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.
Country profile: Finland
Around two-thirds of Finland is covered in forest and about a tenth by water. In the far north the White Nights, during which the sun does not set, last for around 10 weeks of the summer. In winter the same area goes through nearly eight weeks when the sun never rises above the horizon. This wild northern landscape inspired Finland's greatest composer Jean Sibelius. His work came to symbolise the country's struggle for independence in the early 20th century after centuries under the domination of its neighbours.
Hundreds of years of Swedish rule were followed by a further century of Russian control. The country displays distinctive elements of past Scandinavian and Russian links in its style and culture.
Independence in 1917 failed to stem the demands of Finland's giant eastern neighbour. World War II saw fierce fighting along Finland's eastern border.
Finnish troops mounted a vigorous response to Soviet forces and stalled their advance, but the country was eventually forced to cede 10% of its territory and make extensive war reparation payments to the Soviets.
The collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s allowed Finland to step out of the Cold War shadow. It applied for membership of the EU soon after its friendship treaty with the Soviet Union became void in 1991, becoming a full member in 1995.
Finland is the only Nordic EU member to adopt the euro as the national currency.
The country invests heavily in education, training and research, investment which pays dividends by delivering one of the best educated and trained workforces in the world. This has been a key factor in the development of a modern, competitive economy in which a cutting-edge telecommunications sector has been added to the traditional timber and metals industries.
- Full name: Republic of Finland
- Population: 5.2 million (UN, 2005)
- Capital: Helsinki
- Area: 338,145 sq km (130,559 sq miles)
- Major languages: Finnish, Swedish
- Major religion: Christianity
- Life expectancy: 75 years (men), 82 years (women) (UN)
- Monetary unit: 1 euro = 100 cents
- Main exports: Machinery and electronics, paper and paper products, chemicals
- GNI per capita: US $37,460 (World Bank, 2006)
- Internet domain: .fi
- International dialling code: +358
President: Tarja Halonen
Tarja Halonen became Finland's first woman president in 2000 and was re-elected in January 2006. She comes from the centre-left of the country's politics.
The role of the president is focused mainly on foreign policy.
Prime minister: Matti Vanhanen
Matti Vanhanen took over as prime minister in June 2003. His predecessor, Anneli Jaatteenmaki, resigned in a row over allegations about the use of leaked secret information to help secure what turned out to be a short-lived election victory two months earlier. She was subsequently acquitted in court on related charges.
Like his predecessor, Mr Vanhanen is a member of the Centre Party which governs in a centre-left coalition with the Social Democrats and the Swedish People's Party.
He has made tackling unemployment one of his priorities. Just under 10 per cent of the workforce is jobless.
Mr Vanhanen, a former journalist, was defence minister before becoming prime minister at 47.
He was a candidate in the presidential election in January 2006 but was knocked out of the race when he came third in the first round.
Finland's broadcasting sector is very dynamic and the country is digitising its transmission network. Analogue TV broadcasts are expected to end in 2007.
Public YLE operates radio and TV networks. New stations have emerged in a market once dominated by YLE and the established private broadcaster MTV. Pay-TV channels are provided by pan-Nordic operator Canal+.
Finnish law gives every citizen the right to publish printed material, and guarantees the right of reply. Newspapers are privately owned and reflect a range of political views.
The press
Television
Radio
News agency
Finland has a highly industrialized, largely free-market economy with per capita output roughly that of the UK, France, Germany, and Italy. Its key economic sector is manufacturing - principally the wood, metals, engineering, telecommunications, and electronics industries. Trade is important; exports equal two-fifths of GDP. Finland excels in high-tech exports, e.g., mobile phones. 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 in basic products. Forestry, an important export earner, provides a secondary occupation for the rural population. Rapidly increasing integration with Western Europe - Finland was one of the 12 countries joining the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) - will dominate the economic picture over the next several years. High unemployment remains a persistent problem.
Finnish natural resources include timber, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, chromite, nickel, gold, silver, limestone
long boundary with Russia; Helsinki is northernmost national capital on European continent; population concentrated on small southwestern coastal plain
Finnish religion is Lutheran National Church 84.2%, Greek Orthodox in Finland 1.1%, other Christian 1.1%, other 0.1%, none 13.5% (2003).
Natural hazards in Finland include NA.
Travel Advice on Aland Islands
SUMMARY
- The threat from terrorism in Finland is low. Attacks could be indiscriminate and against civilian targets.
- Finland can be affected by severe cold weather in the winter months, particularly in the North. You should be prepared for harsh conditions and if driving in the winter months cars should be winterised.
- Most visits to Finland are trouble-free. The main type of incident for which British nationals require consular assistance in Finland is for replacing lost and stolen passports.
- We strongly recommend that you obtain comprehensive travel and medical insurance before travelling. You should check any exclusions, and that your policy covers you for the activities you want to undertake. Please see: Travel Insurance.
SAFETY AND SECURITY