Pori (Swedish: Björneborg) is a city and municipality on the west coast of Finland. The city is located some 15 kilometers (9 mi) from the Gulf of Bothnia, on the estuary of the Kokemäenjoki river, which is the largest in Finland. It was established in 1558 by John III (Finnish: Juhana III or Juhana-herttua). Pori is the most important town in the Satakunta region.
The municipality has a population of 83,192 (30 September 2012) and covers an area of 1,704.07 square kilometers (657.95 sq mi) of which 870.01 km (335.91 sq mi) is water. The population density is 99.74 /km (258.3 /sq mi). The municipality is unilingual Finnish. Pori is the 11th largest city in Finland, and the 7th largest urban area.
The Neo-Gothic Juselius Mausoleum, located in the Käppärä cemetery in central Pori, was built in 1903 by the wealthy industrialist F.A. Juselius for his daughter Sigrid, who died when she was only 11 years old. The mausoleum was designed by the architect Josef Stenbäck. The mausoleum originally had frescoes painted by artist Akseli Gallen-Kallela, but these decayed after a short time. The frescoes were restored by Akseli's son Jorma Gallen-Kallela using his father's sketches.
Pori is known, among other things, for the sandy beaches of Yyteri and for hosting Pori Jazz, an annual international jazz festival. Performers at the jazz fesival have included Dizzy Gillespie, Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis, The Brand New Heavies and Steely Dan. B.B King is an honorary mayor of the city.
The local newspaper in Pori is the Satakunnan Kansa paper, giving an overview of the recent news. There are also sports and children's articles included.
The name Pori comes from the borg part (meaning "castle") of the original name in Swedish with a Fennicised pronunciation. The Swedish name Björneborg means "bear castle", and the Latin name
