Vaasa in the context of Raahe

Persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group by another individual or group. The most common forms are religious persecution, racism, and political persecution, though there is naturally some overlap between these terms. The inflicting of suffering, harassment, imprisonment, internment, fear or pain are all factors that may establish persecution, but not all suffering will necessarily establish persecution. The threshold of severity has been a topic of much debate.

Seinäjoki (Finnish: [ˈsei̯næˌjoki] ; lit. "Wall River"; Latin: Wegelia, formerly Swedish: Östermyra) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of South Ostrobothnia. Seinäjoki is located in the western interior of the country and along the River Seinäjoki. The population of Seinäjoki is approximately 67,000, while the sub-region has a population of approximately 132,000. It is the 16th most populous municipality in Finland, and the 13th most populous urban area in the country.

Seinäjoki is located 80 kilometres (50 mi) east of Vaasa, 178 kilometres (111 mi) north of Tampere, 193 kilometres (120 mi) west of Jyväskylä and 324 kilometres (201 mi) southwest of Oulu.

The Bothnian Sea (Swedish: Bottenhavet; Finnish: Selkämeri) links the Bothnian Bay (also called the Bay of Bothnia) with the Baltic proper. Kvarken is situated between the two. Together, the Bothnian Sea and Bay make up a larger geographical entity, the Gulf of Bothnia, where the Bothnian Sea is the southern part. The whole Gulf of Bothnia is situated between Sweden, to the west, Finland, to the east, and the Sea of Åland and Archipelago Sea to the south. The surface area of the Bothnian Sea is approximately 79,000 square kilometres (30,500 sq mi). The largest coastal towns, from south to north, are Rauma and Pori in Finland, and Gävle and Sundsvall in Sweden. Umeå (Sweden) and Vaasa (Finland) lie in the extreme north, near Bothnian Bay.

Ostrobothnia (Swedish: Österbotten; Finnish: Pohjanmaa) is a region in western Finland. It borders the regions of Central Ostrobothnia, South Ostrobothnia, and Satakunta. It is one of six regions that together form historical Ostrobothnia, hence it is also referred to as Coastal Ostrobothnia to avoid confusion.

Ostrobothnia is one of two Finnish regions with a Swedish-speaking majority (the other being the constitutionally monolingual province of Åland); Swedish-speakers make up 51.2% of the total population. The region contains thirteen bilingual municipalities and one that is exclusively Finnish-speaking. The capital of Vaasa is predominantly inhabited by Finnish speakers, whereas smaller towns and rural areas are generally dominated by the Swedish language. The three municipalities with the largest number of Swedish speakers are Korsholm, Jakobstad and Pedersöre.

White Finland (officially known simply as Finland) is the name given to the anti-communist refugee and provisional government declared in Finland following the October Revolution. Its forces, known as the Whites (Finnish: Valkoiset, IPA: [ˈʋɑlkoi̯set]; Swedish: De vita, Swedish pronunciation: [de ˈviːta]), led by Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim, fought against the forces of the rival Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic, known as the "Reds", during the Finnish Civil War in 1918.

At the start of the civil war, the Whites controlled the majority of Finland's territory, chiefly its central and northern areas. These were largely rural areas however, and most industrial centres, including the capital of Helsinki, were under Red control, forcing the senate to relocate to the coastal city of Vaasa. Imperial German support, coupled with a comparatively lacklustre Soviet support for the Finnish Reds helped the Finnish Whites ultimately win the short but brutal civil war. The Whites also enjoyed support from Swedish, Estonian volunteers, as well as the Polish Legion in Finland and some Russian White Guards.

The Supreme Administrative Court of Finland (Finnish: korkein hallinto-oikeus, Swedish: högsta förvaltningsdomstolen) is the highest court in the Finnish administrative court system, parallel to the Supreme Court of Finland. Its jurisdiction covers the legality of the decisions of government officials, and its decisions are final. Appeals are made to the Supreme Administrative Court from the decisions of the administrative courts of Helsinki, Turku, Hämeenlinna, Kouvola, Kuopio, Vaasa, Oulu, Rovaniemi and Åland, the Market Court, and the Council of State.

In most issues, it is possible to appeal to the Supreme Administrative Court of Finland from the judgment of the administrative court. However, in some case areas of administrative law, an appeal requires a leave of appeal from the Supreme Administrative Court. The most important such area are insurance cases. In some restricted areas of law, for example, in parking fines, the decision of the administrative court is final and cannot be appealed to the Supreme Administrative Court.

The Tampere Ring Road (Finnish: Tampereen kehätie) or former Finnish National Road 60 (Finnish: Kantatie 60) is a ring road in the Tampere metropolitan area, Finland. It runs (from west to east) from Ylöjärvi to Tampere, passing through Nokia and Pirkkala. Its western part is part of Highway 3 (between Helsinki and Vaasa), while its eastern part is part of Highway 9 (between Turku and Tohmajärvi).

