Information about Finland
The Republic of Finland (Suomen Tasavalta in Finnish, Republiken Finland in Swedish) is a Nordic country, bound by the Baltic Sea to the southwest, the Gulf of Finland to the southeast and the Gulf of Bothnia to the west, bordering Sweden, Norway and Russia (sea border with Estonia). National motto: None Official Finnish and languages Swedish Capital Helsinki History President Tarja Halonen Prime minister Matti Vanhanen Area Ranked 63rd Finland's nearly 700-year association Ę- Total 337,030 km² with the Kingdom of Sweden began in Ę- % water 9.4% 1154 with the introduction of Christianity by Sweden's King Erik. Population Ranked 106th Swedish became the dominant language of Ę- Total (2003) 5,211,311 administration and education, although Ę- Density 17.1/km² Finnish recovered its predominance Independence From Russia after a 19th century resurgence of Ę- Declared December 6, 1917 Finnish nationalism (fennomania) Ę- Recognized January 4, 1918 following the publication of Finland's national epic, the Kalevala. Currency Euro¹, Finnish euro coins In 1808, Finland was conquered by the Time zone UTC +2 armies of Czar Alexander I and National anthem Maamme (Vrt land) thereafter remained an autonomous Grand Internet TLD .FI Duchy in personal union with the Russian Empire until the end of 1917. Calling Code 358 On December 6, 1917, shortly after the (1) Prior to 1999: Finnish markka Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, Finland declared its independence. The social frontier between the ruling and the working class have been broader in Finland than in most comparable countries. Into the 19th century there was a most obvious language barrier; then during the 19th century Finland developed a proud University-educated meritocracy that felt as being the true representation of "the people" since they spoke the people's language and since a great deal of their ancestors really had been poor peasants. In 1918, the country experienced a brief but bitter Civil War that coloured domestic politics for many years. The Civil War was chiefly fought between the educated class, supported by Germany and the big class of independent small farmers, against propertyless rural and industrial workers who despite universal suffrage in 1906 had found themselves without political influence. During World War II, Finland fought the Soviet Union twice: in the Winter War of 1939-1940 (with some support from Sweden) and again in the Continuation War of 1941-1944 (with considerable support from Germany). This was followed by the Lapland War of 1944-1945, when Finland forced the Germans out of northern Finland. Treaties signed in 1947 and 1948 with the Soviet Union included obligations and restraints on Finland vis-a-vis the Soviet Union as well as further territorial concessions by Finland (compared to the Moscow Peace Treaty of 1940). Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Finland was free to follow her own course and joined the European Union in 1995. Politics and Government Finland has a primarily parliamentary system, although the president also has some notable powers. Most executive power lies in the cabinet (Council of State) headed by the prime minister chosen by the parliament. The Council of State is made up of the prime minister and the ministers for the various departments of the central government as well as an ex-officio member, the Chancellor of Justice. Constitutionally, the 200-member, unicameral parliament, the Eduskunta (Finnish) or Riksdag (Swedish), is the supreme authority in Finland. It may alter the constitution, bring about the resignation of the Council of State, and override presidential vetoes. Its acts are not subject to judicial review. Legislation may be initiated by the Council of State, or one of the Eduskunta members, who are elected on the basis of proportional representation for a four-year term. The judicial system is divided between courts with regular civil and criminal jurisdiction and special courts with responsibility for litigation between the public and the administrative organs of the state. Finnish law is codified and its court system consists of local courts, regional appellate courts, and a Supreme Court. The parliament has, since equal and common suffrage was introduced in 1906, been dominated by Agrarians, Social Democrats and Communists; although all of the political spectrum is more influenced by anti-Socialist currents than in similar countries having less contacts with the Soviet Union. Finland consists of 6 provinces (lni, lnit or ln). The province authority is part of the central government's executive branch; a system that hasn't changed drastically since its creation in 1634. Another kind of provinces are the historical provinces echoing the pattern of colonialization of Finland. Dialects, folklore, customs and people's feeling of affiliation are associated with these historical provinces, although the re-settlement of 400,000 Karelians during World War II and urbanization in the latter half of the 20th century have made differences less pronounced. Local government Local government is organized in 450 municipalities of Finland. Since 1977, no legal or administrative distinction is made between towns, cities and other municipalities. The municipalities cooperate in 20 regions of Finland. The land Islands enjoy a high degree of autonomy, according to international treaties and Finnish laws, why the regional government for land handles some matters which belong to the province authority in mainland-Finland. Geography Finland is a country of thousands of lakes and islands; 187,888 lakes and 179,584 islands to be precise. The Finnish landscape is mostly flat with few hills and its highest point, the Haltitunturi at 1,328 m, is found in the extreme north of Lapland. Beside the many lakes the landscape is dominated by extensive boreal forests and little arable land. The greater part of the islands are found in southwest, part of the archipelago of the Aland Islands, and along the southern coast in the Gulf of Finland. Finland is one of the few countries in the world that is still growing. Owing to the isostatic adjustment that has been taking place since the last ice age, the surface area of the country is growing by about 7 sq. kilometres a year. The climate is a northern temperate climate, characterised by cold, occasionally severe winters and relatively warm summers. A quarter of Finland's territory lies above the Arctic Circle, and as a consequence the sun does not set for 73 days during summer, and does not rise for up to 51 days during winter. Economy Finland has a highly industrialised, largely free-market economy, with per capita output roughly that of the UK, France, Germany, and Italy. Its key economic sector is manufacturing - principally the wood, metals, engineering, telecommunications, and electronics industries. Trade is important, with exports equaling almost one-third of GDP. Except for timber and several minerals, Finland depends on imports of raw materials, energy, and some components for manufactured goods. Because of the climate, agricultural development is limited to maintaining self-sufficiency in basic products. Forestry, an important export earner, provides a secondary occupation for the rural population. Rapidly increasing integration with Western Europe - Finland was one of the 11 countries joining the euro monetary system (EMU) on January 1, 1999 - will dominate the economic picture over the next several years. Growth was anemic in 2002, but slowed down in 2003 because of global depression. Demographics There are two official languages in Finland: Finnish, spoken by 93% of the population, and Swedish, mother tongue for 6% of the population. Other minority languages include Russian, Estonian, Somali and Albanian. To the north, in Lapland, are found the Sami, numbering less than 7,000, who like the Finns speak a Finno-Ugric language (Saami). There are over 20 languages which have over thousand users. Most Finns (89%) are members of the Lutheran Church of Finland, with a minority of 1% belonging to the Finnish Orthodox Church (see Eastern Orthodoxy). The remainder consist of relatively small groups of other Protestant denominations, Roman Catholics, Muslims and Jews beside the 9% who are unaffiliated. After the Winter War (confirmed by the outcome of the Continuation War) 12% of Finland's population had to be re-settled. War reparations, unemployment and uncertainity regarding Finland's chances to remain sovereign and independent of the Soviet Union contributed to considerable emigration, abating first in the 1970s. Now, since the late 1990s, Finland receives refugees and immigrants in a rate comparable with the Scandinavian countries, although the accumulated number remains far lower in Finland. A considerable share of the immigrants has come from the former Soviet Union claiming ethnic (Finnic) kinship.
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