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Republic of Finland
Suomen tasavalta
Republiken Finland
Motto: none
Anthem: Maamme (Finnish) / Vårt land (Swedish)
("Our Land" in English)
Location of Finland
Capital
and largest city
Helsinki
Official languagesFinnish, Swedish
Religion
Lutheran
GovernmentParliamentary democracy2
Independence
• Water (%)
9.4
Population
• 2006 estimate
5,255,580 (112th)
• 2000 census
5,181,115
GDP (PPP)2005 estimate
• Total
$163 billion (52th)
• Per capita
$31,208 (13th)
HDI (2005)0.941
very high (13th)
CurrencyEuro (€)1 (EUR)
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)
UTC+3 (EEST)
Calling code358
ISO 3166 codeFI
Internet TLD.fi
1Prior to 1999: Finnish markka
2Semi-presidential system

Finland (Finnish: Suomi, Swedish: Finland), officially the Republic of Finland (Finnish: Suomen tasavalta, Swedish: Republiken Finland), is one of the Nordic countries. It is situated in northern Europe, bounded by the Baltic Sea with the Gulf of Finland to the south and the Gulf of Bothnia to the west. Finland has land frontiers with Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east. The Åland Islands, off the southwestern coast, are under Finnish sovereignty while enjoying extensive autonomy.

Finland has a population of five million people spread over more than 330,000 square kilometres (127,000 sq. mi) making it one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world (see List of countries by population density).

Finland is ranked thirteenth on the 2005 United Nations Human Development Index.

History

Main article: History of Finland

According to archaeological evidence, the area now comprising Finland was first settled around 8500 BC during the Stone Age as the ice shield of the last ice age receded. The earliest people were probably hunter-gatherers, living primarily off what the tundra and sea could offer. Pottery is known from around 5300 BC (see Comb Ceramic Culture). The existence of an extensive exchange system during the mesolithic is indicated by the spread of asbestos and soapstone from eastern Finland, and by finds of flint from southern Scandinavia and Russia and slate from Lake Onega and northern Scandinavia. It has been postulated and held probable that the speakers of the Finno-Ugric language arrived in the area during the Stone Age, and were possibly even among the first Mesolithic settlers [1]. The arrival of the Battle-Axe Culture (or Cord-Ceramic Culture) in southern coastal Finland around 3200 BC may have coincided with the start of agriculture. However, the earliest certain records of agriculture are from the late 3rd millennium B.C. Hunting and fishing continued to be important parts of the subsistence economy, especially in the northern and eastern parts of the country.

The Bronze Age (1500–500 BC) and Iron Age (500 BC–AD 1200) were characterized by extensive contacts with Scandinavia, northern Russia and the Baltic region. Inhabitants of Finland - like the famous Kvens - and their "kings" (probably local chieftains) are mentioned in some historic chronicles and other writings such as the Scandinavian sagas. There are also some written documents from the 13th century, but in general the Finnish history is not comprehensively documented before the 14th and 15th centuries.

The beginning of Finland's nearly 700-year association with the Kingdom of Sweden is traditionally connected with the year 1154 and the hypothesized introduction of Christianity by Sweden's King Erik. However, archeological evidence points to prior Christian influences in southwestern and southeastern Finland and include both western and eastern Christian artefacts. Historically (more documented), the union began upon Birger Jarl's expedition to Finland in 1249. Swedish became the dominant language of administration and education; Finnish chiefly a language for the peasantry, clergy and local courts in predominantly Finnish-speaking areas. Not until the 16th century were the first written works published in Finnish by Mikael Agricola.

The Swedish Kingdom strove to push the borders eastward, which led to wars of varying success with Novgorod. The expansion was halted by the unification of Russia and was eventually rolled back. During the 18th century, virtually all of Finland was twice occupied by Russian forces (1714–1721 and 1742–1743), known by the Finns as the Greater Wrath and the Lesser Wrath. During this time "Finland" became the predominant term for the whole land area from the Gulf of Bothnia to the Russian border; both in domestic Swedish debate and by Russians promising protection from "Swedish oppression." The earlier Finland - i.e. the south-western area - was from then on called "Finland Proper".

