the total population to about 1,550,000. Other definitions As a part of the "Urban audit" project, Eurostat has attempted to standardise the concept of a 'metropolitan area'. According to this study the Metropolitan area of Helsinki consists of the kernel of Helsinki: Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, and Kauniainen. The Helsinki Larger Urban Area (Helsingin seutu in Finnish) consists of 12 cities and municipalities: the kernel of Helsinki and the aforementioned eight municipalities. Statistics Finland define the commuter belt of Helsinki (Helsingin työssäkäyntialue, Helsingfors pendlingsområde) to include a total of 24 municipalities, with a land area of 7,359.80 km2 and a population of 1,431,108 as of 31 December 2007. In addition to that, there are people from as far as Lahti and even Tampere commuting to Helsinki daily. Statistics Finland also defines the Helsinki urban area according to the official Finnish definion of an urban area ( in Finnish). Urban areas in Finland are defined as inhabited areas of at least 200 people with a maximum distance of between buildings. The Helsinki urban area is the largest of its kind in Finland, and encompasses land throughout Greater Helsinki, with notable gaps around forests and other less-densely populated areas. Statistics The table below lists population, area, and population density for the largest municipalities of the Greater Helsinki area. (Note that "Helsinki Metropolitan Area" and the other terms used are not firmly established and may vary in different contexts.) The commuter towns of Lohja and Porvoo are not usually included, though, if they were (considering their proximity to Helsinki and their high commuting rate), they would raise the overall population above 1.5 million people. Hyvinkää, Järvenpää, Nurmijärvi, Tuusula, Mäntsälä and Pornainen, which have been designated as municipalities in Central Uusimaa in recent decades, have shown clear population growth due to their urban but also loose rural environment. These are also known as "Kuuma-kunnat" (literally means "hot municipalities"). See also Helsinki Metropolitan Area Libraries Metropolitan area Largest European metropolitan areas Largest metropolitan areas in the Nordic countries List of urban areas in the Nordic countries Largest urban areas of the European Union Helsinki urban area Greater Tampere Notes References External links ThisisFinland: Helsinki: A veritable mini-metropolis HSL, Helsinki Regional Transport Authority Helsinki Geography of Helsinki Sub-regions of Finland Geography of Uusimaa