Vantaa is a city and municipality in Finland. It borders Helsinki, the Finnish capital, which is to the south and southwest. Other neighbouring municipalities are Espoo to the west, Nurmijärvi, Kerava and Tuusula to the north and Sipoo to the east. Helsinki, Vantaa, Espoo, and Kauniainen make up the Helsinki Metropolitan Area. The most significant areas of Vantaa are Tikkurila, Myyrmäki, Martinlaakso, Hakunila, Koivukylä and Korso. Its seat is in Tikkurila (Dickursby in Swedish).
Vantaa with its population of 190 058 (as of 31 January 2007) is the fourth most populated city of Finland. The biggest airport in Finland, the Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, is located there. It also hosts a science centre, Heureka.
In addition there is the city museum next to the railway station in Tikkurila. The museum is housed in the oldest station building in Finland, designed by Carl Albert Edelfelt and completed in 1861. There are exhibitions with various themes on local history.
Vantaa encompasses 243 km², of which 1.90 km² is water. Population density is 790.1/km².
The name Vantaa was taken into use in 1972 when the municipality gained market town rights. The first record of the area is as Helsinge in 1351 when king Magnus II of Sweden granted salmon fishing rights on the river Vantaa to the Estonian Padise monastery.
On October 11, 2002, the city was shocked by the explosion of a bomb in the local Myyrmanni shopping centre, killing 7, including the bomber, a 19-year-old chemistry student from the Espoo-Vantaa Institute of Technology (see Myyrmanni bombing).
Vantaa is known for being the birthplace of the famous Finnish race driver Mika Häkkinen. Mika Salo has also lived there, both in the suburb of Martinlaakso.
It has been said that "Vantaa is a the only highway which has become to a city", referring to the fact that all major highways cross Vantaa except one. They even say that on Vantaa's promotional DVD "Viettelysten Vantaa" (Temptating Vantaa), which mixes humour with cold facts.