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英国 United Kingdom 爱尔兰 Ireland 比利时 Belgium 荷兰 Netherlands 法国 France 西班牙 Spain 葡萄牙 Portugal 意大利 Italy 希腊 Greece 奥地利 Austria 匈牙利 Hungary 德国 Germany 瑞士 Switzerland 罗马尼亚 Romania 俄罗斯 Russia 波兰 Poland 克罗地亚 Croatia (Hrvatska) 捷克 Czech 芬兰 Finland 瑞典 Sweden 挪威 Norway 冰岛 Iceland 土耳其 Turkey 丹麦 Denmark 阿尔巴尼亚 Albania 爱沙尼亚 Republic of Estonia 安道尔 Andorra 白俄罗斯 Belarus 保加利亚 The Republic of Bulgaria 波斯尼亚和黑塞哥维那 Bosnia and Herzegovina 梵蒂冈 Vatican City State (Holy See) 黑山 The Republic of Montenegro 拉脱维亚 Latvia 立陶宛 Republic of Lithuania 列支敦士登 Liechtenstein 卢森堡 Luxembourg 马耳他 Republic of Malta 马其顿 The Republic of Macedonia 摩尔多瓦 The Republic of Moldova 摩纳哥 Monaco 塞尔维亚 the Republic of Serbia 斯洛伐克 The Slovak Republic 斯洛文尼亚 the Republic of Slovenia 圣马力诺 San Marino 乌克兰 Ukraine |
| Finland Capital:Helsinki Country Code: fi |
 芬兰【国名释义】意为“湖沼之国” 【面积】33.8145万平方公里。 【人口】523.66万人（2004年底）。芬兰有两种官方语言：93%的人口所使用的芬兰语和6%人口的母语瑞典语。少数人口包括了萨米人、俄罗斯人、犹太人等。 大多数芬兰人(89%)信奉基督教路德宗，大约1%的人口则信奉东正教。其余包括了少部分基督教新教其他教派的教徒、罗马天主教徒、穆斯林和犹太教徒。冬季战争后大约有12%的人口需要被安置。战争赔款、失业问题以及对芬兰保持独立前景的不确定曾导致了大批的移民在1970年代离开芬兰。而到了1990年代，芬兰又开始接收大批难民与移民。 【首都】 赫尔辛基（Helsinki）,人口55.9万人(2004年底)。夏季平均气温16℃，冬季平均气温－5℃。 首都赫尔辛基素称“波罗的海明珠”，是一座 花园般现代化都市，街道宽阔，商业繁荣，现代建筑和中世纪建都具浓郁的民族特色，市内众多的各种类型的博物馆吸引着各地游人。 【国家元首】 总统塔里娅·哈洛宁（Tarja Halonen，女，社民党人）,2000年3月1日就任。2006年3月1日连任。 【重要节日】独立纪念日（12月6日） 【国旗】 呈长方形，长与宽之比为１８∶１１。旗地为白色。稍偏左侧的十字形蓝色宽条将旗面分为四个白色长方形。芬兰以“千湖之国”著称，西南临波罗的海，旗上的蓝色象征湖泊，河流和海洋；另一说象征蓝天。芬兰有三分之一的领土在北极圈内，气候寒冷，旗上的白色象征白雪覆盖着的国土。旗面上的十字表示芬兰历史上与北欧其他国家的密切关系。该国旗是１８６０年前后根据芬兰诗人托查里斯·托佩利乌斯的建议制作的。 【国徽】 为红色盾徽。盾面上为一只头戴王冠的金色狮子，前爪握着一把剑，后爪踩着一把弯刀。九朵白色的玫瑰花点缀在狮子周围。狮子象征芬兰人民的勇敢和力量，九朵玫瑰花代表芬兰历史上的九个省。 【国歌】 《祖国》 【国花】 铃兰（百合科） 【语言】 芬兰语 【货币】 芬兰马克 【同北京时差】 -6.00 【国际电话码】 358 【简况】 位于欧洲北部。与瑞典、挪威、俄罗斯接壤，南临芬兰湾，西濒波的尼亚湾。海岸线长1100公里。地势北高南低。北部与东部有高地，其余大部分地区为丘陵和平原。内陆水域面积占全国面积的10%，有岛屿约17.9万个，湖泊约18.8万个，有“千湖之国”之称。全国1/3的土地在北极圈内。属温带海洋性气候。平均气温冬季-14℃-3℃，夏季13℃-17℃，年平均降雨600毫米。冬季寒冷，仅南部较温和。从南至北，1月平均气温约-4--16℃；7月气温16-13℃。年降水量约400-600毫米（三分之一为霰和雪）。森林面积占总面积的71％，以松和云杉为主。水力资源丰富。有铜、锌、金、铬、钴、钛、钒等矿藏。 芬兰最早的居民为拉普人，故芬兰又称拉普兰，以后芬兰人迁入，建立了芬兰大公国。十二世纪后半期被瑞典统治。1809年俄瑞战争后并入帝俄，成为大公国。1917年12月芬兰共和国宣布独立。 约9000年前冰河末期，芬兰人的祖先从南方和东南方迁居至此。 在瑞典的埃里克国王(King Erik)1154年将基督教带入芬兰之后，两国在700年间就一直保持着非常密切的关系。瑞典语一直是行政、教育机构的第一语言，而芬兰语直到19世纪芬兰民族主义高涨以及芬兰的第一篇民族诗史《卡勒瓦拉》(Kalevala)发表后才受到重视。 1808年芬兰被沙皇亚历山大一世的军队占领，此后芬兰就一直就是俄罗斯帝国内的自治大公国，直到1917年。1917年12月6日俄国布尔什维克革命(十月革命)后不久，芬兰宣布独立。1918年这个国家经历了一次简短但却刻骨铭心的内战。第二次世界大战期间芬兰与苏联两度交手：1939~1940年的冬季战争（这场战争中瑞典提供了芬兰部分协助）以及1941~1944年的继续战争（纳粹德国对芬兰提供了重要帮助）。1944年~1945年间的拉普兰之战中，芬兰又将德国人赶出了芬兰北部地区。1947年和1948年与苏联签署的多份条约规定了芬兰对苏联的义务与限制，芬兰也在1940年和约的基础上作出了更多的领土让步。1991年苏联解体后芬兰终于可以自己决定命运，并且在1995年加入欧盟。 【政治】 经过2003年3月的议会选举，由中间党、社民党和瑞典族人民党组成联合政府执政。政府在内政方面力求保持国民经济的稳定增长，提高就业率，实现中央财政盈余，保障社会福利，发展教育、科研；对外积极参与欧盟决策，推动欧盟北部地区政策实施和波罗的海地区能源、核安全和环保领域合作的发展。 【宪法】 1919年7月17日颁布生效。宪法规定，国家立法权由议会和共和国总统共同行使；总统是国家元首，拥有掌管外交、统率三军等实权，每六年选举一次。1999年芬议会通过新宪法，名称由《政府组织法》改为《宪法》。新宪法加强了议会和政府在国家政治生活中的作用，削减了总统部分权力。 【议会】 一院制，国家最高权力机关和立法机关。由选民直接选举的200名议员组成，任期4年。主要职能是立法、监督政府、监督财政。本届议会于2003年3月选举产生。中间党55席、社民党53席、联合党41席、左翼联盟19席、绿色联盟14席、瑞典族人民党9席、基督教联盟6席、正统芬兰人党3席。议长帕沃·利波宁（Paavo Lipponen，社民党），2003年4月22日当选。 【政府】 本届政府是2003年4月17日由中间党、社民党、瑞典族人民党三党联合组成。共有阁员18名，其中女阁员有8名。现任内阁成员为：总理马蒂·万哈宁（Matti Vanhanen，中间党），副总理兼财政部长埃罗·海奈卢奥马（Eero Heinaluoma，社民党）、外长埃尔基·图奥米奥亚（Erkki Tuomioja，社民党），外贸和发展部长玛丽·基维涅米（Mari Kiviniemi,女,中间党），司法部长莱娜·卢赫塔宁（Leena Luhtanen，女，社民党），内政部长卡里·拉亚迈基（Kari Rajamaki，社民党），地方事务部长汉内斯·曼尼宁（Hannes Manninen，中间党），国防部长塞波·凯里埃宁（Seppo Kaariainen，中间党），第二财长乌拉－玛伊·维德罗斯（Ulla-Maj Wideroos，女，瑞典族人民党），教育部长安蒂·卡利奥迈基（Antti Kalliomaki，社民党）,文化部长塔尼娅·卡佩拉（Tanja Karpela，女，中间党），农林部长尤哈·克尔凯亚奥亚（Juha Korkeaoja，中间党），交通和通信部长苏珊娜·霍维宁（Susanna Huovinen,女），贸工部长毛里·佩卡里宁（Mauri Pekkarinen，中间党），社会卫生部长图拉·哈泰宁（Tuula Haatainen，女，社民党），社会福利部长利萨·希萨拉（Liisa Hyssala，女，中间党），劳动部长塔里娅·费拉托夫（Tarja Filatov，女，社民党），环境部长扬-埃里克·埃内斯塔姆（Jan-Erik Enestam，瑞典族人民党）。 【网址】 政府网址：http//www.valtioneuvosto.fi； 议会网址：http://www.eduskunta.fi； 外交部网址：http://formin.finland.fi； 【行政区划】 芬兰最早有12个省份(芬兰语：单数lääni，复数läänit;瑞典语：län)，1997年重新划定行政区后现有省份减少到6个： 奥兰府 (芬兰语：Ahvenanmaan maakunta；瑞典语：Åland) 东芬兰省 (芬兰语：Itä-Suomen lääni；瑞典语：Östra Finlands län) 拉普兰省 (芬兰语：Lapin lääni；瑞典语：Lapplands län) 奥卢省 (芬兰语：Oulun lääni；瑞典语：Uleåborgs län) 南芬兰省 (芬兰语：Etelä-Suomen lääni；瑞典语：Södra Finlands län) 西芬兰省 (芬兰语：Länsi-Suomen lääni；瑞典语：Västra Finlands län) 其中奥兰府(Åland)享有高度自治。 【司法机构】 最高司法机关为最高法院和最高行政法院。最高法院由院长和19名法官组成，负责审理民事和刑事案件。最高行政法院由院长和20名法官组成，负责审理政府机构和省、市（县）机构的行政案件。起诉机关是各级检察院。另设有国家法律监察官，有权出席内阁会议，监督总统、内阁和政府各部门的决定是否符合宪法规定。最高法院和最高行政法院的院长、法官以及最高检察长均由总统任命。最高法院院长葆琳·高斯科洛（Pauliine Koskelo，女），2006年1月就任；最高行政法院院长贝卡·哈尔贝格（Pekka Hallberg）,1993年就任；最高检察长马蒂·库西麦基（Matti Kuusimaki）,1997年就任；国家法律监察官帕沃·尼古拉（Paavo Nikula），1998年就任。议会法律监察官丽塔-莱娜·鲍尼欧（Riitta-Leena PAUNIO），2003年就任。 【政党】 芬兰是一个多党制国家，在2003年3月议会选举中注册的政党有21个，主要政党是中间党、社民党和联合党。 （1）芬兰中间党（Centre Party of Finland）：执政党，1906年成立。曾先后称农村居民联盟、农民联盟和中间力量，1988年6月改为现名。党员约20万人。二次大战后一直入阁。1987年3月议会选举后被排斥在政府之外。1991年3月议会选举获胜，以第一大党资格组阁。1995年3月议会选举失利，但仍为议会第二大党。2003年议会大选再次获胜，重新以第一大党资格组阁。主张维护农业在国民经济中的地位。对外主张裁军、缓和。主席马蒂·万哈宁（Matti Vanhanen,2003年10月当选）。 （2）芬兰社会民主党（The Finnish Social Democratic Party）:执政党，1899年成立，原名芬兰工人党，议会第二大党，党员5.9万人。曾多次执政，2003年3月议会选举后与中间党和瑞典族人民党组成多党联合政府。倡导民主、自由，主张向经济民主化发展，实行适应经济发展的社会变革，建立民主社会主义。在国际上积极从事争取维和、裁军活动。主席帕沃·利波宁（Paavo Lipponen, 1993年6月首次当选，至2002年两次连任）。 （3）瑞典族人民党（The Swedish People's Party）：执政党，1906年成立。由芬兰的瑞典族人组成，党员3万余人。对内维护瑞典族居民的社会地位和权利，对外支持芬官方外交政策。2003年议会大选后同中间党和社民党继续联合执政。主席扬－埃里克·埃内斯塔姆（Jan-Erik Enestam，1998年当选）。 （4）民族联合党（The National Coalition Party）：简称联合党，在野党，1918年成立。议会第三大党，党员约7万人。主要代表资产阶级利益，主张同西方保持紧密的经济、政治关系。1987年起连续三届执政，2003年议会大选中失败，成为在野党。主席于尔基·卡泰宁（Jyrki Katainen，2004年当选）。 （5）芬兰左翼联盟（The Finnish Left Union）:简称左联。在野党，现有党员3.42万人。1990年5月由芬兰共产党和人民民主联盟合并组成，提出今后党的政治活动和组织形式要适应资本主义社会的变化，宗旨不再是夺取政权和实行国有化，而是在资本主义制度内扩大社会主义成份。1995年3月议会选举后入阁，2003年议会大选后成为在野党。党主席苏薇－安妮·西梅斯（Suvi-Anne Siimes，女）。 （6）绿色联盟（The Green League）：在野党，由不同思想的协会和地区性协会组成，没有个人盟员。1983年3月议会选举中首次获得2个议席；5月举行第一次全国性会议。1987年秋，决定成立绿色联盟。1991年3月议会选举后议席大幅度增加，但因能源政策上分歧未能入阁。1995年3月议会选举后入阁，2002年因议会通过新建核电站计划退出政府，成为在野党。主席奥斯莫·索伊宁瓦拉（Osmo Soininvaara，2001年当选）。 （7）芬兰基督教联盟（The Finnish Christian Union）：在野党，1958年成立，盟员1.8万人，以基督教教义作为联盟的宗旨。1960年议会选举中首次获得席位。主席拜依维·莱塞宁(Paivi Rasanen,女）。 （8）正统芬兰人党（The True Finns）：原名农村党，在野党，1959年从芬兰中间力量分裂出来。党员2万人。主张维护小农、城市贫民和中小企业利益。曾自称是官方政策的坚定反对派，后来对政策进行了调整。1983年议会选举后首次参加政府。1990年8月，因提出国民养老金的预算提议未被采纳，退出政府。1991年议会选举后在野。主席蒂莫·索依尼（Timo Soini，1997年当选）。 （9）芬兰共产党(The Finnish Communist Party):在野党，于1986年4月由原芬共中分裂出来的“少数派”组成。1990年芬共停止活动并入“左联”后，该党以芬共（团结派）的名义继续开展活动，宣称要继承芬兰共产党的传统。党员约4000人。1994年11月该党举行党代会，决定改称共产党。于尔约.哈卡宁（Yrjo Hakkanen）当选党主席至今。 【重要人物】 总统：塔里娅·哈洛宁，女，1943年生。法学硕士，社民党人，议员。1970年起任芬工会中央联盟法律事务顾问，1974至75年任总理秘书，1977至96年任赫尔辛基市议会议员。1979年当选国会议员，曾任议会社会事务委员会主席和大委员会主席。1987至90年任社会卫生部长，1990至91年任司法部长。1995年4月出任外长，2000年当选为芬兰历史上第一位女总统，2006年1月获选连任。70年代曾来华旅游。1995年9月率团参加北京世妇会，1996年4月陪同芬总统访华。1997年出席香港回归仪式。1998年9月以外长身份访华。2002年11月应邀对华进行国事访问。已婚，丈夫彭蒂·阿拉耶尔维（Pentti Arajarvi）。生有一女。 总理：马蒂·万哈宁，1955年生。政治学硕士，中间党人。1980-83年任中间党青年联盟主席，1981-84年任埃斯堡市议会议员。1981-2003年任青年基金会副主席、主席。1985-91年任KEHASANOMAT报社编辑、总编。1991年当选国会议员。1991-95年任议会环境委员会副主席，2000-01年任议会大委员会主席。1994-2001年任中间党议会党团副主席，2000年起担任中间党副主席。2002年-2003年4月任欧盟制宪筹备会议的芬兰代表。2003年4月出任国防部长，6月24日接替因泄密事件而辞职的耶滕迈基出任总理。2005年9月非正式访华，赴上海、江苏、广东等地访问。已婚，有两个子女。 议长：帕沃·利波宁，1941年出生于林场主家庭，政治学硕士，社民党主席。60年代曾任赫尔辛基大学学报和芬广播公司记者。后在社民党总部担任政策研究及国际事务书记、计划部主任，1979-1982年任总理秘书，1983年任劳工部政治秘书，1989-1991年任芬外交政策研究所所长。1964年加入社民党，并先后任区委主席、中央委员等职，1983-1987年、1991年至今任议会议员，1993年当选社民党主席。1995年4月起任总理,连任两届。2003年4月当选议长。熟悉国际问题，曾多次在其他北欧国家、西欧国家、前苏联和美国作报告或讲学，并在瑞典、英、德国报刊上撰文。1998年正式访华。夫人拜依维·利波宁(Paivi Lipponen)，哲学硕士。 【经济】 80年代，芬兰经济以年平均增长3.7 %的速度持续发展。90年代初，经济出现严重衰退。1993年开始复苏，1994年以来经济总体上发展良好。芬政府90年代初完成经济结构调整，增大知识型经济在国民经济中所占比重，重视科技投入，发展高新技术和信息技术，在宏观上继续执行紧缩财政、鼓励投资、削减社会福利、降低所得税、加快国有企业私有化进程、改善就业的政策，使经济保持稳定增长。上世纪90年代中后期经济增长保持在5％左右。1999年加入欧元，2002年1月欧元正式流通，取代芬兰马克。2004年国内生产总值为1497亿欧元，比上年增长3.7%，人均国内生产总值2.86万欧元。2003、2004、2005连续3年被世界经济论坛评为年度“世界最具竞争力的国家”。 工业以木材（采伐、加工）和造纸为主，次为炼油、机械、造船、钢铁、有色冶金、纺织等。乳用畜牧业发达。耕地只占总面积的9％，大部种植饲料作物，余种小麦、大麦、马铃薯、甜菜等。出口收入的40-50％为木材、木材制品、纸张和纸浆，余为金属制品和畜产品（肉、乳品）等。进口以机器、煤、石油、金属、运输设备、棉花和烟草为主。对外交通重海运；内陆湖区交通重要，有运河联系许多湖泊，航程达6，600多公里。旅游业发达。 2004年主要经济指标如下： 国内生产总值:1497亿欧元。 人均国内生产总值：2.86万欧元。 国内生产总值增长率：3.7%。 货币名称：欧元（Euro） 汇率：1美元＝0.8840欧元（2003年） 通货膨胀率:0.9% 失业率：9.0 % 【资源】 森林覆盖率高达66.7%，约2024.7万公顷，人均占有量3.89公顷，木材储积量20.48亿立方米。矿产资源中铜较多，还有少量的铁、镍、钒、钴等。泥炭资源丰富，已探明储量约700亿立方米，相当于40亿吨石油。有两座核电站（四个核反应堆）。 【工业】 2003年工业产值400.12亿欧元,约占国内生产总产值31.1%。工业从业人口为64.2万人，约占总劳力的34.2%。工业90年代得到快速发展，已从劳动、资金密集型转变为技术密集型。建立在森林基础上的木材加工、造纸和林业机械制造业为经济支柱，并具有世界领先水平，整个森林工业产量占世界总产量的5%，是世界第二大纸张、纸板出口国（占世界出口量的25%）及世界第四大纸浆出口国。近年来，化工、电子工业迅速发展，2003年主要工业产品产量如下： 2001 2002 2003 圆材（百万立方米）53.3 54.2 55 纸浆（百万立方米）27.6 27.8 （资料来源: 2004年芬兰统计年鉴） 【信息业】 信息产业发达，极大地促进了本国经济的发展。2003年的产值为33.92亿欧元，占GDP的2.8%。芬兰是因特网接入比例和人均手机持有量最高的国家之一，2003年每1000人拥有219个接入终端，手机普及率为91%。 【农林业】 林业发达，农畜产品自给有余。2003年农林业产值为43.67亿欧元，占当年国内生产总值3%。农林密切结合，几乎所有的农户都经营一定数量的林地。2002年耕地约221.55万公顷，从事农林业的劳动力为11.3万，约占总劳力的5.1%。主要农畜产品产量如下（单位：万吨）： 2001 2002 2003 小麦48.9 56.9 67.9 大麦178.7 173.9 169.7 燕麦128.7 150.8 129.5 黑麦6.4 7.3 7.3 牛奶（亿公升）23.8 23.8 23.2 黄油6.1 6.1 5.8 肉类34.0 35.9 37.4 鸡蛋5.7 5.5 5.6 （资料来源：2004年芬兰统计年鉴） 【服务业】 服务业发达，80年代以来更为完善。基本分为私人服务业和公共管理服务业两大类。主要包括商业、贸易、旅馆、饭店、银行、保险、社会性服务业和公共服务业。2003年服务业产值为780.8亿欧元，占国内生产总值的54.4%，从业人口为69.5万，占总劳力的31.2%。 【旅游业】 2003年外国来芬旅游者共433万人次，旅游收入16.55亿欧元，占国内生产总值的1.15%。游客主要来自瑞典、俄罗斯、德国、英国、美国等。主要旅游点是赫尔辛基、图尔库、东部湖区、北部拉毕地区和奥兰岛。 旅游项目： 采摘 到野外采摘野浆果和野蘑菇，是领略芬兰清纯大自然的途径之一。在其他国家，你可能需要缴费，并且有地区限制，但在芬兰国家法规Everyman's Rights的保障下，可以随意采摘。 在芬兰，有67％的人会以此作为夏季的活动项目。 天文景观 极夜与极昼 由于芬兰的拉普兰省的大部分位于北极圈内，所以可以看到极夜与极昼，在极昼中，午夜的天空也不会灰暗，即使在南部海岸，也有19－20个小时的日照。 北极光 在寒冷、干燥的夜晚，纬度越大，越有多的机会看到北极光，北部的乌茨约基，每年观赏北极光的日期为11月25日到1月17日 【交通运输】 交通运输业发达，以铁路和公路为主。2003年交通运输情况： 铁路：总长5851公里，41%为电气化，客运量33亿人公里，货运量100亿吨公里。 公路:总长78197公里,其中653公里高速公路。各种机动车263万辆，其中小汽车约227.5万辆、公共汽车1.04万辆、货车35.94万辆，客运量77亿人公里，货运量269亿吨公里。 水运：商船630艘，总吨位148.4万吨；内河航线长9149公里,客运量0.1亿人公里,货运量4亿吨公里；沿海航线长9534公里，客运量1.37亿人公里，货运量25亿吨公里；水运港口近30个，总吞吐量31亿吨。重要港口有赫尔辛基、图尔库、科特卡和波里。 空运：有157个机场，4家航空公司，697架民用飞机，国际航线35条；客运量11亿人公里；货运量200万吨公里;国际机场有赫尔辛基、图尔库和坦佩雷等。 管道：天然气管道580公里。 【财政金融】 国家财政收支情况（单位:亿欧元）: 2001 2002 2003 收入(不包括借债) 354.26 363.53 364.13 支出360.72 355.11 368.97 差额-6.46 +8.42 -4.84 （资料来源: 2004年芬兰统计年鉴） 2003年外汇储备80.45亿欧元，其中黄金储备5.15亿欧元；国际收支经常项目顺差105.99亿欧元，净外债累计633.2亿欧元，占国内生产总值的44.2%。 【对外贸易】 2003年出口额为463.78亿欧元，占国内生产总值57%，有贸易关系的国家约50个。近几年对外贸易情况如下（单位:亿欧元）: 2001 2002 2003 出口478 472.45 463.78 进口358.91 356.11 367.75 差额119.1 116.34 96.03 （资料来源：2004年芬兰统计年鉴） 芬出口商品主要有机械设备、化工产品、金属、纸张纸板等；进口商品主要有食品、石油及石油产品、钢铁、纺织品、饲料等。主要贸易对象为欧盟国家。2003年对欧盟国家的进出口分别占进出口总额的55%和53%，对其他欧洲国家的进出口分别占13%和9%，对北美地区进出口占5%和9.2%，对经合组织成员进出口占73%和74%，对发展中国家进出口占12%和14%。2003年，芬主要贸易伙伴依次为德、瑞典、俄、英、美。 【对外投资】 芬直接投资国主要为瑞典及其它欧盟国家，外国对芬直接投资主要来自瑞典、荷兰和美国等国家。2003年芬对外直接投资543.96亿欧元,外国对芬投资额367.38亿欧元。 【对外援助】 90年代初芬经济衰退，政府被迫大幅削减外援款项，1994年后有所增加。对外援助情况如下（单位:亿欧元）: 2001 2002 2003 总额4.35 4.9 4.94 占国内生产总值百分比0.32% 0.35% 0.35% （资料来源：2004年芬兰统计年鉴） 主要受援国为：坦桑尼亚、赞比亚、莫桑比克、肯尼亚、越南、埃及、尼加拉瓜、中国、埃塞俄比亚和尼泊尔。 【著名公司】 芬欧汇川集团（UPM－Kymmene）是世界第三大纸和纸制品生产商，具有百年历史，在芬拥有93万公顷森林，年平均消费林材24万立方米。主要生产纸张纸浆、纸板和包装薄膜。2003年有雇员3.3万人，净销售额99亿欧元，盈利10.6亿欧元。1999年在江苏投资6亿美元建立芬欧汇川（常熟）纸厂，年产35万吨优质文化用纸。2003年在华营业额为5亿美元。2005年9月，芬欧汇川在江苏常熟的投资兴建的第二条造纸生产线正式投产，芬总理万哈宁出席庆祝活动。 诺基亚集团（Nokia）公司成立于1865年，早期从事造纸、化工、橡胶行业，60年代开始进入电信市场，近十年得到快速发展。主要生产移动和固定电信网络设备及移动电话，在9个国家设有17个工厂，在14个国家设有研发中心，现已成为世界最大移动电话生产商，全球领先的数字移动和固定网络供应商。2003年有雇员5.14万人，销售额294.55亿欧元，盈利53.45亿欧元。中国已成为诺基亚全球第二大市场，其累计在华投资超过23亿欧元。2001年在华销售收入34亿欧元,出口25亿欧元。2000年5月，诺基亚星网（国际）工业园在北京落成。 斯托拉－恩索纸业集团（StoraEnso）由瑞典斯托拉纸业公司和芬兰恩索纸业公司于1998年合并组建而成。为世界最大的林业生产集团之一，主要生产杂志用纸、新闻纸、包装用纸和办公用纸等。2004年有雇员4.5万，销售额124亿欧元。1998年在苏州建立年产12万吨胶版纸的工厂。 富腾工程有限公司（Fortum）欧洲主要能源公司之一，由耐思特（NESTE）工程公司、IVO有限公司等组成。经营范围包括石油和天然气，电力和热能，工程建造、运营和维护，业务几乎涉及所有能源领域。2004年公司有雇员1.3万人，销售额117亿欧元，盈利19亿欧元。富腾在中国市场开展业务已有20年历史，主要在石油、天然气、太阳能、区域供热、热电混合产品和环保技术等领域提供服务和系统设备。 凯斯科（Kesko）1940年由四家零售商合并组建而成，90年代开始实行连锁经营，并获得快速发展。公司主要从事食品、家居用品等批发零售，建筑装修及农业产品的流通和销售。2003年有雇员1.5万人，销售额70.7亿欧元，盈利1.62亿欧元。 【人民生活】 2003年，劳动力人均收入为2.75万欧元。2002年，社会保障和医疗保险开支占当年GDP的26.4%。