TURKU JA PORI

in full Turun Ja Porin, Swedish bo Och Bjrneborgs, lni (province), southwestern Finland, northwest of Helsinki, bounded by the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and southwest. Turku ja Pori includes numerous small lakes; the Kokemaen River is the principal waterway, with the port of Pori near its mouth. The land is generally level and fertile. Agriculture and dairying are important, as are timber processing and the manufacture of wood products. Along the coast and on the numerous offshore islands, farming dominates the local economy. Though increasingly connected by ferries and bridges, the islands have suffered steady depopulation. Turku ja Pori's administrative capital, Turku, at the mouth of the Aura River, is the province's chief seaport and industrial centre. Rauma (Raumo), Pori, Salo, and Uusikaupunki (Nystad) are other industrial towns and seaports. The main horticultural-research station in Finland is at Piikki (Pikis). Area 7,705 square miles (19,955 square km). Pop. (1993 est.) 731,792.