in 2013, Finland's population was around 5.5 million, with the majority living in its southern regions.[8] In terms of area, it is the eighth largest country in Europe and the most sparsely populated country in the European Union. Finland is a parliamentary republic with a central government based in the capital Helsinki, local governments in 336 municipalities[9][10] and an autonomous region, the Åland Islands. About one million people live in the Helsinki area
which produces a third of the country's GDP. Other large cities include Tampere, Turku, Oulu, Jyväskylä, Lahti, and Kuopio.