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Finland in brief
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Finland in brief
Forests and lakes dominate Finland’s landscape, but there is geographical variety from the unique archipelago of the southern and western coastlines to the rolling mountains and clear-water rivers of Lapland.
The climate in Finland is milder than in many other areas of the same latitude, partly because of the warming influence of the Gulf Stream.
The population of Finland is about five million. Finland is a parliamentary republic with a multiparty political system. The Parliament’s 200 members are elected every four years and the head of state is the President.
Finland and Finnish national consciousness have been moulded by the country’s location between East and West. Although Finns count themselves as part of western culture, the Finnish lifestyle has undeniably been enriched by closeness to Russia. Finland today is, as it has always been, in close contact with both St Petersburg and Stockholm.
From the 13th century Finland was part of the kingdom of Sweden. But in 1809, after Sweden had lost a war against Russia, Finland was ceded to Russia and became an autonomous Grand Duchy within Imperial Russia, its Grand Duke being the Czar himself. After the October Revolution in Russia in 1917, Finland declared itself independent.
During World War II Finland managed to retain its independence in the Winter War and Continuation War against the Soviet Union. Since the war, it has pursued a policy of military non-alliance. Finland joined the European Union in 1995 and is among the eleven member states that adopted the common currency euro in the beginning of 1999. The final transfer from national currencies occurred in January 2002.
Finnish industry has traditionally been based on forestry and the metal industry. The newcomer is high technology, especially telecommunications. It currently leads Finnish exports. However, less than a third of Finns work in industry, while 65% work in trade and services.
The Finnish language belongs to the Finno-Ugric group of languages - it is closely related to Estonian and remotely to Hungarian. Finland’s special richness lies in bilingualism: both Finnish and Swedish are official languages. English is currently the most popular foreign language in schools. Other languages widely studied are e.g. German and French.