Central Finland (Finnish: Keski-Suomi; Swedish: Mellersta Finland) is a region (maakunta / landskap) in Finland. It borders the regions of Päijät-Häme, Pirkanmaa, South Ostrobothnia, Central Ostrobothnia, North Ostrobothnia, North Savo, and South Savo. The city of Jyväskylä is the regional centre and by far the largest city in the area. Central Finland lies slightly south of the geographical centre of Finland. The landscape is hilly and a large part of the province belongs to the Finnish Lakeland.[2]

The largest lake in the very water-based region is Lake Päijänne (1,080 km2). Other large lakes are Lake Keitele (490 km2), Lake Konnevesi (190 km2) and Lake Kivijärvi (150 km2). The highest point in the region is Kiiskilänmäki in the municipality of Multia, which reaches an altitude of 269 meters above sea level.[3] Kuokanjoki, Finland's shortest river and one of the world's shortest rivers is in the region.[4][5]

Central Finland has been one of the slowly growing regions in terms of population, but the growth has been based on the Jyväskylä sub-region's position as a significant growth center, and most of the region's municipalities are declining in population.[6][7] Also, of these, Kyyjärvi has landed on the Finnish state's crisis financial management list due to its economic hardship.[8][9] Luhanka, the smallest municipality in the whole Mainland Finland in terms of population, is also located in the region.[10][11]

The western capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) is the regional bird of Central Finland that is also depicted in the coat of arms.[12]

History

The idea of a province of Central Finland was born at the end of the 19th century. The concept was developed by the district doctor Wolmar Schildt [fi], whose article for Suometar first appeared in 1856. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the provincial identity of Central Finland was strengthened by associations, organisations and companies that expanded into the provinces. The Central Finland Province was established in 1960, but was abolished in the county reform of 1997.[2]

A province is a common administrative unit based on the autonomous decision-making power of municipalities and embodies local democracy at the regional level vis-à-vis the state, while a county is a regional administrative unit of the state. The Central Finland covers almost the same geographical area as the former Central Finland Province. At that time, the province of Central Finland was merged with the provinces of Turku and Pori and Vaasa and the northern parts of Tavastia to form the Western Finland Province. The current Central Finland is larger than the former province of Central Finland, as Jämsä was joined with Kuorevesi and part of Längelmäki, which previously belonged to Pirkanmaa.[2] Kuhmoinen was also part of Central Finland until 2021, when it joined the region of Pirkanmaa.

Historical provinces

For history, geography and culture see: Tavastia, Savonia, Ostrobothnia

Municipalities

The region of Central Finland consists of six sub-regions and 22 municipalities, six of which have city status (marked in bold).

Municipalities on the map

Sub-regions

Joutsa sub-region

Jyväskylä sub-region

Jämsä sub-region

Keuruu sub-region

Saarijärvi-Viitasaari sub-region

Äänekoski sub-region

List of municipalities

Lohikeitto
Coat of
arms		 Municipality Population Land area
(km2)		 Density
(/km2)		 Finnish
speakers		 Swedish
speakers		 Other
speakers
coat of arms of HankasalmiHankasalmi4,4365728 97 %0.2 %3 %
coat of arms of JoutsaJoutsa4,0798675 93 %0.2 %6 %
coat of arms of JyväskyläJyväskylä149,8951,171128 92 %0.2 %8 %
coat of arms of JämsäJämsä19,0201,57112 95 %0.1 %5 %
coat of arms of KannonkoskiKannonkoski1,1374453 98 %0 %2 %
coat of arms of KarstulaKarstula3,5148874 97 %0 %3 %
coat of arms of KeuruuKeuruu9,0141,2587 95 %0.1 %5 %
coat of arms of KinnulaKinnula1,4724603 98 %0 %2 %
coat of arms of KivijärviKivijärvi1,0014842 99 %0 %1 %
coat of arms of KonnevesiKonnevesi2,4045135 98 %0 %2 %
coat of arms of KyyjärviKyyjärvi1,1294483 97 %0 %3 %
coat of arms of LaukaaLaukaa18,80864929 97 %0.1 %2 %
coat of arms of LuhankaLuhanka6952153 99 %0 %1 %
coat of arms MultiaMultia1,3867332 98 %0 %2 %
coat of arms of MuurameMuurame10,64614474 98 %0.2 %2 %
coat of arms of PetäjävesiPetäjävesi3,5114568 98 %0 %2 %
coat of arms of PihtipudasPihtipudas3,6761,0753 98 %0 %2 %
coat of arms of SaarijärviSaarijärvi8,7631,2527 97 %0.1 %3 %
coat of arms of ToivakkaToivakka2,3073616 98 %0 %2 %
coat of arms of UurainenUurainen3,65134810 98 %0 %2 %
coat of arms of ViitasaariViitasaari5,6951,2495 97 %0 %3 %
coat of arms of ÄänekoskiÄänekoski17,49288520 96 %0.1 %3 %
Total273,73115,30918 93 % 0.1 % 6 %

Former municipalities

Kuhmoinen was moved to the Pirkanmaa region in 2021.

The following municipalities were not in Central Finland, but were merged into Central Finnish municipalities:

Demographics

Population size 1990–2025[13]
Year Population
1990
254,539
1995
259,778
2000
262,710
2005
266,770
2010
271,083
2015
273,446
2020
272,617
2025
273,731

Politics

For parliamentary elections, the region forms a single electoral district, the Central Finland constituency. As of 2023, the constituency elects 10 of the 200 members of the Parliament of Finland.[14]

References

  1. ↑ Regions and Cities > Regional Statistics > Regional Economy > Regional GDP per Capita, OECD.Stats. Accessed on 16 November 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 "Yleistä tietoa - Perustietoa Keski-Suomen maakunnasta". Keski-Suomi – elämänlaadun maakunta (in Finnish). Mosaiikki ry. Retrieved 2024-04-22.
  3. ↑ "Jollei Haltille niin ainakin Kinttumäelle" (in Finnish). Tilastokeskus. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  4. ↑ "Shortest river | Revolvy". 2019-03-02. Archived from the original on 2019-03-02. Retrieved 2022-04-11.
  5. ↑ "River Facts. | Clean Rivers Trust". 2020-10-10. Retrieved 2022-04-11.
  6. ↑ Väkiluku. Tilasto- ja ennakointitietoa Keski-Suomesta 2019. (in Finnish)
  7. ↑ Tilastokeskukselta jäätävä väestöennuste: Keski-Suomessa vain kolme kuntaa kasvaa – Keskisuomalainen (in Finnish)
  8. ↑ "Four municipalities in financial crisis, state steps in". Yle News. May 31, 2019. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  9. ↑ Mustikkamaa, Jussi (June 2, 2019). "IL-reportaasi: Kyyjärvi ajautui kiinteistösijoituksilla kriisikunnaksi – "Kuntaliitoksessa kaikki palvelut häviävät täältä"". Iltalehti (in Finnish). Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  10. ↑ Municipalities of the Jyväskylä Region – Visit Jyväskylä Region
  11. ↑ 7 Villages in Finnish Lakeland You Need to Know About – Megan & Aram
  12. ↑ Maakuntatunnukset – Keski-Suomen Liitto (in Finnish)
  13. ↑ "Population growth slowed down in 2025". Population structure. Statistics Finland. 2026-04-01. ISSN 1797-5395. Retrieved 2026-04-06.
  14. ↑ "Vaalipiirit eduskuntavaaleissa". Vaalit (in Finnish). Retrieved 2026-04-30.

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source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Finland