2003年，全国拥有医生16633人，病床37656张，每千人拥有3.2名医生，7.2张病床；每千人拥有小汽车436辆、电话492部、移动电话909部；人均住房面积36.3平方米。 【军事】 总统为军队最高统帅。国防委员会是最高咨询机构。总理负责领导民政方面的国防活动。国防军总司令负责军事方面的国防活动。国防军总司令海军上将尤哈尼·卡斯凯亚拉（Juhani Kaskeala）2001年6月4日就任。实行普遍义务兵役制，服役期6-12个月。 常备武装力量4.15万人，其中陆军2.73万人；海军3000人,舰艇总吨位1.3万吨；空军4500人，主战飞机为F－18C。 2003年国防预算为20.06亿欧元，占政府预算的5.4%。 【教育】 教育事业发达。1921年起实行义务教育。1980年起在全国实行9年一贯制义务、免费教育。2003年全国有各类学校5103所，在校学生超过190.1万人。 2003年教育预算为57.86亿欧元，占政府预算的15.7%。著名高等学校有赫尔辛基大学、赫尔辛基技术大学、坦佩雷大学等。2002年各级学校数、学生及教师人数： 学校（所） 学生（人） 教师（人） 基础学校3873 606600 43783 普通高中441 131800 7480 职业学校300 197500 13854 专科学院30 135000 5844 综合性大学20 166000 7728 2003年，芬全国有各类图书馆968家，公民人均年借书20.9本。 【新闻出版】 2003年，全国共有报纸205种，其中每周发行4-7期的日报53种；各种杂志、期刊5042种。主要报刊、创刊年及发行量：《赫尔辛基新闻》，1904年，43.96万份；《晚间新闻》，19.87万份；《晨报》，1882年，13.63万份；《晚报》，12.13万份；《图尔库新闻》，11.15万份；《首都日报》，1864年，5万份。有5家通讯社，其中最大的是芬兰通讯社，简称芬通社，1915年成立，属半官方性质，同世界主要通讯社均有业务联系。外国在芬的通讯分社有15家。 芬兰广播公司（Finnish Broadcasting Company, YLE）：1926年成立，1934年改为国营。对外用芬兰语、瑞典语、英语、德语和法语广播。1958年正式开播电视，现有电视1台、电视2台、电视3台。此外还有私营广告电视台。70年代开始有有线电视（赫尔辛基有线电视台）。 【对外关系】 战后长期奉行同苏联保持睦邻友好关系、不介入大国冲突、同各国发展友好关系的“积极的和平中立政策”。冷战结束、苏联解体后，芬兰对其外交政策进行了重大调整，将发展同欧盟的关系作为外交重点。1995年1月1日起成为欧盟正式成员。芬仍坚持奉行军事不结盟和独立可靠的防务政策，密切与北约的合作，同时继续与俄罗斯保持睦邻关系，支持俄融入国际社会。芬已正式承认183个国家，与165个国家有外交关系（截至2004年）。 【对当前重大国际问题的态度】 关于世界形势：认为国际形势总体趋向缓和，但“9·11”事件后，世界安全形势发生了深刻变化，民族矛盾、地区冲突、恐怖主义、大规模杀伤性武器扩散及环境污染等问题构成新的全球安全威胁。主张通过国际合作和发挥联合国的核心作用应对上述挑战。 关于全球化进程：认为全球化既有积极也有消极一面。全球化带来的新科技尤其是信息技术的应用增加了各国间的依赖度，并在某种程度上提高了民主和人权的重要性。但全球化同时造成了贫富差距拉大和地区性发展不平衡等问题。同坦桑尼亚等国共同提出“赫尔辛基进程”，目的是建立一个讨论全球化问题的论坛，通过对话与合作就正确引导和管理全球化提出具体建议。 关于欧洲形势：认为欧洲目前不存在大战危险，但非传统安全因素对欧洲安全的影响日益深远。认为欧盟和北约是欧安机制的主要决定因素。北约东扩的政治意义大于其军事意义。北约正向政治组织的方向发展，但将保留集体防御组织的性质。欧盟东扩强化了欧洲整体稳定。支持欧盟发展共同外交和安全政策，但反对因此损害跨大西洋合作关系。支持欧盟立宪，强调保护小国利益和保持欧盟各机构权力的平衡，不赞成设欧盟常任主席。 关于联合国作用及其改革：认为联合国及其安理会是维护世界和平、实践国际法的主要机制，主张加强联合国的作用，维护联合国的权威，反对单边主义。认为联合国改革势在必行，支持扩大安理会。积极参与联合国维持和平活动，主张所有地区性组织在解决冲突和危机中应与联合国密切合作。 关于反恐斗争：支持并参与国际反恐斗争，同时主张重视贫困和发展问题，从源头上防止恐怖主义。认为反恐过程中不应搞单边主义、制造不同文明和宗教的对立。单凭军事手段不能根除恐怖主义，应进行广泛的国际合作，并充分发挥联合国的核心作用。 关于伊拉克问题：强调联合国在向伊提供人道主义援助和战后维和以及重建工作中应发挥主导作用。主张国际社会应积极合作，共同参与维和行动。芬明确表示愿在联合国安理会授权的前提下派遣维和人员赴伊。2004年通过世界银行和联合国重建与发展基金向伊提供约500万欧元的资助。 【同中国的关系】1950年10月28日中芬建交，1951年互设公使馆，1954年升格为大使馆。建交以来两国关系一直友好。双方签有双边年度贸易协定和支付协定、航空协定、海运协定、经济、工业和科技合作协定、文化协定、投资保护协定、避免双重征税协定、开发信贷协定和科技合作协定及专业领域的交流与合作谅解备忘录。 2005 年， 中共中央政治局常委、中纪委书记吴官正，国务院副总理回良玉， 全国人大常委会副委员长路甬祥以及 四川省省长张中伟、河北省政协主席赵金铎等80余起副部级以上代表团访问或过境芬兰。2005年9月，芬总理万哈宁对上海、江苏和广东进行非正式访问。芬兰前总统阿赫蒂萨里、农林部长科尔凯奥亚、司法部长科斯基宁、文化部长卡佩拉、国防部长凯里埃宁及芬兰议会外事委员会、法律委员会、农林委员会、银行监管专员和议会秘书长代表团等分别访华。2005年2月，芬兰外交部国务秘书满萨拉来华与中国外交部副部长张业遂举行政治磋商。5月，中国外交部长李肇星在日本出席亚欧外长会议期间会见芬兰外交部长图奥米奥亚。 2005 年 5月，中国人民解放军副总参谋长许其亮中将访芬。6月，芬兰国防军总参谋长林毕中将访华。10月，芬兰国防部长凯里埃宁访华。 2005 年，中芬贸易总额为62.54亿美元，同比增长13.4%，其中中方出口额为36.26亿美元，进口额为26.28亿美元，同比分别增长45.4%和减少13%。 芬连续第三年成为中国在北欧地区第一大贸易伙伴。 2005 年 3月和5月，两国分别签署《中芬农业合作谅解备忘录》和新的《中芬经济、工业和科学技术合作协定》。7月，芬兰国家旅游局驻京办事处正式成立。9月，芬兰航空公司开通赫尔辛基至广州直航航线。 9 月， 芬兰贸工部与浦东新区政府在上海浦东张江科技园区设立“芬中创新中心”。 中国驻芬兰大使:张直鉴（2002年3月到任）。馆址：Vanha kelkkamaki 9-11,00570 Helsinki, Finland；网址：www.chinemb.fi；电话(国家地区号3589): 2289 0110(办公室)，684 8416(商务处);传真: 2289 0168(使馆),6849595(商务处)。 芬兰驻华大使：郭安祺（Antti Kuosmanen，2005年12月递交国书）。馆址：北京朝阳区光华路1号嘉里中心南楼26层,邮政编码100020；网址：www.finland-in-china.com；电话:85298541/42/43传真:85298547；商务处电话：85298625/26/27/28传真：85298559。 【同欧洲联盟的关系】1995年1月1日正式加入欧盟。1999年1月1日在北欧国家中率先加入欧元。2001年3月25日正式实施<<申根协定>>。芬与欧盟其他成员国的贸易约占芬外贸总额的56%，对外投资近一半面向欧盟国家。主张欧盟成为一个政府间合作机构，支持并参加欧盟统一的外交和安全政策，支持欧盟东扩和实现经贸联盟。芬于1997年向欧盟提出北部地区政策倡议，主张欧盟加强同包括俄罗斯在内的欧洲北部地区的合作，促进经济发展和地区安全与稳定，该计划2000年获得通过。2004年，欧盟委员会主席普罗迪、欧盟共同外交和安全政策高级代表索拉纳、欧盟对外关系委员彭定康及贸易委员拉米分别访芬。 【同俄罗斯的关系】1992年1月，芬同俄罗斯签署《芬俄两国关系基础条约》，同时宣布废除《芬苏友好合作互助条约》。芬认为欧洲共同价值观、民主观、人权观已成为芬俄关系的基础，积极支持并呼吁国际社会支援俄的民主改革进程，推动发展欧俄关系。芬俄关系密切，合作主要涉及能源、环保、核安全、海运安全等领域。俄是芬第三大贸易伙伴。2004年，芬总统、总理、外长、外贸部长分别访俄，俄总理弗拉德科夫访芬。 【同北欧及波海三国的关系】同北欧国家的传统合作是芬外交政策的重要支柱。主张欧盟北欧成员国应在涉及到北欧的重大问题上协调立场，以维护北欧国家的利益，同时进一步深化北欧国家在能源、环保、军工方面的合作。芬、瑞、丹三国建立了在欧盟首脑会前磋商的机制。2004年，芬承办“欧盟扩大后的北部地区合作大会”，芬总理出席波海国家理事会第五届首脑会议。芬总理访问丹麦，芬议长和外长分别访问瑞典，瑞典首相佩尔松、挪威首相邦德维克、爱沙尼亚总理帕茨分别访芬。 【同美国和北约的关系】芬重视同美国的关系，认为美在欧洲仍发挥重要作用。90年代以来芬先后从美购买64架F－18型战斗机及配套防护系统。近年来双方互访频繁。2004年，芬总统、外长、国防部长和外贸部长分别访美，芬议长率北欧及波海地区国家议长代表团访美。芬主张加强与北约合作，但目前不准备加入北约。1992年6月，芬成为北大西洋合作委员会（NACC）的观察员，1994年5月与北约签署“和平伙伴关系计划”框架协议。1997年芬首次派出156人快速反应部队赴挪威参加北约联合军事演习。同年11月在布鲁塞尔正式设立驻北约代表处。2004年，北约秘书长夏侯雅伯访芬，芬总统出席欧洲-大西洋伙伴关系委员会首脑会议。 【同发展中国家的关系】 芬重视对发展中国家关系。认为发展中国家的经济和社会问题并未减少，贫困正在增加。工业国家应重视发展问题。积极支持南北对话，主张建立国际经济新秩序。2004年，芬总统访问尼加拉瓜，芬外长访问印度、吉尔吉斯斯坦、亚美尼亚，芬外贸部长访问越南、泰国、乌克兰。巴基斯坦总统穆沙拉夫访芬。2004年，芬大幅度提高对外发展援助资金，首次占到国内生产总值的0.7%。 【文化】 芬兰严峻的气候条件以及特殊的地理位置和历史，使芬兰人形成了极富北欧特色的民族性格和文化。芬兰人性格内敛，行事低调，但实际上内心充满民族自豪感，在全球化的今天并不随波逐流，而是坚定的维护着自己的传统文化。 芬兰有很多著名的艺术家：伟大的音乐家西贝柳斯开创了民族音乐的新纪元，被誉为芬兰民族音乐之父；语言学家伦洛特搜集编撰的充满传奇色彩的民族史诗《卡勒瓦拉》成为世界文学史中最伟大的史诗之一；著名建筑大师阿尔瓦·阿尔托以充满芬兰本土传统浪漫风格的设计在现代主义建筑设计潮流中独树一帜。芬兰还有一批世界一流的艺术家。尤为特别的是，芬兰极具本民族文化特色的设计风格使许多几十年前的工艺品和建筑物在现代人眼中仍是新颖别致、富有想象力的杰作。出自芬兰设计大师之手的作品大都以简洁实用的设计风格、优质的材料和精美的做工而享誉世界。 芬兰还是圣诞老人的故乡。1927年芬兰的儿童故事大王玛尔库斯在电台讲故事时说，圣诞老人和两万头驯鹿一起就住在芬兰和苏联分界的拉普兰省“耳朵山”上，正是因为有“耳朵”，圣诞老人才能在北极听到世界上所有孩子的心声。他的这种颇有感染力的浪漫推理获得了世人认可，从此，故事中的“耳朵山”就成了圣诞老人的故乡。在每年的平安夜孩子们在睡觉前将长筒袜挂在壁炉旁，然后带着热切的期盼进入梦乡，圣诞老人晚上就会乘着驯鹿拉的雪橇，把圣诞礼物从壁炉烟囱中分发到孩子们的长筒袜里。 除了艺术，芬兰人还发明了桑拿浴，号称芬兰的国粹。芬兰谚语说：先建桑拿，再搭房屋。桑拿（Sauna）是为数不多的进入世界语言范畴的芬兰词汇之一。芬兰桑拿室一定完全用木材建造，其中一定包括蒸汽房、洗澡间和更衣室。芬兰全国有不同大小桑拿上百万间，平均每三个人就拥有一间桑拿房，密度是全球之冠。对到芬兰旅游的人来说，如果没有洗过桑拿，就等于没到过芬兰。 芬兰的音乐： 芬兰地图上看来更像一个岛国，因为远离欧洲大陆显得相对比较孤立，那里到处都是茂密的森林和美丽的湖泊，孕育出了独特的北欧金属文化。 越是具有异国情调的国家他们的金属乐就越出色。 我想也正是她的地理位置使得芬兰的金属文化和其他欧洲国家存在了差异，几乎在整个八十年代海外对这片土地的金属音乐还是一无所知的，高额的交通费用也使得很少有海外的乐队到芬兰巡演，一切的故事和演变都在本国内进行.在八十年代末的时候，那里的黑暗死亡金属势力已经格外强大，那时候已经有很多相当优秀的地下死亡金属乐队，却是那么的没有名气! 渐渐的一些乐队在商业上取得了巨大的成功，像Stratov Arius，impaled nazarene,Amorphis,children of bodom，Nightwish,Eternal tears of sorrow一个个都登上了当地最大的音乐排行榜，从此全世界的金属乐迷把目光投向了芬兰，但注意到的多数是商业痕迹很重的乐队，比如上述提到的这些乐队，对于资深金属迷来说，其中的多数乐队发展到今天已经没有任何创意和可听性可言，虽然他们曾经带领历史的潮流。旋律化是这些成名乐队的一大特点，这就是我们常说芬兰乐队重旋律的原因 芬兰实在有太多太多的金属乐队，他们有太多的能量需要爆发？还是北欧漫长的冬日沉淀了他们阴郁的情感？ 在那里你完全可以找到更自我，更纯粹的金属音乐！ Demigod,Abhorrence,Sentenced,Amorphis,Impaled Nazarene，Yxysma,Beherit,Sarcofagus...他们对别人的影响和启发是有目共睹的，如果你喜欢芬兰金属音乐，记住这些名字吧 近几年芬兰新生代属乐队HIM,Entwine,Charon,ToDieFor,69Eyes,Shamrain,Soulrelic组成的Finnish Metal大军更是风靡全球 当然，芬兰人在做金属音乐的同时并没有放弃他们的传统民乐,出现了一批以Moonsorrow,Ensiferum,Finntroll(前三者统称维京三剑客),Korpiklaani为代表的将传统民乐，英雄传说，极地风光，异教力量完美融合为一体的金属乐队。类似乐队还有viikate，Tenhi（此为Dark wave），Eternal Tears of Sorrow，Calvarium等等。 芬兰的电影： 芬兰的电影在国际上并不著名，但题材也是多种多样，最著名的要属90年代初期拍摄的反应苏芬边界战争的电影《Winter War》（冬战），与中国在2006年合拍的《玉战士》，戛纳电影节评审团大奖和最佳女演员奖的《没有过去的男人》(The Man Without A Past)。 其他还有： 《薄暮之光》（Laitakaupungin valot） 《纵情欲海》（ Min? ja Morrison） 《一个人的工作/职业男人》（Miehen työ） 《幸福背后》（Shades Of Happiness） 《黑冰》(Black Ice)-芬兰德国合拍 《冷钞票》（paha maa) Around 5.3 million people reside in Finland, with the majority concentrated in the southern part of country. It is the eighth largest country in Europe in terms of area and the most sparsely populated country in the European Union. Finland has two national languages. Most Finns are native in Finnish, which is related to Estonian and is one of the few official EU languages not of Indo-European origin. The other national language, Swedish, is spoken natively by 5.5 percent of the population. Finland is a democratic, parliamentary republic with a central government and local governments in 415 municipalities. Greater Helsinki (including Helsinki, Espoo, and Vantaa) totals a million residents and a third of the GDP. Other major cities include Tampere, Turku, and Oulu. Finland was historically part of Sweden and from 1809 an autonomous Grand Duchy within the Russian Empire. Finland's declaration of independence in 1917 from Russia was followed by a civil war, wars against the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany, and a period of official neutrality during the Cold War. Finland joined the European Union in 1995 and participates in the Eurozone. Finland has seen excellent results in many international comparisons of national performance such as the share of high-technology manufacturing, the rate of gross domestic product growth, and the protection of civil liberties. Prehistory According to archaeological evidence, the area now composing Finland was first settled around 8500 BCE during the Stone Age as the ice shield of the last ice age receded. The earliest people were hunter-gatherers, living primarily off what the tundra and sea could offer. Pottery is known from around 5300 BCE (see Comb Ceramic culture).The arrival of the Battle Axe culture (or Cord-Ceramic culture) in southern coastal Finland around 3200 BCE may have coincided with the start of agriculture. However, the earliest certain records of agriculture are from the late third millennium BCE. Even with the introduction of agriculture, 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 BCE) and Iron Age (500 BCE – 1200 CE) were characterised by extensive contacts with other cultures in the Fennoscandian and Baltic regions. There is no consensus on when Finno-Ugric languages and Indo-European languages were first spoken in the area of contemporary Finland. The first verifiable written documents appeared in the 12th century.[citation needed] Swedish era Sweden in 1658.Sweden established its official rule of Finland in the 13th century. Swedish became the dominant language of the nobility, administration and education; Finnish was chiefly a language for the peasantry, clergy and local courts in predominantly Finnish-speaking areas. The Bishop of Turku was the most socially pre-eminent person in Finland before the Reformation. During the Reformation, the Finns gradually converted to Lutheranism. In the 16th century, Mikael Agricola published the first written works in Finnish. The first university in Finland, The Royal Academy of Turku, was established in 1640. In the 18th century, wars between Sweden and Russia led to the occupation of Finland twice by Russian forces, known to the Finns as the Greater Wrath (1714–1721) and the Lesser Wrath (1742–1743). By this time Finland was the predominant term for the whole area from the Gulf of Bothnia to the Russian border. Russian Empire era See also: Finland's language strife and Russification of Finland On March 29, 1809, after being conquered by the armies of Alexander I of Russia in the Finnish War, Finland became an autonomous Grand Duchy in the Russian Empire until the end of 1917. During the Russian era, the Finnish language started to gain recognition. From the 1860s onwards, a strong Finnish nationalist movement, known as the Fennoman movement, grew. 