Helsinki

A home for all boatsThe cityLocation : Finland Population (2007) : 568 531 (city) 1.3 m. (metropolis) Number of people in employment : 75,3% (met ropolitan area) Unemployment rate : 5.2% (2008) Income per capita: 22 621 The portRanking: international - first port in Finland Administrative statutes : Municipal port managed by an Harbour Committee Total traffic : 13.4 m G.T. (2007) Container traffic (EVP) : 431 000 TEU (2007) Total passengers : 8.5 m pax (2006) Cruise passengers : 330 000 pax - 270 calls (2008) Direct employment : 276 Indirect and induced employment : 470 (direct - 2007); 700 (indirect and induced - 2007)   Helsinki is the capital of Finland on the southern coast of the country, has about 577,000 inhabitants and the whole metropolitan area, Helsinki and the neighboring cities of Espoo, Vantaa and Kauniainen, about 1,300,000. The capital status means that Helsinki is Finland’s leading city for all transport, port activities, amount of tourists and is a student city with a large number of universities and institutions giving higher education. Since 2005, cruise traffic has registered an important increase with, in 2009, 360 00 passengers and 270 calls. The cruise ships moor at the West Harbor or at the South Harbor, which is also Finland’s largest passenger port. Some five million passengers pass through it annually.The West harbor also serves Tallinn and Rostock traffic. There are up to 8 departures a day to these cities. Some four million passengers pass yearly through the West Terminal.