LOCATIONS

Oulu

Oulu, the largest city in Northern Finland, is situated on the shore of the Gulf of Bothnia, at the mouth of the Oulu River, a site that has been a trading centre from very early times. It takes from six to seven hours by train, between eight and nine hours by car and one hour by plane to travel from Helsinki, the capital of Finland, to Oulu. The distance between Oulu and Helsinki is 611 kilometres along the main road 4/E75.

Nowadays Oulu is the cultural and commercial capital of Northern Finland with a population of approximately 125 000, which makes it the sixth largest city in Finland. It has established an international reputation for high technology, and many large, modern international high-tech companies such as Nokia have development centres in the area.

Comprehensive schools, vocational and professional institutes, Oulu Polytechnic and the University of Oulu form a significant part of the city’s intellectual life and contribute to its importance as a service centre. At present there are over 20 000 students of higher education in Oulu.

Two educational units of Oulu Polytechnic are located outside Oulu

Oulainen

In the School of Health and Social Care there are two departments of nursing: one is located in Oulu and the other one, Oulainen Department of Nursing, functions in the town of Oulainen, which is situated 100 km south of Oulu on the main railway line and road no. 86. Oulainen is a peaceful provincial town with good public services and population of ca. 8 200. The area offers excellent facilities for sports enthusiasts, with a sports ground, skating rink, tennis courts, swimming pool, exercise halls, gyms and a skiing centre. There are also opportunities for horse riding, canoeing and boating and good opportunities to go in for music, dancing, movies or the visual arts.

Raahe

The Raahe Institute of Computer Engineering and Business operates in the town of Raahe which is located 75 km south of Oulu on the shore of the Gulf of Bothnia. Raahe is known as the cultural, educational and shopping centre of its area. Although Raahe is known for its modern technology, the citizens have carefully preserved the old image of the town. Raahe and its neighbouring municipality Pattijoki will merge in the beginning of 2003 and together they will form a new town of Raahe with a population of ca. 23 200.

You will find more information about Finland, the City of Oulu, towns of Raahe and Oulainen and their surroundings on the Internet:

• Virtual Finland: virtual.finland.fi
• Discover Finland: finland.cimo.fi
• Oulu: www.ouka.fi
• Oulainen: www.oulainen.fi
• Raahe: www.raahe.fi