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. The Finnish famine of 1866–1868 killed 15 percent of the population, making it the last and one of the worst famines in European history. The famine led the Russian Empire to ease financial regulations, and investment rose in following decades. Economic and political development was rapid. The GDP per capita was still a half of United States and a third of Great Britain. In 1906, universal suffrage was adopted in the Grand Duchy of Finland. However, the relationship between the Grand Duchy and the Russian Empire soured when the Russian government made moves to restrict Finnish autonomy. For example, the universal suffrage was, in practice, virtually meaningless, since the emperor did not have to approve any of the laws adopted by the Finnish parliament. Desire for independence gained ground, first among radical nationalists and socialists. Civil war and early independence On December 6, 1917, shortly after the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, Finland declared its independence, which was approved by Bolshevist Russia. Months after in 1918, the violent wing of the Social Democratic Party started a coup, which led a brief but bitter civil war that affected domestic politics for many decades afterwards. The civil war was fought between "the Whites", who were supported by Imperial Germany, and "the Reds", supported by Bolshevist Russia. Eventually, the Whites overcame the Reds. The deep social and political enmity between the Reds and Whites remained. The civil war and activist expeditions (see Heimosodat) to the Soviet Union strained Eastern relations. After a brief flirtation with monarchy, Finland became a presidential republic, with Kaarlo Juho Ståhlberg elected as its first president in 1919. The Finnish–Russian border was determined by the Treaty of Tartu in 1920, largely following the historic border but granting Pechenga (Finnish: Petsamo) and its Barents Sea harbour to Finland. Finnish democracy didn't see any more Soviet coup attempts and survived the anti-Communist Lapua Movement. The relationship between Finland and the Soviet Union was tense. Finnish ethnicity was targeted by genocides in the Soviet Union. Germany's Nazism led to a deterioration of relations with Germany. Military was trained in France instead and relations to Western Europe and Sweden were strengthened. In 1917 the population was 3 million. Credit-based land reform was enacted after the civil war, increasing the proportion of capital-owning population. About 70% of workers were occupied in agriculture and 10% in industry. The largest export markets were the United Kingdom and Germany. The Great Depression in the early 1930s was relatively light in Finland. World War II During World War II, Finland fought the Soviet Union twice: in the Winter War of 1939–40 after the Soviet Union had attacked Finland and in the Continuation War of 1941–44, following Operation Barbarossa, in which Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union. Following German losses on the Eastern Front and the subsequent Soviet advance, Finland was forced to make peace with the Soviet Union. This was followed by the Lapland War of 1944–45, when Finland forced the Germans out of northern Finland. The treaties signed in 1947 and 1948 with the Soviet Union included Finnish obligations, restraints, and reparations as well as further Finnish territorial concessions (cf. the Moscow Peace Treaty of 1940). Finland ceded most of Finnish Karelia, Salla, and Pechenga, which amounted to ten percent of its land area and twenty percent of its industrial capacity. Some 400,000 evacuees, mainly women and children, fled these areas. Some were left behind and were not able to immigrate in Finland until the Soviet Union collapsed (after which they formed a large immigrant group). Finland had to reject Marshall aid. United States shipped secret development aid such as much of welding equipment and helped the still non-communist SDP in hope of saving Finland's independence. Establishing trade with the Western powers, such as the United Kingdom, and the reparations to the Soviet Union caused Finland to transform itself from a primarily agrarian economy to an industrialised one. Even after the reparations had been paid off, Finland continued to trade with the Soviet Union in the framework of bilateral trade. Cold War In 1950 half of the Finnish workers were occupied in agriculture and a third lived in urban areas. The new jobs in manufacturing, services and trade quickly attracted people to the towns. The average number of births per woman declined from a baby boom peak of 3.5 in 1947 to 1.5 in 1973. When baby boomers entered the workforce, the economy did not generate jobs fast enough and hundreds of thousands emigrated to the more industrialized Sweden, with emigration peaking in 1969 and 1970 (today 4.7 percent of Swedes speak Finnish). The 1952 Summer Olympics brought international visitors. Finland took part in trade liberalization in the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. Officially claiming to be 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. This was extensively exploited by President Urho Kekkonen against his opponents. He maintained an effective monopoly on Soviet relations from 1956 on, which was crucial for his continued popularity. In politics, there was a tendency of avoiding any policies and statements that could by interpreted as anti-Soviet. This phenomenon was given the name "Finlandisation" by the German press (fi. suomettuminen). Self-censorship vis-à-vis anything negative associated with the Soviet Union was prevalent in the media. Public libraries pulled from circulation thousands of books that were considered anti-Soviet, and the law made it possible for the authorities to directly censor movies with supposedly anti-Soviet content. Asylum-seeking Soviet citizens were frequently returned to the Soviet Union by the Finnish authorities. Despite close relations with the Soviet Union, Finland remained a market economy. Various industries benefited from trade privileges with the Soviets, which explains the widespread support that pro-Soviet policies enjoyed among business interests in Finland. Economic growth was rapid in the postwar era, and by 1975 Finland's GDP per capita was the 15th highest in the world. In the 1970s and 1980s, Finland built one of the most extensive welfare states in the world. In 1981, President Urho Kekkonen's failing health forced him to retire after holding office for 25 years. Miscalculated macroeconomic decisions, a banking crisis, the collapse of the Soviet Union and a global economic downturn caused a deep recession in Finland in the early 1990s. The depression bottomed out in 1993, and Finland has seen steady economic growth ever since. Recent history Like other Nordic countries, Finland has liberalized its economy since the late 1980s. Financial and product market regulation was loosened. Some state enterprises have been privatized and there have been some modest tax cuts. Finland joined the European Union in 1995, and the Eurozone in 1999. The population is aging with the birth rate at 10.42 births per 1,000 population, or a fertility rate of 1.8. With a median age of 41.6 years, Finland is one of the oldest countries; half of voters are estimated to be over 50 years old. Like most European countries, without further reforms or much higher immigration, Finland is expected to struggle with demographics, even though macroeconomic projections are healthier than in most other developed countries. Etymology The name Suomi (Finnish for "Finland") has uncertain origins but a strong candidate for a cognate is the proto-Baltic word *zeme, meaning "land". According to an earlier theory the name was derived from suomaa (fen land) or suoniemi (fen cape). The exonym Finland has resemblance with, e.g., the Scandinavian placenames Finnmark, Finnveden and hundreds of other toponyms starting with Fin(n) in Sweden and Norway. Some of these names are obviously derived from finnr, a Germanic word for a wanderer/finder and thus supposedly meaning nomadic "hunter-gatherers" or slash and burn agriculturists as opposed to the Germanic sedentary farmers and sea-faring traders and pirates. It is unknown how, why and when Finnr started referring to the people of Finland Proper in particular (from where the name spread from the 15th century onwards to refer to the people of the entire country). Among the first documents to mention "a land of the Finns" are two rune-stones. There is one in Söderby, Sweden, with the inscription finlont (U 582) and one in Gotland, a Swedish island in the Baltic Sea, with the inscription finlandi (G 319), dating from the 11th century. Geography and environment Topography and geology 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 fifth largest in Europe. The Finnish landscape is mostly flat with few hills, and its highest point, the Halti at 1,324 meters, is found in the extreme north of Lapland at the border between Finland and Norway. The landscape is covered mostly (seventy-five percent of land area) by coniferous taiga forests and fens, with little arable land. The most common type of rock is granite. It is a ubiquitous part of the scenery, visible wherever there is no soil cover. Moraine or till is the most common type of soil, covered by a thin layer of humus of biological origin. The greater part of the islands are found in the southwest in the Archipelago Sea, 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 whose surface area is still growing. Owing to the post-glacial rebound 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 square miles) a year. The distance from the most Southern point – Hanko – to the most northern point of Finland – Nuorgam – is 1,445 kilometres (898 miles) (driving distance), which would take approximately 18.5 hours to drive. This is very similar to Great Britain (Land's End to John o' Groats – 1,404 kilometres (872 miles) and 16.5 h). Flora and fauna Phytogeographically, Finland is shared between the Arctic, Central European and Northern European provinces of the Circumboreal Region within the Boreal Kingdom. According to the WWF, the territory of Finland can be subdivided into three ecoregions: the Scandinavian and Russian taiga, Sarmatic mixed forests and Scandinavian Montane Birch forest and grasslands. All terrestrial life in Finland was completely wiped out during the last ice age that ended some 10,000 years ago, following the retreat of the glaciers and the appearance of vegetation. Today, there are over 1,200 species of vascular plant, 800 bryophytes and 1,000 lichen species in Finland, with flora being richest in the southern parts of the country. Plant life, like most of the Finnish ecology, is well adapted to tolerate the contrasting seasons and extreme weather. Many plant species, such as the Scots Pine, spruce, and birch, spread throughout Finland from Norway and only reached the western coast less than three millennia ago. Oak and maple grows in nature only in the southern part of Finland. The Archipelago Sea, between the Gulf of Bothnia and the Gulf of Finland, is the largest archipelago in the world by number of islands; estimates vary between 20,000 and 50,000.Similarly, Finland has a diverse and extensive range of fauna. There are at least sixty native mammalian species, 248 breeding bird species, over seventy fish species and eleven reptile and frog species present today, many migrating from neighbouring countries thousands of years ago. Large and widely recognised wildlife mammals found in Finland are the Brown Bear (the national animal), Gray Wolf, elk (moose) and reindeer. Other common mammals include the Red Fox, Red Squirrel, and Mountain Hare. Some rare and exotic species include the flying squirrel, Golden Eagle, Saimaa Ringed Seal and Arctic fox. Two of the more striking birds are the Whooper Swan, a large European swan and the national bird of Finland, and the Capercaillie, a large, black-plumaged member of the grouse family. The latter is considered an indicator of old-growth forest connectivity, and has been declining due to landscape fragmentation. The most common breeding birds are the Willow Warbler, Chaffinch and Redwing. Of some seventy species of freshwater fish, the northern pike, perch and others are plentiful. Atlantic salmon remains the favorite of fly rod enthusiasts. The endangered Saimaa Ringed Seal, one of only three lake seal species in the world, exists only in the Saimaa lake system of southeastern Finland, down to only 300 seals today. It has become the emblem of the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation. Due to hunting and persecution in history, many animals such as the Golden Eagle, Brown Bear and Eurasian Lynx all experienced significant declines in population. However, their numbers have increased again in the 2000s, mainly as a result of careful conservation and the establishment of vast national parks. Climate 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. The main factor influencing