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Situated between the 60th and 70th degrees of latitude, Finland is the second most northern country in the world. The land border with Russia is the eastern boundary of the European Union. Two thirds of the country, 338,000 km2, is covered by forest, one tenth by water, while less than one tenth is cultivated land. There are 188,000 lakes and 180,000 islands.
Finland has a population of 5.2 million, of which two thirds live in urban areas. Finland has two official languages, Finnish a Finno-Ugric language, and Swedish, which is the mother tongue of 6 % of the population. Sami (Lappish) is spoken as their native language by 1,700 inhabitants.
Finland ranks among the top countries in its R&D investment, and its economy is strongly based on high-tech exports.
With its location at the Arctic Circle, Finland offers "the white nights" in summer. In the northern parts of the country the sun does not set for 70 days in summer.
In June, the weather may vary from clear and sunny to rainy. The average daytime temperature is around + 16 - 22°C.
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The city of Jyväskylä is located in the lake district of Central Finland. Today it is a bustling centre for business, education, sports and culture and has nearly 130 000 inhabitants. The Jyväskylä region - comprising of the city of Jyväskylä and nearby municipalities - has over 160 000 inhabitants. Jyväskylä is located about 250 kms north of Helsinki. The city is easily reached by plane or train. More detailed information is available at the Jyväskylä city website.
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The conference venue is University of Jyväskylä. The Campus area provides facilities for meetings, conferences, exhibitions and trade fairs. Meeting rooms, exhibition halls and restaurants are all in the main Campus area with a walking distance to the Jyväskylä city centre. More information is available at the Jyväskylä university website . A multimedia presentation of the university is also available at the university web pages .
The University of Jyväskylä has a beautiful old campus area. The cultural spirit is reflected throughout the campuses in its inviting gardens and architecture, which carefully blends the 1800´s with modern designs.
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The city of Jyväskylä is best reached by plane, train or coach. The connections are relatively frequent and the journey from Helsinki to Jyväskylä takes 3-4 hours by train and 35 - 40 minutes by plane.
By plane:
Most of the flights to Finland arrive at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport (about 20 km from the centre of Helsinki). From Helsinki-Vantaa Airport you may continue by plane or by bus to Jyväskylä. Should you continue by plane, you will arrive at Jyväskylä airport some 35 minutes after the take-off.
Jyväskylä airport is situated in Tikkakoski, and the distance between the airport and the centre of Jyväskylä is 20 km. Since the airport bus does not operate, you can use the services of the Airport taxi. The journey by Airport taxi takes about 15-20 minutes and costs about 20 €. If you want to book the Airport taxi when you arrive at the airport, please call +358 100 6900. The taxi service recommends advance bookings.
Some international fligths arrive also at Tampere-Pirkkala Airport. The distance between Tampere and Jyväskylä is about 145 km. From Tampere you may continue by train or bus.
The Jyväskylä-Tikkakoski Airport website provides useful flight information.
By train from Helsinki:
If you choose to travel by train, you should first catch a bus in front of the terminal building of Helsinki-Vantaa Airport. The fare of the FINNAIR bus is approximately 5 €. There is also a local bus to the railway station and it costs about 3 €. It will take some 25 minutes to get to the railway station, where you can catch the train to Jyväskylä. There are direct connections to Jyväskylä, but in some cases you will have to change trains at Tampere. The journey to Jyväskylä will take 3 to 4 hours. The train fare (one way) will vary from 40 to 50 € (seat reservation included in the price). Train connections in Finland are fast and reliable. The timetables for summer 2009 will be updated during the winter by Finnish Railways.
By coach from Helsinki:
You can also take a coach from the Helsinki Airport to Jyväskylä. The bus journey takes about 4 hours. A single ticket costs about 45 €.
The Jyväskylä region website provides detailed information on travel options.
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To find out more about the host country Finland, please visit Virtual Finland.
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