ESPOO

Swedish Esbo, town, Uudenmaan lni (Uusimaa province), southern Finland, just west of Helsinki, in a region of broad, flat valleys covered with low clay hills. It is located in an area that has been inhabited since 3500 BC. The town has railway connections to Helsinki and the remainder of Finland. It is a thriving technology centre where over 200 international corporations have established operations for the region. Notable buildings include a church dating from 1458 and the castle-like studio of the artist Akseli Gallen-Kallela, constructed in 191113 and now the Tarvasp Museum. Espoo is also the location of the Helsinki University of Technology (1908). Pop. (1984 est.) mun., 149,057.