Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Finland Almanac
Official Name:
Republic of Finland.
Population:
Finland is home to 5.2 million people (40 per square mile).
The majority are Finnish in descent (93.4 percent). Other ethnicities
include Swedish (5.5 percent), Russian, Estonian, Roma, and Sami
(less than 1 percent each). The official languages are Finnish, spoken
by 91 percent, and Swedish, spoken by 5.5 percent. Small minorities
speak Sami and Russian. Finland is 83 percent Lutheran, 1 percent
Orthodox, 1 percent other Christian, and 15 percent unaffiliated.
Latitude and Longitude:
64°N and 26°E, similar latitude to Nome,
Alaska.
Area:
130,500 square miles (nearly twice the size of Washington state).
Geography:
Finland is bordered by Russia to the east, Sweden and Nor-
way to the north, the Baltic Sea to the west, and Estonia (across the
Gulf of Finland) to the south. Much of Finland is flat and covered
with forests, with the Lapland region extending north of the Arctic
Circle. Finland is home to thousands of lakes and encompasses nearly
asmanyislands:Ithas187,800lakesand179,500islands(thelasttime
I counted).
Biggest City:
Helsinki is the capital of Finland and has a population of
602,000;1.1millionpeople—aboutoneinfourFinns—liveintheHel-
sinki urban area.
Economy:
Finland's Gross Domestic Product is $198 billion and its per-
capita GDP is $36,700. Manufacturing, timber, engineering, electron-
ics, and telecommunications are its chief industries, with mobile
phones among its top exports.
Currency:
€1 (euro) = about $1.30.
Government:
Finland has both a president, responsible for foreign policy,
and a prime minister, who—along with the 200-member Parliament
(Eduskunta)—is responsible for domestic legislation. President Sauli
