Kokkola is a city of almost 48,000 inhabitants, located in the middle of Finland, on the coast of the Gulf of Bothnia.The city,founded 400 years ago, is bilingual, with about 13% Swedish speaking residents. The major employer is the chemical industry. The Chydenius-Institution of Kokkola, a university consortium, carries out teaching and research under the auspices of the universities of Jyväskylä, Oulu and Vaasa, and specializes in adult education.