Finland's climate is the country's geographical position between the 60th and 70th northern parallels in the Eurasian continent's coastal zone, which shows characteristics of both a maritime and a continental climate, depending on the direction of air flow. Finland is near enough to the Atlantic Ocean 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 days, the farther north one travels. At Finland's northernmost point, the sun does not set for 73 consecutive days during summer, and does not rise at all for 51 days during winter. Population Finland currently numbers 5,302,778 inhabitants and has an average population density of 17 inhabitants per square kilometre. This makes it, after Norway and Iceland, the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Finland's population has always been concentrated in the southern parts of the country, a phenomenon even more pronounced after 20th century urbanisation. The biggest and most important cities in Finland are the cities of the Greater Helsinki metropolitan area – Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa. Other large cities include Tampere, Turku and Oulu. The share of immigrants in Finland is among the lowest of the European Union countries. Foreign citizens comprise 2.3 percent of the population. Most of them are from Russia, Estonia and Sweden. Language Most of the Finnish people (92 percent) speak Finnish as their mother tongue. Finnish is a member of the Baltic-Finnic subgroup of the Uralic languages and is typologically between inflected and agglutinative languages. It modifies and inflects the forms of nouns, adjectives, pronouns, numerals and verbs, depending on their roles in the sentence. In practice, this means that instead of prepositions and prefixes there is a great variety of different suffixes and that compounds form a considerable percentage of the vocabulary of Finnish. It has been estimated that approximately 65–70 percent of all words in Finnish are compounds. A close linguistic relative to the Finnish language is Estonian, which, though similar in many aspects, is not mutually intelligible with it. These languages, together with Hungarian (all members of the Uralic language family), are the primary non-Indo-European languages spoken in Europe. Finland, together with Estonia and Hungary, is one of three independent countries where a Uralic language is spoken by the majority. The largest minority language is Swedish, which is the second official language in Finland, spoken by 5.5 percent of the population. Other minority languages are Russian (0.8 percent) and Estonian (0.3 percent). To the north, in Lapland, are also the Sami people, numbering around 7,000 and recognized as an indigenous people. About a quarter of them speak a Sami language as their mother tongue. There are three Sami languages that are spoken in Finland: Northern Sami, Inari Sami and Skolt Sami. Other minority languages are Finnish Romani, Finnish Sign Language (spoken natively by 4,000–5,000 people) and Finland-Swedish Sign Language (spoken natively by about 150 people). The rights of minority groups (in particular Sami, Swedish-speaking Finns and Romani people) to cherish their culture and language is protected by the constitution. In a 2005 Eurobarometer survey studying languages of the European Union, 60% percent of residents claimed to know English, 38% claimed to know Swedish, and 17% claimed to know German. Ranking those claiming a knowledge of English, Finland ranked fifth behind Malta, the Netherlands (86%), Sweden (85%), and Denmark (83%). Relatively many Finns knew German, while relatively few knew French or Spanish. Religion Religion in Finland religion percent Lutheran 84.2% Unaffiliated 15.1% Other 1.2% Orthodox 1.1% Most Finns are members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland (84.2 percent). A minority belong to the Finnish Orthodox Church (1.1 percent; see Eastern Orthodox Church). Other Protestant denominations and the Roman Catholic Church in Finland are significantly smaller, as are the Muslim, Jewish and other non-Christian communities (totaling 1.2 percent). 15.1 percent of the population is unaffiliated. The main Lutheran and Orthodox churches are constitutional national churches of Finland with special roles in ceremonies and often in school morning prayers. Politicians to Lutheran Church assemblies are selected in church elections every four years. Over half of Finns say they pray at least once a month, the highest proportion in Nordics. However, the majority of Lutherans attend church only for special occasions like Christmas, weddings and funerals. According to a 2005 Eurobarometer poll, 41 percent of Finnish citizens responded that "they believe there is a god"; 41 percent answered that "they believe there is some sort of spirit or life force"; and 16 percent that "they do not believe there is any sort of spirit, god, or life force". Family structure Finnish family life is centered on the nuclear family. Relations with the extended family are often rather distant, and Finnish people do not form politically significant clans, tribes or similar structures. According to UNICEF, Finland ranks fourth in the world in child well-being. Health There are 307 residents for each doctor. About 18.9 percent of health care is funded directly by households and 76.6 percent by public and other insurances. Finland limits medicine sales to the around 800 licensed pharmacies. Some significant institutions include Ministry of Health and National Public Health Institute. The Finnish health care system has been rated the most efficient in terms of results to resources in Western countries. The life expectancy is 82 years for women and 75 years for men. 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 has exceptionally low smoking rates: 26% for males and 19% for females. Finland's health problems are similar to other developed countries: circulatory diseases make up about half of all causes of death and cancer is the second most common cause of death. The total annual consumption of pure alcohol of residents is lower than other European countries, even though heavy drinking is common at parties on the weekend. However, becoming intoxicated has remained the central characteristic of Finnish drinking habits. In the working-age population, diseases or accidents caused by alcohol consumption have recently surpassed coronary artery disease as the biggest single cause of death. National Public Health Institute claims 54% male obesity and 38% female obesity, while other estimates put obesity rates at 70% and 50%. The rate of diabetes is predicted to grow to 15% by 2015. Finland has the world's highest rate of Type I diabetes. Suicide mortality in Finland has generally been one of the highest in Europe, especially significant among males under 35 years. Schools teach sports, health and hands-on cooking classes. Finnish schoolchildren have one of the lowest amounts of sport classes in the European Union and according to National Public Health Institute only a third of adults exercise enough. Administrative divisions The state organisation is divided into six administrative provinces (lääni, pl. läänit), though they have little significance. Police, prosecutors, and other state services operate under the administration of the province, which is again divided to admistratively insignificant districts. After 1997 reforms the provinces have been Southern Finland, Western Finland, Eastern Finland, Oulu, Lapland, Åland. The province of Åland Islands is autonomous. Municipalities and regions map of Finland (2007). Black borders refer to municipalities, red to regions.Municipalities (which may also call themselves towns or cities) account for half of public spending. Spending is financed by municipal income tax, state subsidies, and other revenue. As of 2008, there are 415 municipalities and most are under 5,000 residents. In Finland, state has started the Municipality and Service Structure Reform Program to reform the complex and expensive municipal system, but initiatives have encountered much opposition from local bureaucrats and interest groups. People often identify with their municipality. In addition to municipalities, there are complex other arrangements. Municipalities co-operate in seventy-four sub-regions and twenty 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 regional elections. Sami people have a semi-autonomous Sami Domicile Area in Lapland for issues on language and culture. In the following chart, the number of inhabitants includes those living in the entire municipality (kunta/kommun), not just in the built-up area. The land area is given in km², and the density in inhabitants per km² (land area). The figures are as of January 1, 2007. Notice that the capital region – comprising Helsinki, Vantaa, Espoo and Kauniainen (see Greater Helsinki) – forms a continuous conurbation of one million people. However, common administration is limited to voluntary cooperation of all municipalities, e.g. in Helsinki Metropolitan Area Council. Politics Eduskuntatalo, the main building of the Parliament of Finland (Eduskunta) in Helsinki.The Constitution of Finland defines the political system. Finland is a representative democracy with a semi-presidential parliamentary. Aside from state-level politics, residents use their vote in municipal elections and in the European Union elections. According to the Constitution, the President is the head of state and responsible for foreign policy (which excludes affairs related to the European Union) in cooperation with the cabinet. Other powers include Commander-in-Chief, decree, and appointive powers. Direct vote is used to elect the president for a term of six years and maximum two consecutive terms. The current president is Tarja Halonen (SDP). The 200-member unicameral Parliament of Finland exercises the supreme legislative authority in Finland. The parliament may alter laws, the constitution, bring about the resignation of the Council of State, and override presidential vetoes. Its acts are not subject to judicial review. Various parliament committees listen to experts and prepare legislation. Proportional vote in multi-seat constituencies is used to elect the parliament for a term of four years. The Speaker of Parliament, the first person in the presidential line of succession, is currently Sauli Niinistö (National Coalition Party). The cabinet (the Finnish Council of State) exercises most executive powers. It is headed by the Prime Minister of Finland and includes other ministers and the Chancellor of Justice. Parliament majority decides its composition and a vote of no confidence can be used to modify it. The current prime minister is Matti Vanhanen (Centre Party). Since equal and common suffrage was introduced in 1906, the parliament has been dominated by the Centre Party (former Agrarian Union), National Coalition Party, and Social Democrats, which have approximately equal support, and represent 65–80 percent of voters. After 1944 Communists were a factor to consider for a few decades. The relative strengths of the parties vary only slightly in the elections due to the proportional election from multi-member districts, but there are some visible long-term trends. The autonomous Åland islands has separate elections, where Liberals for Åland was the largest party in 2007 elections. After the parliamentary elections on March 18, 2007, the seats were divided among eight parties as follows: Party Seats Net Gain/Loss % of seats % of votes Centre Party 51 –4 ▼ 25.5 23.1 National Coalition Party 51 +10 ▲ 25.0 22.3 Social Democratic Party 45 –8 ▼ 22.5 21.4 Left Alliance 17 –2 ▼ 8.5 8.8 Green League 14 +1 ▲ 7.5 8.5 Swedish People's Party 9 +1 ▲ 4.5 4.5 Christian Democrats 7 0 ▬ 3.5 4.9 True Finns 5 +2 ▲ 2.5 4.1 Others 1* 0 ▬ 0.5 2.4 * Province of Åland representative. Judicial system and law enforcement A mounted police officer in Helsinki.The judicial system of Finland is a civil law system 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. Finnish law is codified and based on Swedish law and in a wider sense, civil law or Roman law. 