Kuopio (/kuˈoʊpioʊ/ KUO-pi-ou,[8] Finnish: [ˈkuo̯pio] ⓘ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of North Savo.

[10] Together with Joensuu, Kuopio is one of the major urban, economic and cultural centres of Eastern Finland.

In addition, at the end of the 2010s, Kuopio was characterised by numerous large projects, the largest in the country after the Helsinki metropolitan area.

[17] In the Kuntien imago 2018 survey, Kuopio ranks second among Finland's large cities after Seinäjoki in South Ostrobothnia.

[29] The coat of arms was approved for use in 1823 by the Kuopio Magistrate in accordance with the order of Alexander I of Russia.

[33] The period of Grand Duchy (1809–1917) brought notable transportation development within Eastern Finland.

The Saimaa Canal (1856) opened up a summer route towards the Baltic Sea, and the Savonia railway (1889) improved transport in winter.

[33] After World War II, the city's population grew significantly, due in part to the settlement of Karelian evacuees and the high birth rate.

[citation needed] The municipality of Maaninka joined the city of Kuopio in 2015, the town of Nilsiä in 2013, and Karttula[36] in 2011, as did Vehmersalmi in 2005, Riistavesi in 1973, and Kuopion maalaiskunta in 1969.

[41] The environment of the city is quite distinctive; the surface shapes of the waterfront-lined center are so variable that a flat property is a desired rarity.

[42] The settlement has spread outside the center of Kuopio according to a dense and sparse finger model that is affordable for public transport,[43] and the new districts have been built in a municipal drive at once; for example, the Saaristokaupunki was banned for building for the previous 25 years,[44] and this Kuopio zoning tradition has a long history.

[44] Due to the above-mentioned factors, the population density of the Kuopio city center is the highest in Finland.

The number of summer homes in Kuopio has increased in recent years due to municipal associations.

[49] Due to the abundance of water bodies, Kuopio also has a remarkably favorable climate compared to the latitude.

The annual sum of the effective temperature is about as high in Kuopio as in places further south than it, for example, Tampere and Lahti.

Winters are long and cold, with average highs staying below freezing from November until March, and summers are short and relatively mild.

FMI(record highs and lows 1940-1961)[52] The city of Kuopio has 125,668 inhabitants, making it the 8th most populous municipality in Finland.

[55] Population by mother tongue (2023)[55] Kuopio is the fourth largest monolingual Finnish-speaking municipality in Finland after Tampere, Oulu and Jyväskylä.

[55] As English and Swedish are compulsory school subjects, functional bilingualism or trilingualism acquired through language studies is not uncommon.

[59] Until 2018, Kuopio was home to primate of the Finnish Orthodox Church, the called Archbishop of Karelia and all Finland.

The most important thing in developing operating environments is to improve the supply of estate and business premises.

The most significant recent business projects are the centralization of Honeywell's Finnish operations in Kuopio, the completion of Ark Therapeutics' gene medicine plant, the marine industry concentration built by Bella Boats at the Marine Park in Haapaniemi's Siikaniemi and the construction of Junttan's EUR 15 million assembly plant at Kylmämäki at the end of 2008.

The 9.7-hectare plot purchased by Savocon and TKD Finland for EUR 11 million has a building right for 58,500 square meters.

[67] A significant industrial player is also Savon Sello company in Sorsasalo, which is currently owned by Powerflute Oyj.

One of the biggest projects and investments of recent years is the preparation of the construction of Finnpulp's largest and most modern softwood pulp mill in Kuopio.

A wide range of musical (from kindergarten to doctorate-level studies) and dance education is available and the cultural life is active.

[37] Besides being a very popular outdoor recreation area, Puijo serves also as a stage for a yearly World Cup ski jumping competition.

[71] Niuvanniemi a historical psychiatric hospital is also located in the western part of the city in the Niuva district.

Kuopio's image as a small city with a large University and many active young people was considered a model of what the International Olympic Committee seeks for the Games.

It is an international tourist route from Mo i Rana, Norway to Pudozh, Russia via Sweden and Finland.