In 1808, Finland was conquered by the armies of Russian Emperor Alexander I and thereafter became an autonomous Grand Duchy under the Russian Empire until the end of 1917. During this time, Finnish started gaining recognition by both the imperial court and the governing bodies, first probably to sever the cultural and emotional ties with Sweden and thereafter, from the 1860s onwards, as a result of a strong nationalist movement, known as the Fennoman movement. Milestones included the publication of what would become Finland's national epic, the Kalevala, in 1835; and the Finnish language achieving equal legal status with Swedish in 1892.

On December 6, 1917, shortly after the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, Finland declared its independence. The independence was approved by Bolshevist Russia but the civil wars that followed in Russia and in Finland and activist expeditions (see Heimosodat), including the ones to White Karelia and Aunus, complicated relations.

In 1918, the country experienced a brief but a bitter Civil War that coloured domestic politics for many years. The Civil War was fought between "the whites", who gained support from Imperial Germany, and "the reds", supported by Bolshevist Russia. The reds consisted mostly of leftist property–less rural and industrial workers who, despite universal suffrage in 1906, felt that they lacked political influence. The white forces were mostly made up of bourgeoisie and wealthy peasantry, politically more to the right. Eventually, the whites overcame the reds.

The Finnish–Russian border was agreed upon in the Treaty of Tartu in 1920, largely following the historic border but granting Petsamo and its Barents Sea harbour to Finland.

During World War II, Finland fought the Soviet Union twice: in the Winter War of 1939–1940 and in the Continuation War of 1941–1944 in accordance with Operation Barbarossa in which Germany invaded the Soviet Union. 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, restraints, and reparations on Finland vis-à-vis the Soviet Union as well as further Finnish territorial concessions (cf. the Moscow Peace Treaty of 1940). Finland ceded most of Finnish Karelia, Salla, and Petsamo, which amounted to 10% of land area, 20% of industrial capacity and 400,000 evacuees. The reparations to the Soviet Union forced Finland to transform itself from a primarily agrarian economy to an industrialized one. Nevertheless, most trade was with Western countries. Even after reparations were fulfilled, Finland continued to trade with the Soviet Union in the framework of bilateral trade. (Russia has assumed a large part of the Soviet national debt which is slowly being remunerated in raw materials and electricity).

After the Second World War, neutral Finland lay in the grey zone between the western countries and the Soviet Union. The "YYA Treaty" (Finno-Soviet Pact of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance) gave the Soviet Union some leverage in Finnish domestic politics and included a guarantee whereby Finland promised to defend her territory and airspace against Germany or her allies, which meant in practice NATO. Many politicians, like President Kekkonen (1956–81), used their relations with Moscow to solve party controversies, which meant that the Soviet Union gained even more influence; other people worked single-mindedly to oppose the Kremlin. The society had also a strong tendency of self-censorship regarding Finno-Soviet relations and the press was often reprimanded or given instructions in handling Soviet-related issues. There was virtually no criticism or objective discussion of communism or the Soviet Union in Finland during those years. This phenomenon of self-censorship was given the name finlandisation by the German press. However, Finland maintained a democratic government and a market economy unlike most other countries bordering the Soviet Union.

The post-war era was a period of rapid economic growth and increasing wealth and stability for Finland. In all, the war-ravaged agrarian country was transformed into a technologically advanced market economy with a sophisticated social welfare system. When the Soviet Union fell in 1991, the bilateral trade disappeared overnight, and Finland was simultaneously hit by a "home-cooked" severe recession. This left a mass unemployment problem, but the economy survived and began growing at a high rate after the recession. Finland joined the European Union in 1995, where she is an advocate of federalism contrary to the other Nordic countries that are predominantly supportive of confederalism.