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. 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 against certain high-ranking offices. A general court of first instance (käräjäoikeus) has professional judges and in complex cases, includes non-professional lay judges (lautamies) appointed by municipal councils. Administrative courts, appeals courts and supreme courts consist of professional judges only. Like the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, Finland has no constitutional court, and courts may not strike down laws or pronounce on their constitutionality. In principle, the constitutionality of laws in Finland is verified by parliament's constitutional committee and a simple vote in the parliament. Around 92% of residents are confident in Finland's security institutions. Crime in Finland has some unique features. The overall crime rate of Finland is not high in the EU context. Some crime types are above average, notably the highest homicide rate in Western Europe. Crime is prevalent among lower educational groups and is often committed by intoxicated persons. A day fine system is in effect and also applied to offences such as speeding. Fines and jail sentences tend to be among the world's lowest, with an official emphasis on rehabilitation. Finland has successfully fought against the corruption which was larger in the 1970s and 1980s. For instance, economic reforms and EU membership introduced stricter requirements for open bidding and many public monopolies were abolished. Today Finland has a very low number of corruption charges; Transparency International ranks Finland as one of the least corrupted countries. Also, Finland's public records are among the world's most transparent. In one court case, a line was drawn when judge was convicted for accepting a 10-euro lunch. Finland has not implemented central corruption monitoring systems or agencies recommended by GRECO, citing that local corruption is too small. However, Finland is not totally free from corruption. Even some famous irregularities in the municipal sector rarely lead to investigations. Finland has strict libel standards, and in one case a blogger was convicted for incitement to hatred when referring to statistics about an ethnic group. The voluntary Internet censorship list, similar to other Nordic countries, is classified "nominal" censorship by the ONI. Nevertheless, Worldwide Press Freedom Index 2007 edition ranked Finland (along with Belgium and Sweden) fifth out of 169 countries. Foreign relations According to the latest constitution of 2000, the President (currently Tarja Halonen) leads foreign policy in cooperation with the government (currently Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen and Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb), except that the government leads EU affairs. In surveys, most diplomats and foreign policy experts consider the current constitution flawed because it is often unclear who is in charge. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs implements the foreign policy. During the Cold War, Finland conducted its foreign policy in association with the Soviet Union and simultaneously stressed Nordic cooperation (as a member of the Nordic Council). 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 and the Finno-Soviet Agreement of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance. Although opposed by socialists and agrarians, the government filed an EU membership application three months after the dissolution of the USSR and became a member in 1995. Unlike all other post-Soviet countries in the Baltic sea and elsewhere, Finland did not attempt to join NATO, and even opposed defence cooperation. President Martti Ahtisaari and the coalition governments led Finland closer to the core EU in the late 1990s. Finland was considered a cooperative model state, and Finland did not oppose proposals for a common EU defence policy. This was reversed in the 2000s, when the socialist-wing trio of Tarja Halonen and Erkki Tuomioja made Finland's official policy to resist other EU members' plans for common defense. This received some criticism, because many considered that Finland would have been the largest beneficiary of defense cooperation. However, Halonen allowed Finland to join European Union Battlegroups in 2006 and the NATO Response Force in 2008. Relations with most countries except Russia have been good. Relations with Russia are cordial and common issues include bureaucracy (particularly at the Vaalimaa border crossing), airspace violations, development aid Finland gives to Russia (especially in environmental problems that affect Finland), and Finland's energy dependency on Russian gas and electricity. Behind the scenes, the administration has witnessed a resurrection of Soviet-era tactics. The National Security Agency, SUPO, estimates that the known number of Russian agents from SVR and GRU now exceeds Cold War levels and there are unknown numbers of others. Old methods such as KGB-style connections have been restored. Internet brigades target Finnish Internet forums. To combat Russian agents' connections with Finnish politicians, Finland has limited the time Russian diplomats can stay in the country. Some socialists and agrarians want to exit the EU. Right-wing politicians are more supportive of integration, with the current Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb one of the most pro-EU politicians in Finnish history and one of the first Finnish politicians to have openly supported NATO membership. After socialist parties lost elections in 2007, the term "non-allied" was dropped from the official policy publication (replicated by Sweden just months later). The electorate is polarized between internationalists and isolationists. Support for international cooperation, global markets, and European integration is common among the young, right-wing, urban electorate. Nevertheless, the old, left-wing, rural electorate contributes to Finland's extraordinary levels of opposition to the EU, NATO, and immigration. Studies indicate that few have knowledge about the EU or NATO, and many of the electorate's conceptions date back to the Soviet Era when both were opposed as too Western institutions. Critics sometimes call the current political era a "paused era". Defence Forces The Finnish Defence Forces is a cadre army of 16,500, of which 8,700 are professional soldiers (officers), with a standard readiness strength of 34,700 people in uniform (27,300 Army, 3,000 Navy, and 4,400 Air Force). A universal male conscription is in place, under which all men above 18 years of age serve for 6, 9, 11 (unarmed service) or 12 months. Alternative non-military service and volunteer service by women (chosen by around 500 annually) are possible. Finland is the only non-NATO EU country bordering Russia. Finland's official policy states that the 350,000 reservists with mostly ground weaponry are a sufficient deterrent. The military strategy is to hide in forests when attacked, perhaps abandon some regions, and attempt to defeat the enemy from forests in planned places. Most military experts call for NATO membership, but are careful to avoid politics. Finland's defence budget equals about 2 billion euro or 1.4–1.6 percent of the GDP. In international comparisons the defense expenditure is around the third highest in the EU. The voluntary overseas service is highly popular and troops serve around the world in UN, NATO and EU missions. Residents claim around 80% homeland defense willingness, one of the highest rates in Europe. The Finnish Defence Forces are under the command of the Chief of Defence (currently Juhani Kaskeala), who is directly subordinate to the President of the Republic in matters related to the military command. The military branches are the Finnish Army, Finnish Navy and Finnish Air Force. The Border Guard is under the Ministry of the Interior but can be incorporated into the Defence Forces when required by defence readiness. Economy Finland has a highly industrialized, free-market economy with a per capita output equal to that of other western economies such as France, Germany, Sweden or the UK. The largest sector of the economy is services at 65.7 percent, followed by manufacturing and refining at 31.4 percent. Primary production is at 2.9 percent. With respect to foreign trade, the key economic sector is manufacturing. The largest industries are electronics (21.6 percent), machinery, vehicles and other engineered metal products (21.1 percent), forest industry (13.1 percent), and chemicals (10.9 percent). Finland has timber and several mineral and freshwater resources. Forestry, paper factories, and the agricultural sector (on which taxpayers spend around 2 billion euro annually) are politically sensitive to rural residents. The Greater Helsinki area generates around a third of GDP. In a 2004 OECD comparison, high-technology manufacturing in Finland ranked second largest after Ireland. Knowledge-intensive services have also ranked the smallest and slow-growth sectors – especially agriculture and low-technology manufacturing – second largest after Ireland. Investment was below expected. Overall short-term outlook was good and GDP growth has been above many EU peers. Inflation has been low, averaging 1.8 percent between 2004 and 2006. Finland is highly integrated in the global economy, and international trade is a third of GDP. The European Union makes 60 percent of the total trade. The largest trade flows are with Germany, Russia, Sweden, United Kingdom, USA, Netherlands and China. Trade policy is managed by the European Union, where Finland has traditionally been among the free trade supporters, except for agriculture. Finland is the only Nordic country to have joined the Eurozone. Companies, income and consumption Aleksanterinkatu, a commercial street.Notable companies in Finland include Nokia, the market leader in mobile telephony; Stora Enso, the largest paper manufacturer in the world; Neste Oil, an oil refining and marketing company; UPM-Kymmene, the third largest paper manufacturer in the world; Aker Finnyards, the manufacturer of the world's largest cruise ships (such as Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas); Instrumentarium Imaging, the creator of the Orthopantomograph (Pan X-Ray machine) and world innovative leader of dental imaging systems and software.; KONE, a manufacturer of elevators and escalators; Wärtsilä, a producer of power plants and ship engines; and Finnair, the largest Helsinki-Vantaa based international airline. Finland has sophisticated financial markets comparable to UK in efficiency. The largest foreign-headquartered companies included names such as ABB, Tellabs, Carlsberg, and Siemens. According to Invest in Finland, Finland's largest industrial sector is technology based and growth in recent years has been rapid. The chemical industry is Finland's third-largest industrial sector. Products produced include plastics, paints, oil products, pharmaceuticals, environmental products and petrochemicals. According to Invest in Finland, about one in ten European companies in biotechnology is Finnish. Finland