Helsinki are the main and largest city of Finland. They are also its largest port. Founded in 1550, their center lies on a small peninsula on the banks of the Gulf of Finland but still has a fairly large area facing east. They occupy a total area of 686 km² and have about 560,000 inhabitants. Nearby there are three other cities, Espoo, Vantaa and Kauniainen, with which they form a densely connected neighborhood with a total population of more than 1 200 000 inhabitants.