Finland was a province and then a grand duchy
under Sweden from the 12th to the 19th centuries and an
autonomous grand duchy of Russia after 1809. It won its complete
independence in 1917. During World War II, it was able to
successfully defend its freedom and resist invasions by the
Soviet Union - albeit with some loss of territory. In the
subsequent half century, the Finns made a remarkable
transformation from a farm/forest economy to a diversified
modern industrial economy; per capita income is now on par with
Western Europe. As a member of the European Union, Finland was
the only Nordic state to join the euro system at its initiation
in January 1999.
Location:
Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea,
Gulf of Bothnia, and Gulf of Finland, between Sweden and Russia
Area:
338,145 sq km
Border countries:
Norway 727 km, Sweden 614 km, Russia 1,340 km
Climate:
cold temperate; potentially subarctic but
comparatively mild because of moderating influence of the North
Atlantic Current, Baltic Sea, and more than 60,000 lakes
Geography:
long boundary with Russia; Helsinki is
northernmost national capital on European continent; population
concentrated on small southwestern coastal plain
Population:
5,231,372
Nationality:
Finn(s)
Ethnic groups:
Finn 93.4%, Swede 5.7%, Russian 0.4%,
Estonian 0.2%, Roma 0.2%, Sami 0.1%
Religions:
Lutheran National Church 84.2%, Greek
Orthodox in Finland 1.1%, other Christian 1.1%, other 0.1%, none
13.5%
Languages:
Finnish 92% (official), Swedish 5.6%
(official), other 2.4% (small Sami- and Russian-speaking
minorities)
Government type:
republic
Capital:
Helsinki
Time zone:
GMT/UTC +02:00
National holiday:
Independence Day, 6 December (1917)
Currency:
euro (EUR)
Communications:
Telephones - main lines in use: 2.12 million,
Telephone system: modern system with excellent service
Transportation:
Airports: 148, Railways: 5,741 km, Roadways:
78,189 km, Waterways: 7,842 km