Country Information on Finland 

Terrain

Finland has about 60,000 lakes, the most important being Lake Saima, Lake Inari, and Lake Päijänne. The Ahvenanmaa (Åland Islands) is a group of about 6500 islands that projects south-west into the Baltic Sea.

Most of Finland is a plateau, about 120 to 180 m above sea level, with hilly areas in the north and mountains in the extreme northwest. Finland's highest elevation is Haltiatunturi (1328 m). The country's most important rivers include Torneälv, Muonio, Kemijoki, and Oulu.

Climate

Finland is dominated by subpolar-continental climate with heavy snowfall in winter. Surrounding bodies of water exert a moderating influence on Finland's climate. Average coastal temperatures in the south range from 15°C in July to about -9°C in February, with the central parts of Finland experiencing -13°C. The snow cover is deepest around mid-March, with an average of 60 to 90 cm of snow in eastern and northern Finland and 20 to 30 cm in south-western Finland.

Fauna/Flora

Nearly three quarters of Finland is forested, chiefly with evergreens. Various kinds of wildlife, including bears, wolves, lynxes, arctic foxes, and many bird species live in the less populated northern regions. Freshwater fish, saltwater fish, and seals are abundant. Productive forestland is Finland's most valuable natural resource. Spruce, pine, and silver birch are the principal trees.

History/Politics

Nomads from Asia and Tavastians from Central Europe began to settle the area of present-day Finland in the first century BC, driving the nomadic Sami northwards. During the Viking Age (AD 800-1050), Swedish Vikings came into contact with the Finns in the course of their expeditions eastward. Beginning about AD 1050, Finnish tribes were converted to Christianity by the Swedes, who eventually took control of Finland, administering it as fiefs.

By 1557, Finland was elevated to a Swedish duchy. In succeeding centuries, involvement in the many wars that occurred between Sweden and Russia caused Finland to lose large areas to Russia. By 1809, Russia had occupied Finland and proclaimed it a grand duchy of the Russian Empire. Sweden then formally ceded Finland to Russia.

In the 19th century a national awakening took place among the Finnish population, centred on the resurgence of the Finnish language. Toward the end of the century, Russia reasserted its governmental control over Finland, and Finnish citizens lost many of their constitutional rights. Finland was not directly involved in World War I, although Russian troops were garrisoned in the country.

During the Russian revolution (1917), a newly elected Finnish parliament assumed all powers formerly held by Russia and voted in favour of an independent republic. The new Soviet government had no choice but to accept Finnish sovereignty, and in 1919 the Finnish parliament adopted a new republican constitution.

Finland was eventually drawn into World War II after German use of Finnish territory led the Soviets to bomb Finland's cities. It then declared war on the USSR (Winter War of 1939-40), although not as an ally of Germany.

After the war the main thrust of Finnish foreign policy was strict international neutrality and friendly relations with the USSR. The country remained firmly oriented toward Scandinavia and the West. In 1995 Finland became an official member of the European Union. Elections in March 1999 saw Finnish Social Democratic Party candidate Paavo Lipponen again become prime minister heading a "rainbow coalition".

In the election held on 16 January and 6 February (second round) 2000, Ms Tarja Halonen, Minister for Foreign Affairs, was elected to serve as president from 1 March 2000 to 1 March 2006.

Economy

The Finnish economy is dominated by manufacturing, which in the late 1960s overtook agriculture and forestry as the chief source of employment. The paper, pulp, and newsprint industries account for a significant part of the manufacturing output, with a contribution of 40% to annual Finnish exports.

Mining is also important, and Finland is a significant producer of copper, zinc, silver, chromites, lead, nickel, and gold. 3.9% of the population is employed in the agricultural sector, with 34.8% in manufacturing and 61.3% in the services sector. The unemployment rate amounted to 9.8% in 2000.

Culture

Finland's national epic, the Kalevala, is a compilation of Finnish folktales by the nineteenth-century scholar Elias Lönnrot. Architects Eliel Saarinen, Eero Saarinen, and Alvar Aalto have gained worldwide acclaim.

Finland's most famous composer is Jean Sibelius, whose "Finlandia" is a staple in the repertory of orchestras the world over. Tapio Wirkkala is best known as a glass designer although his artistry ranged from postage stamps to a fell-sized landscape memorial and from a tumbler to a futuristic cityscape.