Raseborg

Raseborg (Finland Swedish: [ˈrɑːseˌborj]; Finnish: Raasepori, Finnish: [ˈrɑːseˌpori]) is a town in Finland, located in the southern coast of the country. Raseborg is situated in the western part of the Uusimaa region. The population of Raseborg is approximately 27,000, while the sub-region has a population of approximately 40,000. It is the 39th most populous municipality in Finland. Raseborg was created on January 1, 2009, when the municipalities of Ekenäs, Karis and Pojo were consolidated into a single town, creating the largest Swedish-speaking-majority city of Finland in terms of population. Of these, Ekenäs now serves as the administrative center of Raseborg. The name of the new town is based on the Raseborg Castle located in Ekenäs, or formerly in the municipality of Snappertuna. Historically the name of the county was also Raseborg in the 14th century. Raseborg covers an area of 2,354.24 square kilometres (908.98 sq mi) of which 1,206.47 km2 (465.82 sq mi) is water. The population density is 23.37 inhabitants per square kilometre (60.5/sq mi). Raseborg is a bilingual municipality with Finnish and Swedish as its official languages. The population consists of 30% Finnish speakers, 63% Swedish speakers, and 6% speakers of other languages. The coat of arms of Raseborg, introduced in 2009, is inspired by the area's grove biotope and the eight former municipalities that originally belonged to the united municipality, which are symbolized by white windflowers arranged in a circle. The yellow wall crown on top of the green shield in the area therefore belongs to the history of the region and its three fortresses (including the Raseborg Castle). In addition to the coat of arms, the town of Raseborg uses a flag and pennon based on the coat of arms. The coat of arms has attracted criticism for its "non-heraldic structure". In February 2011, Raseborg Municipality...