has five bio-tech science parks in Helsinki, Turku, Kuopio, Tampere and Oulu. Finnish high-tech exports amounted to 18,2 % (EUR 11,2 billion) of total exports in 2006. The total stock of office space in the main Finnish cities amounts to some 10-11 million square meters. Of this, almost 8 million square meters is located in the Helsinki metropolitan area. Other major growth centres are Jyväskylä, Kuopio, Lahti, Oulu, Tampere and Turku. The 40 largest Finland-registered companies by turnover in 2007 or 2006 were (Oy and Oyj abbreviations removed): Nokia Oyj, Stora Enso, Neste Oil, UPM-Kymmene, Kesko, Suomen Osuuskauppojen Keskuskunta, Metsäliitto, Outokumpu, Metso, Tamro, Fortum, Sampo, Kone, Elcoteq, Rautaruukki, Wärtsilä, YIT, Varma, Cargotec, SanomaWSOY, Kemira, Ilmarinen Keskinäinen Eläkevakuutusyhtiö, TeliaSonera Finland, Luvata International, Huhtamäki, Finnair, Lemminkäinen, HKScan, Onvest, RTF Auto, TietoEnator, Ahlstrom, Konecranes, Valio, ABB, Itella, Amer Sports, Teboil AB, Elisa, and Myllykoski. Private sector employees amount to 1.8 million, out of which around a third with tertiary education. The average earnings per hour was 25.1 euro in 2007, before the approximately 60% median tax wedge. As of 2008 the average purchasing power-adjusted income levels are similar to Italy, Sweden, Germany, and France. In 2003, the average employment lasted 10 years in the same company and people had average 5 jobs in lifetime. As of 2006, a typical proportion of 62% works for enterprises smaller than 250 employees, they account for 49% of total turnover, and have the strongest growth. Female employment rate was relatively high, perhaps affected by various policies. Gender segregation between male-dominated professions and female-dominated professions was higher than in the US. In 1999 the proportion of part-time workers was one of the lowest in OECD. Employment rate 68% and unemployment rate was 6.8% in early 2008. Taxpayers subsidy early retirements and that legislation discriminates older workers, with 18% outside job market at the age of 50 and less than a third working at the age of 61. Finland has a private pension system and, while Sweden has private individual savings accounts, employer chooses the pension company in Finland. Unfunded pensions are a dominative future liability and other non-pension promises such as health insurances may add up more, even though Finland is much better prepared than countries such as France or Germany. Directly held public debt has been reduced to around 32 percent in 2007. In 2007, the average household savings rate was -3.8 and household debt 101 percent of annual disposable income, a typical level in Europe. Residents prefer keep their savings in bank accounts and only 15% has invested in stock market. 60% of population owns a dwelling. In 2006, around 2,381,500 households resided in Finland and the average size was 2.1 persons. Around 40 percent of households consisted of a single person, 32 percent two persons and 28 percent three or more persons. There were 1.2 million residential buildings in Finland and the average residential space was 38 square meters per person. The average residential property (without land) cost 1,187 euro per sq metre (without land) and residential land on 8.6 euro per sq metre. Consumer energy prices were 8-12 euro per kilowatt hour. 74 percent of households had a car. There were 2.5 million cars and 0.4 other vehicles. Around 92 percent has mobile phone and 58 percent Internet connection at home. The average total household consumption was 20,000 euro, out of which housing at around 5500 euro, transport at around 3000 euro, food and beverages excluding alcoholic at around 2500 euro, recreation and culture at around 2000 euro. Upper-level white-collar households (409,653) consumed an average 27,456 euro, lower-level white-collar households (394,313) 20,935 euro, and blue-collar households (471,370) 19,415 euro euro. Purchasing power-adjusted household consumption is about the same level as Italy, Spain and Greece. According to Invest in Finland, private consumption grew by 3% in 2006 and households purchased a substantial amount of consumer durables, especially home electronics. The current trend among consumers in Finland is that they are purchasing more expensive high quality products such as jewelry and precious metal products, or digital electronic products. Consumers are also spending more money on well-being and, for example, the use of fitness and sports facilities has increased. Education, science and technology Even though many or most schools were started as private schools, today only around 3% students are enrolled in private schools (mostly Helsinki-based schools such as SYK) compared to around 8% in Sweden, 10% in the US, and 70% in Netherlands. Pre-school education is rare compared to other EU countries. Formal education is usually started at the age of 7. The primary school takes normally 6 years, the lower secondary school 3 years, and most schools are managed by municipal officials. The flexible curriculum is set by the Ministry of Education and the Education Board. Attendance is compulsory between the ages of 7 and 16, and free meals are served. According to PISA assessments of the age group 15, students had high average results and low variation between schools or students. McKinsey has attributed the result distribution to high teacher education (Master's degree), high continuing teacher training, and emphasis on laggards. Homogeneous population may also contribute. After lower secondary school, students apply to further studies. Trade schools prepare for professions, though they can be used to enter tertiary education as well. Academically-oriented Gymnasiums prepare for Abitur and further tertiary education. In tertiary education, two, mostly separate and non-interoperating sectors are found: the profession-oriented higher vocational schools and the research-oriented universities. Finns used to take student loans and scholarships, but for the past decades the financial risk has been moved solely to the government. There are 20 universities and 30 polytechnics in the country. The World Economic Forum ranks Finland's tertiary education #1 in the world. Around 33% of residents has a tertiary degree, similar to Nordics and more than in most other OECD countries except Canada (44%), United States (38%) and Japan(37%). The proportion of foreign students is 3% of all tertiary enrolments, one of the lowest in OECD, while in advanced programs it is 7.3%, still below OECD average 16.5%. Finnish universities have long wanted more autonomy from political inference and the relatively low budgets available, and the government is now encouraging them to take private funding, although still very low. More than 30% of tertiary graduates are in science-related fields. Finnish researchers are leading contributors to such fields as forest improvement, new materials, the environment, neural networks, low-temperature physics, brain research, biotechnology, genetic technology and communications. Energy Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant with two existing units. The third unit and Finland's fifth (far left) is computer manipulated and will be ready by 2011.See also: Nordic energy market See also: Nuclear power in Finland Anyone can enter the free and largely privately-owned Nordic energy market traded in Nord Pool exchange, which has provided competitive prices compared to other EU countries. In 2006, the energy market was around 90 terawatt hours and the peak demand around 15 gigawatts in winter. Industry and construction consumed 51% of total consumption. Finland's hydrocarbon resources are limited to peat and wood, while neighboring Norway has oil and Estonia oil shale. Finland has little hydropower capacity compared to Sweden or Norway. Most energy demand is satisfied with fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas. Finland has four privately-owned nuclear reactors producing 18 percent of the country's energy., one research reactor in Otaniemi campus, and the fifth AREVA-Siemens-built reactor – the world's largest at 1600 MWe and a focal point of Europe's nuclear industry – is scheduled to be operational by 2011. Renewable energy forms (industrial and consumer wood, peat, industrial residue, garbage) make high 25 percent compared to the EU average 10 percent. A varying amount (5–17 percent) of electricity has been imported from Russia (at around 3 gigawatt power line capacity), Sweden and Norway. A new submarine power cable from Russia has been considered a national security issue and one permit application has already been rejected. Finland negotiated itself expensive Kyoto and EU emission terms. They are causing a sharp increase in energy prices and 1-2 billion euro annual cost, amplified by the aging and soon commissioned capacity. Nuclear power is by far the most inexpensive energy form and energy companies are already ready to file applications for several new reactors. Each reactor requires a permit from the parliament, where The Green League and a sect of The Centre Party are particularly opposed, and the discussion about the permit can take years. Some industries are excepted to exit because of the rising energy costs. Transportation The extensive road system is utilized by most internal cargo and passenger traffic. As of 2005, the country's network of main roads has a total length of 13,258 km and all public roads 78,186 km, of which 50,616 km are paved. The motorway network totals 653 km. The annual road network expenditure of around 1 billion euro is paid with vehicle and fuel taxes which amount to around 1.5 billion euro and 1 billion euro. The main international passenger gateway is the Finavia-semiprivatized Helsinki-Vantaa Airport with over 13 million passengers in 2007. Tampere-Pirkkala airport is the second largest and around 25 airports have scheduled passenger services. The Helsinki-Vantaa based Finnair (known for an Asia-focused strategy), Blue1 and Finncomm Airlines sell air services both domestically and internationally, and there are many others offering direct flights around the world. Helsinki has an optimal location for great circle routes between Western Europe and the Far East. Hence, many international travelers visit Helsinki on a stop-over between Asia and Europe. Despite low population density, taxpayers spend annually around 350 million euro in maintaining 5,865 km railway tracks even to many rural towns. Operations are privatized and currently the only operator is VR. It has 5 percent passenger market share (out of which 80 percent are urban trips in Greater Helsinki) and 25 percent cargo market share. Helsinki has an urban rail network. The majority of international cargo utilizes ports. Port logistics prices are low. Vuosaari harbour in Helsinki is the largest container port after completion in 2008 and others include Hamina, Hanko, Pori, Rauma, Oulu. There is passenger traffic from Helsinki and Turku, which have ferry connections to Tallinn, Mariehamn, Sweden and several other destination. The Helsinki-Tallinn route, one of the busiest passenger sea routes in the world, is also served by a helicopter line. Public policy Finnish politicians have often emulated other Nordics and the Nordic model. Nordics have been free-trading and relatively welcoming to skilled migrants for over a century, though in Finland immigration is relatively new. The level of protection in commodity trade has been low, except for agricultural products. As an economic environment, Finland's judiciary is efficient and effective. Finland is highly open to investment