Introduction

Finland is a modern, economically healthy industrialised country and Ostrobothnia is in the middle of the best part of Finland. Ostrobothnia comprises three regions: South Ostrobothnia, Central Ostrobothnia and Ostrobothnia. Hard work, entrepreneurship, resilience and honesty have always been special characteristics of the local population. This is reflected in many areas in Ostrobothnia's dynamic development.

New resources are being put into education and research, co-operation among businesses are being activated and rural communities are being developed. International co-operation around the Baltic, between the regions around the Kvarken and within the framework for the West-Finland Alliance is being keenly developed. This development is being speeded up by excellent transport links and data communication of the highest order. As a counterbalance to industry, the wide pool of know-how and modern infrastructure offers Ostrobothnia a uniquely clean natural environment and rich cultural life. An environment in which it is easy to be contented.

The most important industries in this area are:

The largest export companies in the region are:

The Ostrobothnia regions have strong traditions of private enterprise. There are more enterprises per inhabitant (28,8/1,000) in the province than elsewhere in Finland. The majority of the businesses are small but there are also internationally functioning big companies in the area. Industrial life in the area is characterised by strong geographic centralisation which can be seen both in agriculture and industrial operations. Clear centralisation is e.g. in metal and electronic industry, mechanical wood processing, food processing industry and textile and clothing industry.

Distinctive to the industry of the region is that, in addition to a few big companies, there are a lot of small companies and very few middle size companies. The Ostrobothnia is one of the biggest centralisation of Finnish electromechanical and metal industries.

Ostrobothnia comprises of three regions: South Ostrobothnia, Central Ostrobothnia and Ostrobothnia (also called as Coastal Region of Vaasa). The regional councils are unions formed by municipalities and they act as regional development authorities taking care of various tasks like planning and research connected to the development of the regions.

South Ostrobothnia
Almost half of the 57 municipalities in Ostrobothnia, i.e. five regional units consisting of 27 municipalities, are members of the regional council of South Ostrobothnia. Most of the population - more than 200,000 people - live in this area of almost 14,000 km2. The main industries in Southern Ostrobothnia are the food industry, mechanical wood processing industry and metal industry. The entire South Ostrobothnia is Finland's largest united area classified as the EU Objective area 5b.

Central Ostrobothnia
Central Ostrobothnia is formed by 12 municipalities and the 73,000 people living in them. The coastal area of Central Ostrobothnia is industrialised while the inland part of it is dominated by agriculture. The Kokkola district on the coastal area belongs to the EU Objective area 2 and the other municipalities situated in the inland are in the sphere of the EU Objective area 6. Population density in Central Ostrobothnia is 14 people/km2. About ten per cent of the population are Swedish speaking.

Ostrobothnia
Ostrobothnia (the former Coastal Region of Vaasa), which belongs to the regional council of Ostrobothnia, is composed of 18 municipalities and four regional units. 174,000 people live in the area which, excluding the city of Vaasa, belong to the EU Objective area 5b. The land area of the region formed by a narrow coastal strip is 7,700 km2. The area is the most densely populated of Ostrobothnian regions, its population density being about 23 people/km2 . The area is also clearly bilingual; 53 per cent of its population are Swedish speaking.