Varissuo - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Varissuo is a district

District

Districts are a type of administrative division, in some countries managed by a local government. They vary greatly in size, spanning entire regions or counties, several municipalities, or subdivisions of municipalities.-Austria:...

and the largest suburb

Suburb

The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...

of the city

City

A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...

of Turku

Turku

Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...

, in Finland

Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

. It is located seven kilometres to the east of the city centre, and is the easternmost major suburb of Turku, bordering on the neighbouring city of Kaarina

Kaarina

Kaarina is a small city and municipality of Finland.It is located in the Finland Proper region and is a neighbouring town of Turku, which is the capital of Finland Proper, therefore Kaarina is a part of the Greater Turku region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of...

. Varissuo has 9,000 inhabitants, about 32 per cent of whom are foreign immigrants. It is thus the second largest district of Turku, after Runosmäki

Runosmäki

Runosmäki is a district and a suburb of the city of Turku, Finland, located approximately six kilometres to the north of the city centre. It is the largest district in the city, with a population of 10,296...

. The name consists of the words varis meaning crow

Crow

Crows form the genus Corvus in the family Corvidae. Ranging in size from the relatively small pigeon-size jackdaws to the Common Raven of the Holarctic region and Thick-billed Raven of the highlands of Ethiopia, the 40 or so members of this genus occur on all temperate continents and several...

and suo meaning marsh

Marsh

In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....

.

Varissuo's population is currently decreasing at an annual rate of 1.23%. 15.72% of the district's population are under 15 years old, while 12.56% are over 65. The district's linguistic

Language

Language may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...

makeup is 74.33% Finnish, 1.82% Swedish, and 23.86% other, reflecting the suburb's wide cultural variety.

The suburb was constructed from scratch on an area of previously uninhabited wetland

Wetland

A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....

(suo in Finnish

Finnish language

Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...

) starting in the mid-1970s as migration

Human migration

Human migration is physical movement by humans from one area to another, sometimes over long distances or in large groups. Historically this movement was nomadic, often causing significant conflict with the indigenous population and their displacement or cultural assimilation. Only a few nomadic...

from rural

Rural

Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...

areas to the city increased heavily in volume. Since then, the city's policy of placing many refugee

Refugee

A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...

s and unemployed people in certain few districts has led to Varissuo, together with Lauste

Lauste

Lauste is a district and a suburb of the city of Turku, Finland. It is located in the eastern part of the city, bordering the neighbouring city of Kaarina. It is rather densely populated, having a population of 3,405...

and Halinen

Halinen

Halinen is a district and a suburb of the city of Turku, Finland. It is located in the north-eastern part of the city, bordering the Littoinen district in Kaarina...

, attaining a somewhat bad reputation.

Varissuo has possibly the best services of all suburbs of Turku - it has, among other things, several schools, a library, an underground ice arena and many other sports facilities, a Lutheran

Lutheranism

Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...

church, a health centre, a post office and a social security (KELA) office. In addition, the Itäkeskus shopping centre is located in Varissuo, as well as a University of Turku

University of Turku

The University of Turku , located in Turku in southwestern Finland, is the second largest university in the country as measured by student enrollment, after University of Helsinki. It was established in 1920 and also has faculties at Rauma, Pori and Salo...

teacher training school (Turun normaalikoulu

Turun normaalikoulu

Turun normaalikoulu is a school in Varissuo, an eastern suburb of Turku, Finland. It provides education from primary school to upper secondary school . The school is authorized by the International Baccalaureate to teach in both the Middle Years Programme and the Diploma Programme...

) and Turku International School

Turku International School

Turku International School is an international school in Turku, Finland, located in the eastern district of Varissuo. It was established in August 2003, and is maintained by the City of Turku. Notably it doesn't have its own faculty, but teaching is undertaken by the University's teacher training...

. As many other parts of Turku, Varissuo also has excellent public transport

Public transport

Public transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...

connections, with frequent bus links to the city centre as well as other nearby districts and cities.

See also