Etymology

The name Suomi has uncertain origins but a strong candidate for a cognate is the Baltic word zeme meaning "ground, earth, country". In another approach, Finnish suo means "fen", which is one of the characteristic biotypes of Finland. Some etymologists have proposed that Suomi is derived from the word suoma, which means "god-given" or "a gift of mercy".

The exonym Finland has resemblance with e.g. the Scandinavian placenames Finnmark, Finnveden and Finnskogen and all are thought to be derived from finn, a Germanic word for nomadic "hunter-gatherers" (as opposed to sedentary farmers). How, why and when this designation would have started to mean the Finns in particular is largely unknown. Among the first written documents mentioning a "land of the Finns" are two rune stones. There is one in Söderby, Sweden, with the inscription finlont and one in Gotland, a Swedish island in the Baltic Sea, with the inscription finlandi dating from the 11th century [2].

Politics

Finnish Parliament House in Helsinki

Main article: Politics of Finland

Finland has a semi-presidential system with Parliamentarism. The President of Finland is formally responsible for foreign policy. Most executive power lies in the cabinet (the Finnish Council of State) headed by the prime minister. Responsibility for forming the cabinet out of several political parties and negotiating its platform is granted to the leader of the party gaining largest support in the elections for the parliament. This person also becomes prime minister of the cabinet. Any minister and the cabinet as whole however must have continuing trust of the parliament and may be voted out, resign or be replaced. 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.

The 200-member unicameral Parliament of Finland is called the Eduskunta (Finnish) or Riksdag (Swedish). It is the supreme legislative authority in Finland. The parliament may alter the Constitution of Finland, 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 for a four-year term on the basis of proportional representation through open list multimember districts.

The judicial system of Finland is divided between courts with regular civil and criminal jurisdiction and administrative courts with responsibility for litigation between the individuals and the administrative organs of the state and the communities. Their jurisdiction can be illustrated with an example: Parents unsatisfied with the school placement of their child would appeal against the board of education in an administrative court as the school placement is subject to an administrative decision. Finnish law is codified and its court system consists of local courts, regional appellate courts, and the Supreme Court. The administrative branch of justice consists of administrative courts and the Supreme Administrative Court. The administrative process has more popularity as it is cheaper and has lower financial risk to the person making claims. In addition to the regular courts, there are a few special courts in certain branches of administration. There is also a High Court of Impeachment for criminal charges (for an offence in office) against the President of the Republic, the justices of the supreme courts, members the Council of State, the Chancellor of Justice and the Ombudsman of Parliament.

The parliament has, since equal and common suffrage was introduced in 1906, been dominated by secular Conservatives, the Centre Party (former Agrarian Union), and Social Democrats. After 1944 Communists were a factor to consider for few decades. The Swedish People's Party represents Finland Swedes, especially in language politics. The relative strengths of the parties vary only slightly in the elections due to the proportional election from multimember districts but there are some visible long-term trends.

The constitution of Finland and its place in the judicial system are unusual in that there is no constitutional court and the supreme court does not have an explicit right to declare a law unconstitutional. In principle, the constitutionality of laws in Finland is verified by a simple vote in the parliament (see Parliamentary sovereignty). However, the Constitutional Law Committee of the parliament reviews any doubtful bills and recommends changes, if needed. In practice, the Constitutional Law Committee fulfils the duties of a constitutional court. A Finnish peculiarity is the possibility of making exceptions to the constitution in ordinary laws that are enacted in the same procedure as constitutional amendments. An example of such a law is the State of Preparedness Act which gives the Council of State certain exceptional powers in cases of national emergency. As these powers, which correspond to US executive orders, affect constitutional basic rights, the law was enacted in the same manner as a constitutional amendment. However, it can be repealed in the same manner as an ordinary law. In addition to preview by the Constitutional Law Committee, all Finnish courts of law have the obligation to give precedence to the constitution when there is an obvious conflict between the constitution and a regular law. That is, however, very rare. The only other European countries that lack a constitutional court are the Netherlands and the United Kingdom (which does not have a codified constitution).

