Turku

Turku ({{IPA2|ˈturku}}, Swedish: {{Audio|sv-Åbo.ogg|Åbo}}), founded in the 13th century, is the oldest and fifth largest city in Finland, with a population of 174,824 (as of 2004). Located at the mouth of the Aura river in the southwest of the country, it is the capital city of both the region of Finland Proper and the province of Western Finland, as well as being the centre of the country's third largest urban area, with around 300,000 inhabitants. Turku has one of the largest Finland-Swedish population in the country. The Finnish word for the inhabitants of Turku is turkulaiset (singular: turkulainen). Due to its location, the Port of Turku is considered one of the most important seaports in Finland.

Education

Turku has a long educational history — the first school in the city, the Cathedral School, was founded along with the Cathedral of Turku in the late 13th century. The first university in Finland, the "Academy of Åbo" (now University of Helsinki), was established in the city in 1640. In 1820, the first school in Finland, conforming to the Bell-Lancaster method, was founded in Turku with the aim of making primary education more inclusive to the lower classes.

Related Topics:
13th century - University - Academy of Åbo - University of Helsinki - 1640 - 1820 - Bell-Lancaster method

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Nowadays, the University of Turku is the second largest university in Finland, as measured by student enrolment, and one of the oldest as well, having been founded in 1920. Turku is also home to two other universities, namely Åbo Akademi University, Finland's only Swedish-language university, and the Turku School of Economics and Business Administration. In addition, Turku Polytechnic is the largest polytechnic in Finland.

Related Topics:
University of Turku - 1920 - Åbo Akademi University - Turku School of Economics and Business Administration - Turku Polytechnic - Polytechnic

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Turku is one of only two cities in Finland to have an established international school (the other city being Helsinki). Turku International School, functioning in the eastern district of Varissuo, has been operational since 2003.

Related Topics:
International school - Turku International School - Varissuo - 2003

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