and free trade. Finland has top levels of economic freedom in many areas, although there is a heavy tax burden and inflexible job market. Finland is ranked 16th (ninth in Europe) in the 2008 Index of Economic Freedom. Recently, Finland has topped the patents per capita statistics, and overall productivity growth has been strong in areas such as electronics. While the manufacturing sector is thriving, OECD points out that the service sector would benefit substantially from policy improvements. The data-based IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2007 ranked Finland 17th most competitive, next to Germany, and lowest of the Nordics. The World Economic Forum report, based on loose opinion polls, has ranked Finland the most competitive country. The central government has officially given many promised such as emphasis on information technology, but critics question the central government's competency to deliver much. For instance, Finland did not have an Internet-based tax filing system as of 2007. Finland is one of the most fiscally responsible EU countries. Economists attribute much growth to reforms in the product markets. According to OECD, only four EU-15 countries have less regulated product markets (UK, Ireland, Denmark and Sweden) and only one has less regulated financial markets (Denmark). Nordic countries were pioneers in liberalizing energy, postal, and other markets in Europe. The legal system is clear and business bureaucracy less than most countries. For instance, starting a business takes an average of 14 days, compared to the world average of 43 days and Denmark's average of 6 days. Property rights are well protected and contractual agreements are strictly honored. Finland is rated one of the least corrupted countries in Corruption Perceptions Index. Finland is rated 13th in the Ease of Doing Business Index. It indicates exceptional ease to trade across borders (5th), enforce contracts (7th), and close a business (5th), and exceptional hardship to employ workers (127th) and pay taxes (83rd). According to OECD, the job market is the most inflexible among Nordic countries. Finland increased job market regulation in the 1970s to provide stability to manufacturers. In the 90s, Denmark liberalized its job market, Sweden moved to more decentralized contracts, and Finnish trade unions blocked most reforms. Finnish law forces all workers to obey the lengthy and bureaucracy-imposing country-wide contracts that are drafted every few years for each profession (copy machinist, metallurgical engineer, etc.) and seniority level, usually in Comprehensive Income Policy Agreement. Along with tax rates, the system is a key contributor to unemployment and distorted prices, and possibly slows down structural change as there are less incentives to acquire better skills. Trade unions have traditionally lobbied for anti-immigrant policies, but Finland has now made some effort to improve the economy's competitiveness and marketing as a destination for skilled workers. The middle income worker suffers from a nearly 60 percent tax wedge and effective marginal tax rates are very high. Value-added tax is 22 percent for most items. Capital gains tax and corporate tax are 26 percent, about the EU median. Property taxes are low, but there is a stamp duty of 4% for home sellers. Alcoholic beverages are separately taxed and highly restricted. For instance, McKinsey estimates that a worker has to pay around 1600 euro for another's 400 euro service - restricting service supply and demand - though some taxation is avoided in the black market and self-service culture. Another study by Karlson, Johansson & Johnsson estimates that the percentage of the buyer’s income entering the service vendor’s wallet (inverted tax wedge) is slightly over 15%, compared to 10% in Belgium, 25% in France, 40% in Switzerland and 50% in the United States. Tax cuts have been in every post-depression government's agenda and the overall tax burden is now around 43% of GDP compared to 51.1% in Sweden, 34.7% in Germany, 33.5% in Canada, and 30.5% in Ireland. State and municipal politicians have struggled to cut their consumption, which is very high at 51.7% of GDP compared to 56.6% in Sweden, 46.9 in Germany, 39.3 in Canada, and 33.5% in Ireland. Much of the taxes are spent on public sector employees, many of which are jobs-for-life and amount to 124,000 state employees and 430,000 municipal employees. That is 113 per 1000 residents (over a quarter of workforce) compared to 74 in the US, 70 in Germany, and 42 in Japan (8% of workforce). The Economist Intelligence Unit's ranking for Finland's e-readiness is high at 13th, compared to 1st for United States, 3rd for Sweden, 5th for Denmark, and 14th for Germany. Also, early and generous retirement schemes have contributed to high pension costs. Social spending such as health or education is around OECD median. Social transfers are also around OECD median. In 2001 Finland's outsourced proportion of spending was below Sweden's and above most other Western European countries. Outsourcing to free market has saved costs and increased customer satisfaction. For instance, Finland's health care is more bureaucrat-managed than in most Western European countries, though many use private insurance or cash to enjoy private clinics. Better access to private services is is very popular among voters and small reforms toward more equal marketplace have been made in 2007-2008. In education, child nurseries, and elderly nurseries private competition is bottom-ranking compared to Sweden and most other Western countries. Some public monopolies such Alko remain, and are sometimes challenged by the European Union. Tourism In 2005, Finnish tourism grossed over €6.7 billion with a five percent increase from the previous year. Much of the sudden growth can be attributed to the globalisation and modernisation of the country as well as a rise in positive publicity and awareness. There are many attractions in Finland which attracted over 4 million visitors in 2005. The Finnish landscape is covered with thick pine forests, rolling hills and complemented with a labyrinth of lakes and inlets. Much of Finland is pristine and virgin as it contains 35 national parks from the Southern shores of the Gulf of Finland to the high fells of Lapland. It is also an urbanised region with many cultural events and activities. Commercial cruises between major coastal and port cities in the Baltic region, including Helsinki, Turku, Tallinn, Stockholm and Travemünde, play a significant role in the local tourism industry. Finland is regarded as the home of Saint Nicholas or Santa Claus, living in the northern Lapland region. Above the Arctic Circle, there is a polar night, a period when the sun doesn't rise for days or weeks, or even months. Lapland, the extreme north of Finland, is so far north that the Aurora Borealis, atmospheric fluorescence, is seen regularly in winter. Outdoor activities range from Nordic skiing, golf, fishing, yachting, lake cruises, hiking, kayaking among many others. At Finland's northernmost point, in the heart of summer, the Sun does not completely set for 73 consecutive days. Wildlife is abundant in Finland. Bird-watching is popular for those fond of flying fauna, however hunting is also popular. Elk, reindeer and hare are all common game in Finland. There are many churches, cathedrals, museums and castles. Olavinlinna in Savonlinna hosts the annual Savonlinna Opera Festival. The capital city of Helsinki, on the other hand, is famous for its Grand Duchy era architecture, which resembles that of imperial St. Petersburg. Culture Throughout Finland's prehistory and history, cultural contacts and influences have concurrently, or at varying times, come from all directions. As a result of 600 years of Swedish rule, Swedish cultural influences are still notable. Today, cultural influences from North America are prominent. Into the twenty-first century, many Finns have contacted cultures from distantly abroad, such as with those in Asia and Africa. Beyond tourism, Finnish youth in particular have been increasing their contact with peoples from outside Finland by travelling abroad to both work and study. There are still differences between regions, especially minor differences in accents and vocabulary. Minorities, such as the Sami, Finland Swedes, Romani, and Tatar, maintain their own cultural characteristics. Many Finns are emotionally connected to the countryside and nature, as urbanisation is a relatively recent phenomenon. Literature Though Finnish written language could be said to exist since Mikael Agricola translated the New Testament into Finnish in the sixteenth century as a result of the Protestant Reformation, few notable works of literature were written until the nineteenth century, which saw the beginning of a Finnish national Romantic Movement. This prompted Elias Lönnrot to collect Finnish and Karelian folk poetry and arrange and publish them as Kalevala, the Finnish national epic. The era saw a rise of poets and novelists who wrote in Finnish, notably Aleksis Kivi and Eino Leino. After Finland became independent there was a rise of modernist writers, most famously Mika Waltari. Frans Eemil Sillanpää was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1939 – so far the only one for a Finnish author. The second World War prompted a return to more national interests in comparison to a more international line of thought, characterized by Väinö Linna. Literature in modern Finland is in a healthy state, with detective stories enjoying a particular boom of popularity. Ilkka Remes, a Finnish author of thrillers, is very popular. Visual arts Finns have made major contributions to handicrafts and industrial design. Finland's best-known sculptor of the twentieth century was Wäinö Aaltonen, remembered for his monumental busts and sculptures. Finnish architecture is famous around the world. Among the top of the twentieth century Finnish architects to win international recognition are Eliel Saarinen (designer of the widely recognised Helsinki Central railway station and many other public works) and his son Eero Saarinen. Alvar Aalto, who helped bring the functionalist architecture to Finland, is also famous for his work in furniture and glassware. Music Folk music Much of the music of Finland is influenced by traditional Karelian melodies and lyrics, as comprised in the Kalevala. Karelian culture is perceived as the purest expression of the Finnic myths and beliefs, less influenced by Germanic influence, in contrast to Finland's position between the East and the West. Finnish folk music has undergone a roots revival in recent decades, and has become a part of popular music. Sami music The people of northern Finland, Sweden and Norway, the Sami, are known primarily for highly spiritual songs called Joik. The same word sometimes refers to lavlu or vuelie songs, though this is technically incorrect. Classical and opera The Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (1865–1957), a significant figure in the history of classical music.The first Finnish opera was written by the German composer Fredrik Pacius in 1852. Pacius also wrote Maamme/Vårt land (Our Land), Finland's national anthem. In the 1890s Finnish nationalism based on the Kalevala spread, and Jean Sibelius became famous for his vocal symphony Kullervo. He soon received a grant to study runo singers in Karelia and continued his rise as the first prominent Finnish musician. In 1899 he composed Finlandia, which played its important role in Finland gaining independence. He remains one of Finland's most popular national figures and is