Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is located on the southern tip of the Nordic country and is considered to be Finland's major political, educational, financial, cultural and research centre as well as one of northern Europe's major cities. Although its population is just over half a million, Greater Helsinki area includes three other cities, stretching the population to 1.3 million people. It is a fairly homogenous culture, with only 5.2% of citizens considered as foreign. The main language is Finnish. In 2009, Helsinki was chosen to be the World Design Capital for 2012.