The ring road has been a motorway along its entire length since 2009. The main section of the ring road is used by more than 50,000 vehicles per day. According to the ELY Centre of Pirkanmaa, the western part of the ring road is the busiest road in Finland, excluding the motorway and ring road connections in the Helsinki metropolitan area.

Finnish national road 3 (Finnish: Valtatie 3 or Kolmostie; Swedish: Riksväg 3) is a highway in Finland between Helsinki and Vaasa via Hämeenlinna and Tampere. The road is 424 kilometres (263 mi) long and it is part of the European route E12. 180 kilometres (110 mi) of the highway is motorway, connecting Helsinki to Tampere. North of Tampere, the road is mostly two-lane road, with a share of 2+1 road. The busiest point on Highway 3 is in Helsinki, north of the Ring I junction, where the average traffic volume is about 90,000 vehicles per day.

Back in the late 1950s before the current freeway, the Finnish regional road 132 (Mt 132) was the former main road to Hämeenlinna and Tampere via Loppi and Janakkala.

The Vaasa riot took place on 4 June 1930 in Vaasa, Finland, when members of the far-right, anti-communist, fascist Lapua Movement violently attacked communist supporters and bystanders at a courthouse in Vaasa. Police did not intervene in the attack.

While there were no fatalities or serious injuries during the attack outside the courthouse, members of the Lapua Movement kidnapped Asser Salo, a Finnish member of Parliament, who they later violently beat before releasing.

Baron Yrjö Sakari Yrjö-Koskinen (birth name Georg Zakarias Forsman, author name Yrjö Koskinen; 10 December 1830 in Vaasa – 13 November 1903 in Helsinki) was a friherre, senator, professor, historian, politician and the chairman of the Finnish Party after Johan Vilhelm Snellman. He was a central figure in the fennoman movement. His original name was Georg Zakarias Forsman and his family from his father's side originated from Sweden. He later fennicized his name to Yrjö Sakari Yrjö-Koskinen. He was the husband of Finland's first female author, Theodolinda Hahnsson.

He is buried in the Hietaniemi Cemetery in Helsinki.

Korsholm (Finland Swedish: [korsˈholm]; Finnish: Mustasaari) is a municipality in Finland, located on the west coast of the country. Korsholm is situated in Ostrobothnia, along the Gulf of Bothnia. The population of Korsholm is approximately 20,000, while the sub-region has a population of approximately 111,000. It is the 55th most populous municipality in Finland.

The town of Vaasa was founded in Korsholm parish in 1606 and today the municipality completely surrounds the city. It is a coastal, mostly rural municipality, consisting of a rural landscape and a large, fractured archipelago. The administrative center is Smedsby, situated 3 km (2 mi) from Vaasa center along Finnish national road 8.

Jakobstad (Finland Swedish: [ˈjɑːkopˌstɑːd]; Finnish: Pietarsaari, Finnish: [ˈpie̯tɑrˌsɑːri]) is a town in Finland, located on the west coast of the country. Jakobstad is situated in Ostrobothnia, along the Gulf of Bothnia. The population of Jakobstad is approximately 20,000, while the sub-region has a population of approximately 51,000. It is the 57th most populous municipality in Finland.

Jakobstad covers a land area of 88.52 km (34.18 sq mi). The population density is 222.19/km (575.5/sq mi). Neighboring municipalities are Larsmo, Pedersöre, and Nykarleby. The city of Vaasa is located 98 km (61 mi) southwest of Jakobstad.

63°25′N 21°05′E / 63.417°N 21.083°E / 63.417; 21.083Valsörarna (in Swedish) or Valassaaret (in Finnish) is a small archipelago in Korsholm, Finland, located in the Kvarken region of the Gulf of Bothnia. The islands are the last you see when going by boat or ferry from Vaasa, Finland to Umeå, Sweden. The archipelago is detached from Korsholm's main Replot-Björkö archipelago. They are uninhabited and there is no road access. However, they are an important bird sanctuary, frequented by birdwatchers and ornithologists. They are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List along with the High Coast of Sweden and the archipelago of Kvarken, for exhibiting the effects of land rise due to post-glacial rebound.

Ester Ståhlberg, née Elfving (February 17, 1870 – July 21, 1950) was a Finnish writer and educator and the first First Lady of Finland. She was the wife of president Kaarlo Juho Ståhlberg.

The daughter of Karl Oskar Elfving, mayor, and Jenny Nyman, she was born Ester Elfving in Vaasa, went on to study in Oulu and then continued with post-graduate studies in Helsinki. For a time, she taught Swedish.