Helsinki (; ; ) is the capital and largest city of Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. Helsinki has a population of , an urban population of 1.2 million (31 December 2013), and a metropolitan population of 1.4 million, making it the most populous municipality and urban area in Finland. Helsinki is located some north of Tallinn, Estonia, northeast of Stockholm, Sweden, and west of Saint Petersburg, Russia. Helsinki has close historical connections with these three cities.