Q 01/05

Helsinki is the capital of which country?

A) Norway

B) Finland

C) Sweden

D) Estonia

Answer · why

B) Finland

About 694,000 people live in the municipality and 1.6 million in the metropolitan area.

Q 02/05

By what Swedish name was Helsinki known in English until about 1930?

A) Helsingør

B) Helsingborg

C) Helsingland

D) Helsingfors

Answer · why

D) Helsingfors

The name refers to the Vanhankaupunginkoski rapids at the mouth of the Vantaa River.

Q 03/05

On which arm of the Baltic does Helsinki sit?

A) Gulf of Riga

B) Gulf of Bothnia

C) Gulf of Finland

D) Kattegat

Answer · why

C) Gulf of Finland

Tallinn lies 80 km south across the water; the city calls itself the Daughter of the Baltic.

Q 04/05

Which two languages are official in the bilingual municipality of Helsinki?

A) Finnish and Sami

B) Finnish and Russian

C) Finnish and Estonian

D) Finnish and Swedish

Answer · why

D) Finnish and Swedish

Around 1900 the two language groups were roughly equal in size; the local slang mixed both with German and Russian.

Q 05/05

Which king founded Helsinki in 1550?

A) Gustavus Adolphus

B) Eric XIV of Sweden

C) Gustav I of Sweden

D) Charles XII of Sweden

Answer · why

C) Gustav I of Sweden

He wanted a trading rival to Hanseatic Reval (Tallinn) and ordered burghers from Porvoo, Rauma and other towns to move there.