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Geonivora
Region

Central Finland Region

Located in Finland Coordinates: 62°30′00″ N 25°30′00″ E

Map showing the location of Central Finland Region Central Finland Region
Location in Finland
Population
275,104
275.1K
Elevation
192 m
above sea level
Local time
UTC+02:00
Europe/Helsinki · UTC+02:00
Places inside
39
listed under Central Finland Region
When to go
June–August
See the climate
Airports
JYV Jyväskylä Airport14 km
KUO Kuopio Airport130 km

About Central Finland Region

Central Finland Region is a region. Location: Finland. Population: 275,104. The best months to visit are June–August. The nearest airport is Jyväskylä Airport (14 km).

Travel notes for Central Finland Region

From Wikivoyage

Central Finland (Finnish: Keski-Suomi, Swedish: Mellersta Finland) is a historic province and modern administrative region in the Finnish Lakeland. The region is characterized by steep, forested hills and numerous lakes, which are often deep compared to their size.

The region is unilingually Finnish speaking.

Understand+

Central Finland isn't actually in the centre of Finland – which is within Northern Ostrobothnia – but it is between what are regarded as western, eastern, southern and northern Finland.

There is no distinctive border for Central Finland in the east but Suomenselkä drainage divide clearly separates the region from Ostrobothnia, and it is actually easy to see how flat landscape turns into hilly one when arriving from west or south-west. Indeed those steep hills, narrow valleys, and numerous lakes are the principal elements of the Central Finland landscape. For those interested in geology the Central Finland offers wide variety of different post-glacial formations such as eskers, terminal moraines, glacial erratics, and kettles. The lakes are often surprisingly deep.

Historically, Central Finland has been a hunting grounds for Tavastian and Savonian tribes, and – at least according to local tradition – clashes between them could have been even bloody at times. This history can be still heard in spoken language, as the local dialects belong to Savonian dialect group but bear some notable Tavastian features (the more Tavastian the farther south you go). Even though there are archaeological findings and rock paintings dating back some 8000 years, the area got permanent villages relatively late. The oldest major settlement is Jämsä, which was mentioned in 1442.

The area has been important for trade as the lake Päijänne and its adjacent lakes have formed a natural thoroughfare between southern Finland through forests, hills and mires to the unlimited resources of game, fish, fur, tar and wood (see Boating in Finland#Keitele–Päijänne–Vesijärvi).

Get in+

You can get to Jyväskylä by train from directions Tampere, Seinäjoki, and Pieksämäki, the last one being an important railway hub of Eastern Finland. The Jyväskylä railway station is co-located with the coach station, a convenient transport hub. As of 2020 trains also stop in Jämsä, Haapamäki, Keuruu, Petäjävesi, and Hankasalmi, but stops at Haapamäki and Keuruu are planned to be discontinued.

As many highways pass through the province, there are good coach connections in all directions. However, for some minor towns the nearest bus stop might be by the highway a few kilometres off-town.

The only airport in the region with regular passenger traffic is in Jyväskylä, with flights from Helsinki. The nearest bus stop is by highway 4 about 1 km from the terminal. The nearest airports with international service are Tampere, Helsinki, Vaasa and Lappeenranta.

Source: Wikivoyage · CC BY-SA 4.0 · abridged

Climate of Central Finland Region

Best months for sightseeing

Best months for sightseeing: June–August.

This month · November

A cold month

Day 0° · Night -5° · Rain 57 mm

Hottest month
July (day 21°)
Coldest month
February (night -13°)
Wettest month
August (88 mm)
Driest month
February (30 mm)

Bars: average monthly low and high temperature. Below: precipitation. Monthly averages for 1970–2000 at about 18 km resolution, adjusted for elevation. Highlighted months are mild and relatively dry. Source: WorldClim 2.1 (CC BY 4.0).

Show values as a table
Climate of Central Finland Region
Month JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Average high (°C)-5°-5°0°6°14°19°21°18°12°6°0°-3°
Average low (°C)-12°-13°-8°-3°3°8°11°9°4°0°-5°-10°
Precipitation (mm)413037373759828863595747

Other places to visit in this season: June July August

How to get to Central Finland Region

The nearest airport is Jyväskylä Airport (JYV), 14 km to the southeast as the crow flies. For international flights: Kuopio Airport (KUO) (130 km). The nearest large city is Umeå, 303 km to the northwest.

Airports

  • Jyväskylä Airport (JYV) Jyväskylän Maalaiskunta 14 kmsoutheast
  • Kuopio Airport (KUO) Kuopio / Siilinjärvi 130 kmnortheast
  • Tampere-Pirkkala Airport (TMP) Tampere / Pirkkala 157 kmsouthwest

Nearby large cities

  • Umeå Population: 130.2K 303 kmnorthwest
  • Tallinn Population: 394K 344 kmsouth

Straight-line distances; road distances are longer. Airport data: OurAirports.

Places in Central Finland Region

39 places

Countries & regions6

Mountains & nature3

Lakes, rivers & coasts30

Largest cities and towns

Nature and heritage in Central Finland Region

Sources & licences

Data last updated: