EuropeFinlandNorth Ostrobothnia
Oulu
North Ostrobothnia, Finland · Europe
About Oulu
Oulu sits on the route in Finland.
Oulu is in North Ostrobothnia, Finland, with about 220,000 people. You drive on the right here.
Oulu ( OH-loo, Finnish: [ˈou̯lu] ; Swedish: Uleåborg [ʉːlɛɔˈbɔrj] ) is a major port city in Finland and the regional capital of North Ostrobothnia. It is located on the north-western coast of the country, at the mouth of the River Oulu. The population of Oulu is approximately 217,000, while the sub-region has aRead more
population of approximately 265,000. It is the 5th most populous municipality in Finland, and the fourth most populous urban area in the country. Oulu is also the most populous city in Northern Finland.
Oulu's neighbouring municipalities are: Hailuoto, Ii, Kempele, Liminka, Lumijoki, Muhos, Pudasjärvi, Tyrnävä and Utajärvi. Oulu is the third northernmost city in the world with a population of over 100,000, after Murmansk and Norilsk in Russia.
Due to its large population and geopolitical, economic and cultural-historical position, Oulu has been called the "capital of Northern Finland". Oulu is also considered one of Europe's "living labs", where residents experiment with new technologies (such as NFC tags and ubi-screens) on a community-wide scale. Although only in the top 2% of universities, the University of Oulu is regionally renowned in the field of information technology. Oulu has also been very successful in recent city image surveys; in a study published by the Finnish Economic Survey in 2008, Oulu received the best image rating among large cities in the country, including ratings from respondents in all provinces. In the 2023 T-Media survey, Oulu was tied with Kuopio as the second most attractive city in Finland, while Tampere was ranked first. In 2025, Oulu had the cleanest air quality among all European cities according to European Environment Agency (EEA).
Once known for wood tar and salmon, Oulu has become a major high-tech centre, particularly in IT and wellness technology. In 2024, Oulu placed third in the European Commission’s Capital of Innovation Awards (iCapital) in the Rising Innovative Cities category. Other important industries include wood processing, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, paper and steel.
Oulu has been selected as the European Capital of Culture for 2026 together with Trenčín, Slovakia.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Oulu?
Oulu is in North Ostrobothnia, Finland.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 216,066
- Continent
- Europe
- Country
- Finland
- Region
- North Ostrobothnia
- Timezone
- Europe/Helsinki
- Coordinates
- 65.0124, 25.4682
Emergency & Services
Essential numbers in Finland
Winter tyres mandatory December–February.
Full driving guide for FinlandTags
When to drive here
May to September
Far northern latitude: short daylight hours outside summer make long drives harder.
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