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Geonivora
Region

Ostrobothnia

Located in Finland Coordinates: 63°05′00″ N 22°10′00″ E

Map showing the location of Ostrobothnia Ostrobothnia
Location in Finland
Population
180,445
180.4K
Elevation
19 m
above sea level
Local time
UTC+02:00
Europe/Helsinki · UTC+02:00
Places inside
14
listed under Ostrobothnia
When to go
June–August
See the climate
Airports
VAA Vaasa Airport21 km
KOK Kokkola-Pietarsaari Airport86 km

About Ostrobothnia

Ostrobothnia is a region. Location: Finland. Population: 180,445. The best months to visit are June–August. The nearest airport is Vaasa Airport (21 km).

Travel notes for Ostrobothnia

From Wikivoyage

Ostrobothnia (Swedish: Österbotten, Finnish: Pohjanmaa) is a stretch of coastal Western Finland. The historic province of the same name has been split in parts; this is the one where Swedish-speakers are found.

Understand+

Ostrobothnia is a region centred around Vaasa on the west coast of Finland, consisting of 17 municipalities. It borders with the regions Central Ostrobothnia, Southern Ostrobothnia and Satakunta. Ostrobothnia is the only region in Finland (except Åland) that has a majority of Swedish-speakers (about 52%).

The linguistic gap towards the Finnish, the cultural one to Swedish-speaking in the southern cities, the proximity to Sweden and the availability of radio and television from there have given the locals a regional identity separate from that of the southerners, only to a degree diluted with greater modern mobility.

The area is dominated by agrarian culture in contrast to the forestry-dominated inland. Ostrobothnia was hit hard by bad economic conditions and famine during the 19th century and thousands of people emigrated to America. Generally, though, this region is and has been quite wealthy, with self-confident independent farmers.

The bigger towns have a significant Finnish-speaking population due to industrialisation, as workers have moved here from the Finnish-speaking inland, while those with old local roots generally are Swedish-speaking.

Get in+

The main road through the region is E8 (here national road 8) along the coast, from Turku via Oulu and Tornio to Norwegian Tromsø. Road 3 leads from Helsinki via Tampere to Vaasa. The Blue Highway and several other roads lead to the region from the inland.

Vaasa and Jakobstad are served by railways from the inland (Jakobstad by the main Helsinki–Oulu railway), and by local airports.

There is a ferry from Umeå to Vaasa, across the Gulf of Bothnia.

By air:

There are flights from Helsinki and Stockholm to Vaasa airport. There is also an airport in Kronoby, which serves the cities of Kokkola and Jakobstad.

By train:

There are train connections to Vaasa and Jakobstad, the latter with bus for the last stretch. Most connections require changing trains in Seinäjoki.

By bus:

There are several coaches a day along the main roads, some from neighbouring regions. Some services make detours to nearby towns, others keep to the highway, with stops at the main junctions.

By car:

The main routes are national roads 3 (E12) and 8 (E8). A more rural route with less traffic from Helsinki is via roads 1, 2, 12, 44, 67 and 3 to Vaasa. For the southern parts, turn to road 672 in Jalasjärvi and continue by road 67, for the northern parts instead turn to road 19 and drive via Seinäjoki and Kauhava.

By boat:

There is a ferry to Vaasa from Umeå, Sweden: mostly day services, 4½ hr.

Arriving by small craft by the coast or from Sweden is a nice option, although the archipelago is challenging. See Boating in Finland.

Source: Wikivoyage · CC BY-SA 4.0 · abridged

Climate of Ostrobothnia

Best months for sightseeing

Best months for sightseeing: June–August.

This month · November

A cold month

Day 1° · Night -4° · Rain 51 mm

Hottest month
July (day 21°)
Coldest month
February (night -11°)
Wettest month
July (68 mm)
Driest month
February (24 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 Ostrobothnia
Month JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Average high (°C)-4°-4°1°6°14°19°21°19°13°7°1°-2°
Average low (°C)-10°-11°-7°-2°3°9°11°10°5°1°-4°-8°
Precipitation (mm)332427273147686161555140

Other places to visit in this season: June July August

How to get to Ostrobothnia

The nearest airport is Vaasa Airport (VAA), 21 km to the west as the crow flies. The nearest large city is Umeå, 126 km to the northwest.

Airports

  • Vaasa Airport (VAA) Vaasa 21 kmwest
  • Kokkola-Pietarsaari Airport (KOK) Kokkola / Kruunupyy 86 kmnortheast
  • Umeå Airport (UME) Umeå 123 kmnorthwest

Nearby large cities

  • Umeå Population: 130.2K 126 kmnorthwest

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

Places in Ostrobothnia

14 places
  1. 1 Replot 2.1K

Bar: population relative to the most populous place in this list.

Countries & regions3

Mountains & nature1

Lakes, rivers & coasts9

Largest cities and towns

  • Jakobstad Municipality, Jakobstadsregionen
    19.1K
  • Vaasa Municipality, Vaasa
    67.6K
  • Korsholm Municipality, Vaasa
    19.5K
  • Vörå Municipality, Vaasa
    6.7K
  • Närpes Municipality, Sydösterbotten
    9.4K
  • Larsmo Municipality, Jakobstadsregionen
    5.6K
  • Pedersöre Municipality, Jakobstadsregionen
    11.2K
  • Korsnäs Municipality, Vaasa
    2K

Nature and heritage in Ostrobothnia

Sources & licences

Data last updated: