Turku

views updated May 21 2018

Turku (Åbo) Finland's largest port, at the mouth of the Aurajoki River on the Baltic Sea. A Swedish settlement was established in 1157, and in 1220 it became the seat of the first Finnish diocese. It was the national capital until 1812. Industries: steel, shipbuilding, engineering, textiles. Pop. (1999) 172,107.