After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Finland freed itself from the last restrictions imposed on it by the Paris peace treaties of 1947. The Finnish-Soviet Agreement of Friendship, Co-operation, and Mutual Assistance (and the restrictions included therein) was annulled but Finland recognised the Russian Federation as the successor of the USSR and was quick to draft bilateral treaties of goodwill as well as reallocating Soviet debts.

Finland deepened her participation in the European integration by joining the European Union with Sweden and Austria in 1995. It could be perhaps said that the country's policy of neutrality has been moderated to "military non-alignment" with an emphasis on maintaining a competent independent defence. Peacekeeping under the auspices of the United Nations is the only real extra-national military responsibility which Finland undertakes.

According to Transparency International, Finland has had the lowest level of corruption in all the countries studied in their survey for the last several years.

Subdivisions

Main article: Municipalities of Finland, Sub-regions of Finland, Regions of Finland

Legally, Finland has two levels of democratic government: the state, and 432 municipalities. The municipality is the same as a "city" level of government, except that rural municipalities are not called "cities". Since 1977, no legal or administrative distinction is made between towns, cities and other municipalities. Although a municipality must follow the laws set by the state, it makes independent decisions. That is, the decisions of a municipal council, if legal, cannot be appealed. People often identify with their municipality, although their nationality is usually more important.

Municipalities co-operate in 74 sub-regions and 20 regions. These are governed by the member municipalities. The Åland region has a permanent, democratically elected regional council, as a part of the autonomy. In the Kainuu region, there is a pilot project underway, with similar regional elections.

Main articles: Subdivisions of Finland, Provinces of Finland, Historical provinces of Finland

Provinces of Finland
Provinces of Finland

The state organization is divided into 6 administrative provinces (lääni, pl. läänit) The provinces are further divided into 90 state local districts. The provincial authority is part of the executive branch of the national government, and is not democratically controlled except through the national parliament. This system was created in 1634, and underwent few major changes until the redivision of the country into "greater provinces" in 1997. Since then, the six provinces have been:

  1. Southern Finland
  2. Western Finland
  3. Eastern Finland
  4. Oulu
  5. Lapland
  6. Åland

These provinces are merely administrative divisions. Western Finland, for example, spans four major linguistic and dialectal areas (Pohjanmaa dialect, Southwestern dialects, Savo in Ähtäri, and some Swedish speakers in the area around Vaasa).

The Åland Islands enjoy a degree of autonomy. According to international treaties and Finnish laws, the regional government for Åland handles some matters which belong to the province authority in Mainland Finland.

Another kind of provinces are those echoing the pattern of colonisation of Finland. Dialects, folklore, customs, and people's feeling of affiliation are associated with these historical provinces of Finland, although the re-settlement of 420,000 Karelians during World War II and urbanization in the latter half of the 20th century have made differences less pronounced.

The old provinces or counties (1634-1997) survive in the telephone numbering areas.

Geography

Päijänne, one of the largest lakes.
Koli, one of the many national parks.

Main article: Geography of Finland

Finland is a country of thousands of lakes and islands; 187,888 lakes (larger than 500 m²) and 179,584 islands to be precise. One of these lakes, Saimaa, is the 5th largest in Europe. The Finnish landscape is mostly flat with few hills and its highest point, the Haltitunturi at 1,328 metres (4,357 ft), is found in the extreme north of Lapland. Beside the many lakes the landscape is dominated by extensive boreal forests (about 68 percent of land area) and little arable land. The greater part of the islands are found in southwest, part of the archipelago of the Åland Islands, and along the southern coast in the Gulf of Finland. Finland is one of the few countries in the world that are still growing. Owing to the isostatic uplift that has been taking place since the last ice age, the surface area of the country is growing by about 7 square kilometres (2.7 sq mi) a year.

The climate in Southern Finland is a northern temperate climate. In Northern Finland, particularly in the Province of Lapland, a subarctic climate dominates, characterised by cold, occasionally severe, winters and relatively warm summers. Finland is near enough to the Atlantic to be continuously warmed by the Gulf stream, which explains the unusually warm climate considering the absolute latitude.

