Helsinki was established in 1550 by king Gustav I of Sweden, when the territory of present-day Finland was within the boundaries of Sweden. Therefore, the town was originally named Helsingfors, composed of two parts – the words "Helsing", which was the name of the river flowing through the city (today the river is called the Vantaa), and "fors", i.e. a waterfall. The Finnish name of the city had appeared for the first time in print in the eighteenth century, in the nineteenth century it was in common use, but the Senate approved it only in 1819. Since that time the name "Helsinki" is used throughout the world with the exception of the Scandinavian countries, where the old form is also used.
