Amazing Facts » Finland

Interesting Facts About Finland

Finland is one of the five Nordic nations and the northernmost nation in the European Union or EU. Finland is part of Fennoscandia and not Scandinavia as most people think. It was only after World War I, that Finland became an independent nation.

Finland is a standout amongst the most sparsely populated nations in the EU and is surrounded by Sweden toward the west, Norway toward the north and Russia toward the east. The capital of Finland is Helsinki. As of January 2016, the population of Finland was estimated at 5.4 Million, with the population density being 16 people per square kilometer. The total area of the land mass is around 338,420 square kilometers as per the United Nations Statistics Division.

The most critical parts of Finland's economy in 2014 was open organization, education, human health, defence, and social work activities, wholesale, transport, industry, retail trade, food and accommodation services. Finland’s main export and import partners are Sweden, Russia and Germany.

Finland is called 'the place where there are thousand lakes', as inland rivers and lakes make up 10% of the nation. In fact, there are about 188,000 lakes in the country. A cottage by the lake is an important part of the Finnish summer. Most summer activities revolve around water, as many of these lakes are very large. A great part of Finland is covered in water. It makes Finland distinguishably different from the other European countries.

The extensive forest zones cover around 66% of the land mass. Around six percent of Finland is arable or suitable for farming. Finland has a populace of 5.5 million, with over a million people, living in and around the capital city, Helsinki.

When is the best time to visit Finland?

The months of June, July and August make the summer with plenty of events. For autumn leaf, think of visiting the country between September and October. In addition, for those who love winter and snow, think of visiting Finland, between December and March. For those who like springtime sun and the period just after winter, then April and May is the ideal period. It all depends on what you would like to experience.

What are the Northern Lights?

One of the most remarkable features of Finland is light. When summer gives way to winter, the Northern Lights begin to appear like magic and lighten up the sky. Seeing the Northern Light requires sufficient darkness and clear skies, which makes late autumn the winter and early spring the most favourable time. The best time of the day is an hour or two before and after midnight. The display might last 20 seconds or go on for hours. The further north you go, the greater the chances of spotting the Northern Lights or better known as Aurora Borealis. In Finnish Lapland, they can appear for nearly 200 nights a year. In Lapland, the north of Finland, they are visible from the end of August until April. They are often visible at the beginning and at the end of the season. In Helsinki and the south, the Aurorae can be seen on roughly 20 nights a winter, far away from city lights.

How about the Midnight Sun?

The white summer nights are perhaps Finland's most iconic natural phenomena. The night-time sun is at its strongest during the months of June and July. As one travels further north, the higher and longer the sun stays above the horizon. In the very north, most parts you can experience a full Midnight Sun from May to August. Over two third of the world's people who experience the Midnight Sun live in Finland. The Midnight Sun shines only above the Arctic Circle, but the nights are white all over the country. The Sun takes a brief break, before rising again. This blurs the small boundary between day and night. The sun stays up for nearly seventy days in the northernmost parts of the Finnish Lapland’s.

Finnish Sauna

Sauna forms a great part of the country's culture and heritage. There are many traditions and practices concerning the sauna experience. However, the most important one for a Finns is to relax, and purify the body and mind. It is estimated that Finland has close to two million saunas. For a population of 5.3 million people, this equals to an average of one per household. There is even one inside the parliament. In fact, there are more saunas than cars in Finland.

Finland is a country of beautiful Baltic Sea islands, windswept arctic fells, thousands of blue lakes and vast green forests. These untouched and beautiful forests are home to thousands of wild animals and birds. It is the home to an estimated thousand brown bears. Finland is also the home of the Saimaa ringed seal, or the world’s rarest seal. They have adapted to their freshwater home after being cut off from the sea in Lake Saimaa, which is Finland’s largest lake after the Ice Age.

Finland is a safe place with a very low crime rate. It is one of the few countries in the world where lost mobile phones and wallets are returned to their rightful owner. Streets and parks are safe everywhere, day and night.

A vast Swedish-talking minority lives in Finland. Hence, Finnish and Swedish are both authority dialects. Finland is a republic. The president, who is specifically chosen by the general population, has genuine control over outside issues, EU strategy and significant military choices. In every other matter, the parliament is the nation's most elevated power. Finland held the presidency of the EU Council twice, in 1999 and 2006. The next time will be in 2020.

Finland is an individual from the EU, and its currency is the Euro. The nation is not an individual from NATO. The forestry, innovation and metal commercial ventures are Finland's most vital income sources. Finland is the world's greatest maker of cellular telephones.

Now for some fun facts;

Finland takes great pride in maintaining its environment. In fact, nearly nine out of 10 plastic bottles are recycled along with almost 100% of glass bottles.

Funnily, the passports issued by Swede, UK, and Finland offer visa-free travel to more countries than any other passport.

Universities in Finland, Austria, Sweden , Norway and Germany have tuition-free Universities with careers in English for foreign students.

In Finland, there is a place where tourists can sleep in a glass igloo to watch the northern lights.

Lastly, Mobile Phone Throwing is considered an official sport.

Finland is a country where design can be seen everywhere. Everyone knows that the one and only Santa Claus come from Finland. There are also around 75 ski resorts in Finland.

Image courtesy: wikipedia.org