a symbol of the nation. Today, Finland has a very lively classical music scene. Finnish classical music has only existed for about a hundred years, and many of the important composers are still alive, such as Magnus Lindberg, Kaija Saariaho, Aulis Sallinen and Einojuhani Rautavaara. The composers are accompanied with a large number of great conductors such as Sakari Oramo, Mikko Franck, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Osmo Vänskä, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Susanna Mälkki and Leif Segerstam. Some of the internationally acclaimed Finnish classical musicians are Karita Mattila, Soile Isokoski, Kari Kriikku, Pekka Kuusisto, Réka Szilvay and Linda Brava. Popular music Modern Finnish popular music includes a renowned heavy metal music scene, in common with other Nordic countries, as well as a number of prominent rock bands, jazz musicians, hip hop performers, and dance music acts such as Bomfunk MCs and Darude. Finnish electronic music such as the Sähkö Recordings record label enjoys underground acclaim. Iskelmä (coined directly from the German word Schlager, meaning hit) is a traditional Finnish word for a light popular song. Finnish popular music also includes various kinds of dance music; tango, a style of Argentinean music, is also popular. One of the most productive composers of popular music was Toivo Kärki, and the most famous singer Olavi Virta (1915–1972). Among the lyricists, Sauvo Puhtila (born 1928), Reino Helismaa (died 1965) and Veikko "Vexi" Salmi are the most remarkable authors. The composer and bandleader Jimi Tenor is well known for his brand of retro-funk music. Dance music Notable Finnish dance and electronic music artists include Jori Hulkkonen, Darude, JS16, DJ Proteus and DJ Orkidea. Rock and heavy metal music Apocalyptica's Perttu Kivilaakso playing metal music live.Finnish rock-music scene emerged in 1960s with pioneers such as Blues Section and Kirka. In the 1970s Finnish rock musicians started to write their own music instead of translating international hits into Finnish. During the decade some progressive rock groups, such as Tasavallan Presidentti and Wigwam, gained respect abroad but failed to make a commercial breakthrough outside Finland. This was also the fate of the rock and roll group Hurriganes. The Finnish punk scene produced some internationally acknowledged names including Terveet Kädet in 1980s. Hanoi Rocks was a pioneering 1980s-glam rock act that left perhaps a deeper mark in the history of popular music than any other Finnish group, giving inspiration for Guns N' Roses. In 1990s Finnish rock and metal music started to gain international fame with bands such as Catamenia, The 69 Eyes, Amorphis, Children of Bodom, Ensiferum, HIM, Lordi, Negative, Nightwish, The Rasmus, Sentenced, Sonata Arctica, and Stratovarius. In the later 1990s the cello metal group Apocalyptica played Metallica cover versions as cello quartettos and sold half a million records worldwide. Some of the Finland's most domestically popular rock groups are CMX and Eppu Normaali. In the 2000s, other Finnish rock bands started to sell well internationally. The Rasmus became more known in Europe (and other places, like South America) in the 2000s. Their 2003 album Dead Letters sold 1.5 million units worldwide and garnered them eight gold and five platinum album designations. But so far the most successful Finnish band in the United States has been HIM; they were the first band from Finland to ever sell an album that was certified gold by the RIAA. Most recently, the Finnish hard rock/heavy metal music band Lordi won the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest with a record 292 points, giving Finland its first ever victory, and the band Nightwish have sold world wide with their album Dark Passion Play. As of 2008, Finland has, according to some surveys, the most heavy metal bands in the world per-capita. The Tuska Open Air Metal Festival, one of the largest open-air heavy metal music festivals in the world, is held annually in Kaisaniemi, Helsinki. Ruisrock and Provinssirock are the most famous rock festivals held in Finland. Cinema In film industry, famous directors include Aki Kaurismäki, Timo Koivusalo, Aleksi Mäkelä and Klaus Härö. Hollywood film director/producer Renny Harlin (born Lauri Mauritz Harjola) was born in Finland. Media and communications Linus Torvalds, a famous Finnish software engineer, best known for initiating the development of the kernel of the Linux operating system.See also: Communications in Finland, List of newspapers in Finland, and List of Finnish television stations Until economic liberalization in the early 90s, media and communications were highly restricted. Self-censorship was common among allowed newspapers and private television channels were not allowed at all until 1993. Today there are 200 newspapers; 320 popular magazines, 2,100 professional magazines and 67 commercial radio stations, with one nationwide, five national public service radio channels, three digital radio channels. Each year around twelve feature films are made, 12,000 book titles published and 12 million records sold. SanomaWSOY publishes the newspaper Helsingin Sanomat (the circulation of 434,000 making it the largest newspaper), the tabloid Ilta-Sanomat, the commerce-oriented Taloussanomat, and the television channel Nelonen. The other major publisher Alma Media publishes over thirty magazines, including newspaper Aamulehti, tabloid Iltalehti and commerce-oriented Kauppalehti. Finns, along with other Nordic people and the Japanese, spend the most time in the world reading newspapers. The politically-controlled National Broadcasting Company YLE has five television channels and 13 radio channels in two national languages. YLE is funded through a mandatory license for television owners and fees for private broadcasters. In the 1990s politicians made a controversial decision to transform to a digital television standard, which has now been completed. The most popular television channel MTV3 and the most popular radio channel Radio Nova are owned by Nordic Broadcasting (Bonnier and Proventus Industrier). International newspapers such as Aftonbladet or Financial Times are available, but according to the sole importer the readership is only around 600,000 copies per year or around 2,000 on average day. Around 79 percent of the population use the Internet. Finland had around 1.52 million broadband Internet connections by the end of June 2007 or around 287 per 1,000 inhabitants. All Finnish schools and public libraries have Internet and a few computers. Most residents have a mobile phone. It's used mostly for contact and value-added services are rare. Cuisine Traditional Finnish cuisine is a combination of European, Fennoscandian and Western Russian elements; table manners are European. The food is generally simple, fresh and healthy. Fish, meat, berries and ground vegetables are typical ingredients whereas spices are not common due to their historical unavailability. In years past, Finnish food often varied from region to region, most notably between the west and east. In coastal and lakeside villages, fish was a main feature of cooking, whereas in the eastern and also northern regions, vegetables and reindeer were more common. The prototypical breakfast is oatmeal or other continental-style foods such as bread. Lunch is usually a full warm meal, served by a canteen at workplaces. Dinner is eaten at around 17.00 to 18.00 at home. Modern Finnish cuisine combines country fare and haute cuisine with contemporary continental cooking style. Today, spices are a prominent ingredient in many modern Finnish recipes, having been adopted from the east and west in recent decades. Public holidays 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 the Independence Day. Christmas is the most extensively celebrated holiday: usually at least 23rd to 26th of December are holidays. 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 metres of floor space are allowed Sunday business throughout the year, with the exception of official holidays and certain Sundays, such as Mother's Day and Father's Day. Sports Various sporting events are popular in Finland. Pesäpallo (reminiscent of baseball) is the national sport of Finland, although the most popular sports in Finland in terms of media coverage are Formula One, ice hockey and football. The Finnish national ice hockey team is considered one of the best in the world. During the past century there has been a rivalry in sporting between Finland and Sweden, mostly in ice hockey and athletics (Finland-Sweden athletics international). Jari Kurri and Teemu Selänne are the two Finnish-born ice hockey players to have scored 500 goals in their NHL careers. Football is also popular in Finland, though the national football team has never qualified for a finals tournament of the World Cup or the European Championships. Jari Litmanen and Sami Hyypiä are the most internationally renowned of the Finnish football players. Relative to its population, Finland has been a top country in the world in automobile racing, measured by international success. Finland has produced three Formula One World Champions – Keke Rosberg (Williams, 1982), Mika Häkkinen (McLaren, 1998 and 1999) and Kimi Räikkönen (Ferrari, 2007). Along with Räikkönen, the other Finnish Formula One driver currently active is Heikki Kovalainen (McLaren). Rosberg's son, Nico Rosberg (Williams), is also currently driving, but under his mother's German nationality. Other notable Finnish Grand Prix drivers include Leo Kinnunen, JJ Lehto and Mika Salo. Finland has also produced most of the world's best rally drivers, including the ex-WRC World Champion drivers Marcus Grönholm, Juha Kankkunen, Hannu Mikkola, Tommi Mäkinen, Timo Salonen and Ari Vatanen. The only Finn to have won a road racing World Championship, Jarno Saarinen, was killed in 1973 while racing. Among winter sports, Finland has been the most successful country in ski jumping, with former ski jumper Matti Nykänen being arguably the best ever in that sport. Most notably, he won five Olympic medals (four gold) and nine World Championships medals (five gold). Among currently active Finnish ski jumpers, Janne Ahonen has been the most successful. Kalle Palander is a well-known alpine skiing winner, who won the World Championship and Crystal Ball (twice, in Kitzbühel). Tanja Poutiainen has won an Olympic silver medal for alpine skiing, as well as multiple FIS World Cup races. Some of the most outstanding athletes from the past include Hannes Kolehmainen (1890–1966), Paavo Nurmi (1897–1973) and Ville Ritola (1896–1982) who won eighteen gold and seven silver Olympic medals in the 1910s and 1920s. They are also considered to be the first of a generation of great Finnish middle and long-distance runners (and subsequently, other great Finnish sportsmen) often named the "Flying Finns". Another long-distance runner, Lasse Virén (born 1949), won a total of four gold medals during the 1972 and 1976 Summer Olympics. Also, in the past, Riku Kiri, Jouko Ahola and Janne Virtanen have been the greatest strength athletes in the country, participating in the World's Strongest Man competition between 1993 and 2000. The 1952 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad, were held in 1952 in Helsinki, Finland. Other notable sporting events held in Finland include the 1983 and 2005 World Championships in Athletics, among others. Some of the most popular recreational sports and activities include floorball, Nordic walking, running, cycling and skiing. |
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