Oulu facts for kids

Oulu
Quick facts for kids Oulu ; Uleåborg
	City
	Oulun kaupunki; Uleåborgs stad
	Top: Rantakatu in downtown Oulu, Oulu City Hall; Middle: Lyseo Upper Secondary School and the Oulu Cathedral; Bottom: Shops along Kirkkokatu, Radisson Blu Hotel along Ojakatu
	Coat of arms
	Coat of arms
	Location of Oulu in Finland
Country	Finland
Region	North Ostrobothnia
Sub-region	Oulu sub-region
Charter	1605-04-08
Area (2009)
• City	1,513.37 km2 (584.32 sq mi)
• Land	1,410.13 km2 (544.45 sq mi)
• Water	103.24 km2 (39.86 sq mi)
• Urban	187.1 km2 (72.2 sq mi)
Area rank	64th largest in Finland
Population (2013)
• City	192,680
• Rank	6th largest in Finland
• Density	136.64/km2 (353.9/sq mi)
• Urban	200,071
• Urban density	915.8/km2 (2,372/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)

Oulu (Swedish: Uleåborg) is a city in Northern Ostrobothnia, Finland. It is the biggest city in the Northern Finland. The population of Oulu was about 193,000 in January 2014. It is the sixth largest city in Finland.

Municipalities next to Oulu are Hailuoto, Ii, Kempele, Liminka, Lumijoki, Muhos, Pudasjärvi, Tyrnävä and Utajärvi.

There is a university in Oulu. The university is one of the largest in Finland, with over 15,000 students.

Many people work in technology firms making mobile phones, computers and software.

History

The cathedral of Oulu

Oulu was established in 1605, so it is more than 400 years old. In the old days, Oulu was famous for selling tar all over the world.

Places to visit in Oulu

The Rantakatu street by the market

Oulu Cathedral
Hupisaaret Park
The market and the old market hall

Images for kids

1800's Oulu
Oulun Lyseon lukio school
Railway station
A satellite image showing the Oulu region in 2007
Air Guitar World Championships 2012, an annual event held in Oulu since 1996
University of Oulu main building.
The Oulu Bus Station
Stora Enso has an important paper manufacturing plant in Oulu.
Nokia premises in Peltola.
Technopolis Linnanmaa is home to nearly 200 corporations.
Kärpät wins the Finnish championship in 2005 after beating Jokerit.
Oulun Luistinseura beat Jyväskylän Seudun Palloseura in the 2014 Finland men's national bandy championship final.
Oulu City Hall.
Merikoski hydroelectric dam.
View over the river Oulu towards Tuira from Hupisaaret park. The water power plant can be seen on the right side. Tuira is one of the largest districts of Oulu with almost 7,000 inhabitants.
Rotuaari pedestrian street.
Spa Hotel Eden and sand beach in Nallikari recreation and tourism area.
Mannerheim Park is a favourite hangout place for many.
Oulu Market Hall.
Oulu Museum of Art.
The old observatory in Linnansaari. It was built in 1875 on top of the ruins of the Castle of Oulu.
Snowy bicycles in front of library of architecture of Oulu University.
The church of the Holy Family of Nazareth Parish in Oulu, built by the Neocatechumenal Way. February 2006