and municipality in Finland and in the western part of the Finnish Lakeland. It is the largest city in the region of Central Finland and on the Finnish Lakeland.

Elias Lönnrot, the compiler of the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala, gave the city the nickname "Athens of Finland". This nickname refers to the major role of Jyväskylä as an educational centre, and as the first place in the world to provide education in Finnish.

The works of the most famous Finnish architect Alvar Aalto can be seen throughout the city. The city hosts the Neste Oil Rally Finland, which is part of the World Rally Championship. It is also home of the annual Jyväskylä Arts Festival and Vinokino, an annual lesbian and gay film festival.

As of 31 March 2016, Jyväskylä had a population of 137,392. The city has been one of the fastest growing cities in Finland during the 20th century. In 1940, there were only 8,000 inhabitants in Jyväskylä. The Jyväskylä sub-region includes Jyväskylä, Hankasalmi, Laukaa, Muurame, Petäjävesi, Toivakka, and Uurainen.

The second part of the city's name, kylä, means village. The first part of the city's name, jyväs, has been associated with Taxus, a genus of yews, and the Old Prussian word juwis. It has also been speculated that the word jyväs refers to the sun's reflection of the surface of the water.


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