Sipoo Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Sipoo

Sipoo – Sibbo

Municipality

Sipoon kunta
Sibbo kommun

Sipoo Old Church

Coat of arms

Location of Sipoo in Finland

Country

Finland

Region

Uusimaa

Sub-region

Helsinki sub-region

Metropolitan area

Helsinki metropolitan area

Charter

1425

Seat

Nikkilä

Area

(2018-01-01)

• Total

698.60 km² (269.73 sq mi)

• Land

339.66 km² (131.14 sq mi)

• Water

358.97 km² (138.60 sq mi)

Area rank

225th largest in Finland

Population

(2023-12-31)

• Total

22,595

• Rank

46th largest in Finland

• Density

66.52/km² (172.3/sq mi)

Population by native language

• Finnish

64.8% (official)

• Swedish

28.1% (official)

• Others

7.1%

Population by age

• 0 to 14

18%

• 15 to 64

64.2%

• 65 or older

17.8%

• Summer (DST)

Sipoo (pronounced SEE-poh) is a town in Finland. It is a type of local government area called a municipality. Sipoo is close to Helsinki, the capital city. It is part of the larger Helsinki metropolitan area.

Sipoo has a population of about 22,595 people. This number was recorded on 31 December 2023. The municipality covers an area of 698.60 square kilometres (269.73 sq mi). A small part of this area, 358.97 km² (138.60 sq mi), is water. The population density is about 66.52 inhabitants per square kilometre (172.3/sq mi). This means how many people live in each square kilometer.

The main town in Sipoo is Nikkilä (also called Nickby in Swedish). Nikkilä is about 34 kilometres (21 mi) northeast of Helsinki. Another important area is Söderkulla, which is in the southern part of Sipoo.

Sipoo is a bilingual municipality. This means it has two official languages: Finnish and Swedish. Most people in Sipoo speak Finnish. About 65% of the people speak Finnish. Around 28% speak Swedish. The rest speak other languages.

The official symbol of Sipoo is its coat of arms. This symbol tells a story about how the area was settled. It is said that the first people arrived in the region on a viking ship. The front of their ship had a wolf's head. Because of this story, people from Sipoo are sometimes called the “wolves of Sipoo”. The wavy line on the coat of arms represents the Sipoo River.

Where is Sipoo?
- Languages in Sipoo
- Changes to Sipoo's Borders
Famous People from Sipoo
Partner Towns
See also

Where is Sipoo?

On the hills of the Sipoonkorpi National Park in Sipoo

Sipoo is located in the Uusimaa region of Finland. It is to the east of Helsinki and to the west of Porvoo. Other towns nearby include Vantaa, Kerava, Tuusula, Järvenpää, Mäntsälä, and Pornainen.

There are two main roads that connect Sipoo to Helsinki. One is Highway 7, also known as the Porvoo Highway. This road is part of E18. The other is Road 170, which is called the Itäväylä when you get closer to Helsinki.

Languages in Sipoo

Sipoo used to have mostly Swedish-speaking residents. But since 1953, it has been a bilingual municipality. Many people have moved to Sipoo from other parts of Finland since 2003. This has changed the language balance.

Today, most people in Sipoo speak Finnish. About 65% of the population speaks Finnish. The group that speaks Swedish makes up about 28% of the people.

Changes to Sipoo's Borders

In 2006, the local council of Sipoo made a plan. They wanted to make the town's population three times bigger over the next 25 years. This decision came after Helsinki announced its own plans. Helsinki wanted to take over a part of Sipoo. They wanted to build new areas along the coast there.

In 2007, the Finnish Council of State (a government group) voted to let Helsinki take over the land. Sipoo disagreed and went to court. However, the court supported the government's decision. So, on January 1, 2009, the land officially became part of Helsinki.

Helsinki did not share a border with Sipoo directly. So, the city of Vantaa gave up some land between Helsinki and Sipoo. This allowed Helsinki to connect with the area it was taking from Sipoo.