A quarter of Finland's territory lies above the Arctic Circle, and as a consequence the midnight sun can be experienced — for more and more days, the further up north one comes. At Finland's northernmost point, the sun does not set for 73 days during summer, and does not rise at all for 51 days in winter.

See also: List of towns in Finland, Population of Finland, List of lakes in Finland

Economy and globalisation

Headquarters of Fortum. The economy used to be dominated by large industries.

Main article: Economy of Finland

In the past, Finnish trade relationships and politics were by large determined by avoidance of provoking first the feudally ruled Imperial Russia and then the totalitarian Soviet Union. Despite the hindrance caused by an influential neighbouring country, Finland eventually became one of the most globalised nations in the world.

For decades now, Finland has had a highly industrialised, largely free-market economy with a per capita output equal to that of other western economies such as for example Sweden, UK, France and Germany. Its key economic sector is manufacturing of principally wood, metal, engineering, telecommunication and electronic products. 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. Forestry, an important export earner, provides a secondary occupation for the rural population.

Finland was one of the 11 countries joining the euro monetary system (EMU) on January 1, 1999.

Helsinki-Vantaa airport.

Finland has been declared the most competitive country in the world for three consecutive years 2003-2005 (four times in the last five years) by the World Economic Forum. [3]

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Finland

File:Population concentrations in Finland.gif
Population density. Map: Statistics Finland

There are two official languages in Finland: Finnish, spoken by 92% of the population, and Swedish, mother tongue for 5.5% of the population. Ethnic Finns and Finland Swedes are generally considered to comprise a common nation. The Finland-Swedes are concentrated in the coastal areas, and there is a slight cultural difference between the culture of the Ethnic Finns, focused on lakes and woods, and the more outward-oriented coastal culture of the Finland-Swedes. This difference may be considered as an ethnic division, but the difference is slight and not more pronounced than the difference between East Finnish and West Finnish culture.

Other minority languages include Russian and Estonian. To the north, in Lapland, are found the Sami, numbering less than 7,000, who like the Finns speak a Finno-Ugric language. There are three Sami languages that are spoken in Finland: Northern Sami, Inari Sami and Skolt Sami. The right of minority groups (in particular Sami and Roma people) to cherish their culture and language is protected by law, but usually only Sami is considered to be an official minority language.

Of religion, most Finns (83,1%) are members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, with a minority of 1% belonging to the Finnish Orthodox Church (see Eastern Orthodoxy). These two churches are the state churches of Finland. The remainder of the population consists of relatively small groups of other Protestant denominations, Catholics, Muslims and Jews beside the growing population of unaffiliated (15%).

After the Winter War (1939) (and confirmed by the outcome of the Continuation War) 12% of Finland's population had to be re-settled. War reparations, unemployment, and uncertainty regarding Finland's chances to remain sovereign and independent of the Soviet Union contributed to considerable emigration, abating first in the 1970s. Until then, some 500,000 Finns had emigrated, chiefly to Sweden, although half of the emigrants ultimately re-migrated again.

Since the late 1990s, Finland has received refugees and immigrants at a rate comparable with the other Nordic countries, although the total ethnic-minority population remains far lower in Finland than the rest. A considerable number of immigrants have come from the former Soviet Union claiming ethnic (Finnic) kinship. However, over 20 languages are now spoken in Finland by immigrant groups of significant size — that is, with at least a thousand speakers.

Finland's population has always been concentrated in the southern parts of the country, which is even more pronounced after the 20th century urbanization. The biggest and most important cities in Finland are the Greater Helsinki metropolitan area (including the cities of Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa), Tampere, Turku, and Oulu.

After having one of the highest death rates from heart disease in the world in the 1970s, improvements in the Finnish diet and exercise have paid off. Finland is now one of the fittest countries in the world. [4]

Culture

File:Benches and ladles in a Finnish sauna.jpg
Strong Finnish sauna culture is one of the last remains of the aboriginal culture.
Jean Sibelius, a Finnish composer of classical music.
Linus Torvalds, a famous Finnish software engineer.

