Pori (Finnish: [ˈpori]; Swedish: Björneborg [bjœːrneˈborj] ⓘ; Latin: Arctopolis[8]) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Satakunta.

The neighboring municipalities are Eurajoki, Kankaanpää, Kokemäki, Merikarvia, Nakkila, Pomarkku, Sastamala, Siikainen and Ulvila.

Pori is especially known nationwide for its Jazz Festival, Yyteri's sandy beaches, Kirjurinluoto, Porin Ässät ice hockey club, FC Jazz football club, which won two championships in the Veikkausliiga in the 1990s, and Pori Theater, which is the first Finnish-language theater in Finnish history.

[11][12][13][14][15] The current coat of arms of Pori was confirmed for use by President P. E. Svinhufvud on December 11, 1931,[16] and was later redrawn by Olof Eriksson.

[1] The Finnish name Pori comes from the -borg part (meaning citadel, fortress or castle) of the original name in Swedish with a Fennicised pronunciation.

In the 16th century the situation had become so bad that Duke John decided to establish a new harbour and market town closer to the sea.

The Bourgeoisie of Ulvila were ordered to migrate to the newly founded city and on 8 March 1558 John III gave the charter of Pori, which read: "Because we have seen that it would be best to build a strong market town alongside the sea, and because we cannot find anywhere suitable for fortifying in Ulvila, we have chosen another location at Pori.

A new "golden age" for Pori started in 1765 as the city got back the staple rights for foreign trade.

The French frigate D'Assos made the first attempt on July and managed to catch one ship outside the Isokari island before they sailed further north.

The newly completed buildings, such as the Pori Theatre and Hotel Otava are historically and culturally important.

Total of 319 Soviet Red Army prisoners of war died in Pori as they were used as a forced labor by the Germans.

Pori National Urban Park preserves the story of the phases of development of the town born at the mouth of the river Kokemäenjoki.

Winters are long, and cold, but are notably shorter and warmer than in the Northern parts of Finland due to the marine effect and location by the Bothnian Sea.

The temperatures measured in the city center are slightly higher on average due to the urban heat island effect.

Visiting the famous "Yyteri" beach is arguably the best pastime thing to do in Pori on warm summer days.

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

Pori has more than 100 intercity buses with major Finnish cities Helsinki, Turku and Tampere as well as smaller places like Rauma and Vaasa.

In October 2013 Pori was the destination of MS Nordic Orion, the first commercial cargo ship ever to transit the Northwest Passage.

King, Ray Charles, Miles Davis, Keith Jarrett, Bob Dylan, Elton John, Kanye West and Santana.

It presents traditional ways of restoring wooden houses with an exhibition of typical early 1900s home.

[61] Local top football side FC Jazz have won the Finnish premier league Veikkausliiga in 1993 and 1996.

[62] Jazz's main rival and other local football team is Musan Salama which plays in fifth tier, Kolmonen.

[67] Olympic gold medal winners from Pori include Greco-Roman wrestler Kelpo Gröndahl (1952) and weightlifter Kaarlo Kangasniemi (1968).

Leo-Pekka Tähti, five-time Paralympic gold medalist in category T54 sprint events (100m: 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016; 200m: 2004), is also from Pori.

Other Olympic medalists from Pori are swimmer Arvo Aaltonen (1920), weightlifter Jouni Grönman (1984), boxers Joni Nyman (1984) and Jyri Kjäll (1992), pole vaulter Eeles Landström (1960), archer Kyösti Laasonen (1972) and ice hockey players Sakari Salminen (2014) and Sari Marjamäki (née Fisk, 1998).

The best known, currently active athletes from Pori are swimmer Matti Mattsson, hurdler Nooralotta Neziri, NHL ice hockey goaltender Joonas Korpisalo and players Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Joel Armia and Erik Haula, and Paralympic gold medalist Leo-Pekka Tähti.

Mikko Salo won the 2009 CrossFit Games in Aromas, California and was declared the "World's Fittest Man.

[77] Yle TV2 screens daily local news from the Pori region and Satakunta province on its national channel.

On the south side of the river stand the Empire style buildings of the "old town", raised after the 1852 city fire.

The northernmost district of Pori, Ahlainen, is a natural seaside village consisting of wooden houses.