Kymenlaakso

Kymenlaakso is a province of Finland in southeastern Finland. The province takes its name from the Kymi River, which runs through it, and the largest population centers in the region are located along or near it. Kymenlaakso is the only province in Finland with two provincial centers instead of one; the provincial centers are Kotka and Kouvola. Kotka is home to the central hospital and the provincial museum, among other things. Kotka is also the host municipality of the Kymenlaakso rescue service. Kouvola, in turn, is home to the Ely Centre, the regional union administration, the Kymenlaakso District Court, the main police station for Southeast Finland, the regional library (until 2017) and the largest railway station in the region. Kouvola has been the largest city in the region since its municipal mergers in 2009, with 82,559 inhabitants. The largest agglomeration in the region is the central agglomeration of Kotka with 51,704 inhabitants. Before the merger of the Kouvola region, the largest city in the region and the provincial center was Kotka.