Main article: Culture of Finland

Finnish culture has been influenced by western European culture (particularly Sweden and Germany) and, more recently, American culture. Especially in Eastern Finland and Karelia, many influences from Russian (Orthodox) culture are present, too. Many Finns, particularly young, are also in increasing contact with cultures outside the nearby cultural sphere.

There are still differences between regions, especially minor differences in accents and vocabulary. Minorities maintain own cultural characteristics, such as Sami culture and Finland Swedes culture. Many Finns are emotionally connected to countryside and nature, because urbanization is relatively late phenomenon.

Miscellaneous cultural concepts

Public holidays

Main article: Public holidays in Finland

Runeberg's tart, is a Finnish pastry available on the poet Johan Ludvig Runeberg's birthday.

All official holidays in Finland are established by acts of Parliament. The official holidays can be divided into Christian and secular holidays, although some of the Christian holidays have replaced holidays of pagan origin. The main Christian holidays are Christmas, Epiphany, Easter, Ascension Day, Pentecost, and All Saints Day. The secular holidays are New Year's Day, May Day, Midsummer Day, and Independence Day.

In addition to this all Sundays are official holidays but they are not as important as the special holidays. The names of the Sundays follow the liturgical calendar and they can be categorised as Christian holidays. When the standard working week in Finland was reduced to 40 hours by an act of Parliament it also meant that all Saturdays became a sort of de facto public holidays, though not official ones. Easter Sunday and Pentecost are Sundays that form part of a main holiday and they are preceded by a kind of special Saturdays.

Retail stores are prohibited by law from doing business on Sundays, except during the summer months (May through August) and in the pre-Christmas season (November and December). Business locations that have less than 400 square meters of floor space are allowed Sunday business throughout the year, with the exception of official holidays and certain Sundays, such as Mothers' Day and Fathers' Day.

Miscellaneous topics

  • According to the World Audit study, Finland is the least corrupted and most democratic country in the world. [5]
  • In the PISA study, Finland has ranked at the top in education; the study measured the skills of 15-year-olds in topics relevant to everyday life.
  • Cellular frequency: GSM 900, GSM 1800, UMTS 2100
  • Cellular technology: GSM/GPRS/EDGE/UMTS
  • Date format: DD.MM.YYYY (ex. 5.6.2005), DD.MM.YY (ex. 5.6.05) or DD.MM. (ex. 5.6.), dates written out are written DD. MM YYYY (e.g. 21. joulukuuta 2006)
  • Decimal separator is a comma: 123,45
  • Thousands are separated by a space: 10 000
  • Currency signs are placed after the digits, with a space as a mandatory separator: 10 €
  • The currency is euro [euro], abbreviated €, divided into 100 sentti, abbreviated snt
  • Voltage: 230V, 50 Hz; Power connector: 2-pin round (German)
  • Postal code: 5 digits.
  • Finland won the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 with their entry "Hard Rock Hallelujah" by Lordi.

main article: *List of Finland-related topics


International rankings

References

Further reading

  • Culture Shock! Finland: A Guide to Customs and Etiquette Deborah Swallow
  • Finland: Cultural Lone Wolf Richard D. Lewis
  • Finland in the New Europe Max Jakobson
  • A Frozen Hell: The Russo-Finnish Winter War of 1939-1940 William Trotter
  • A History of Finland Eino Jutikkala, Kauko Pirinen
  • Hitler's Arctic War: The German Campaigns in Norway, Finland, and the USSR 1940-1945 Chris Mann
  • Insight Guide: Finland
  • Let Us Be Finns: Essays on History Matti Klinge
  • Lonely Planet Guide: Finland
  • A Short History of Finland Fred Singleton
  • The White Death: The Epic of the Soviet-Finnish Winter War Allen F. Chew
  • The Winter War: The Soviet Attack on Finland 1939-1940 Eloise Engle and Lauri Paananen

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