Finland in brief

Finnish Studies at SSEES | Finnish Language | More about Finland

Finland (surface area 338 000 sq. km) is the seventh largest country in Europe and is situated in northern Europe between the 60th and 70th parallels of latitude. A quarter of its total area lies north of the Arctic Circle. Finland's neighbouring countries are Sweden, Norway, and Russia, which have land borders with Finland, and Estonia across the Gulf of Finland. Forest covers about 75 per cent of Finland, while bodies of water - mainly lakes - cover almost 10 per cent. Finland is the most heavily forested country in Europe, with 23 million hectares under forest cover. There are approximately 190,000 lakes and about 180,000 islands. Europe's largest archipelago, which includes the self-governing province of the Åland Islands, lies off the south-west coast.

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Some interesting facts and figures

• The Finnish name for Finland is Suomi.
• The Finnish company Nokia produces not only mobile phones, but also tyres and wellington boots.
• In Finland there are approximately 190,000 lakes and 180,000 islands
• The Finnish musical experience encompasses Sibelius, Saariaho, HIM and The Rasmus
• In Finland you can stand in the midnight sun whilst cheering on your favourite rally and Formula 1 drivers.

Links relating to Finland

• Virtual Finland: virtual.finland.fi
• Finnish Tourist Board: www.visitfinland.com
• Helsingin Sanomat International Edition: http://www.hs.fi/english/
• Finnish Literature Society: www.finlit.fi/english/index.htm
• Gateway to Finnish Culture: www.kulttuuri.net
• SSEES Internet Resources on Finland

This page last modified Thursday 16 December 2010.