歐洲:
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 |
| 芬蘭 Finland 首都:赫爾辛基 國家代碼: fi |
 芬兰【國名釋義】意為“湖沼之國” 【面積】33.8145萬平方公裏。 【人口】523.66萬人（2004年底）。芬蘭有兩種官方語言：93%的人口所使用的芬蘭語和6%人口的母語瑞典語。少數人口包括了薩米人、俄羅斯人、猶太人等。 大多數芬蘭人(89%)信奉基督教路德宗，大約1%的人口則信奉東正教。其餘包括了少部分基督教新教其他教派的教徒、羅馬天主教徒、穆斯林和猶太教徒。鼕季戰爭後大約有12%的人口需要被安置。戰爭賠款、失業問題以及對芬蘭保持獨立前景的不確定曾導致了大批的移民在1970年代離開芬蘭。而到了1990年代，芬蘭又開始接收大批難民與移民。 【首都】 赫爾辛基（Helsinki）,人口55.9萬人(2004年底)。夏季平均氣溫16℃，鼕季平均氣溫－5℃。 首都赫爾辛基素稱“波羅的海明珠”，是一座 花園般現代化都市，街道寬闊，商業繁榮，現代建築和中世紀建都具濃郁的民族特色，市內衆多的各種類型的博物館吸引着各地遊人。 【國傢元首】 總統塔裏婭·哈洛寧（Tarja Halonen，女，社民黨人）,2000年3月1日就任。2006年3月1日連任。 【重要節日】獨立紀念日（12月6日） 【國旗】 呈長方形，長與寬之比為１８∶１１。旗地為白色。稍偏左側的十字形藍色寬條將旗面分為四個白色長方形。芬蘭以“千湖之國”著稱，西南臨波羅的海，旗上的藍色象徵湖泊，河流和海洋；另一說象徵藍天。芬蘭有三分之一的領土在北極圈內，氣候寒冷，旗上的白色象徵白雪覆蓋着的國土。旗面上的十字表示芬蘭歷史上與北歐其他國傢的密切關係。該國旗是１８６０年前後根據芬蘭詩人托查裏斯·托佩利烏斯的建議製作的。 【國徽】 為紅色盾徽。盾面上為一隻頭戴王冠的金色獅子，前爪握着一把劍，後爪踩着一把彎刀。九朵白色的玫瑰花點綴在獅子周圍。獅子象徵芬蘭人民的勇敢和力量，九朵玫瑰花代表芬蘭歷史上的九個省。 【國歌】 《祖國》 【國花】 鈴蘭（百合科） 【語言】 芬蘭語 【貨幣】 芬蘭馬剋 【同北京時差】 -6.00 【國際電話碼】 358 【簡況】 位於歐洲北部。與瑞典、挪威、俄羅斯接壤，南臨芬蘭灣，西瀕波的尼亞灣。海岸綫長1100公裏。地勢北高南低。北部與東部有高地，其餘大部分地區為丘陵和平原。內陸水域面積占全國面積的10%，有島嶼約17.9萬個，湖泊約18.8萬個，有“千湖之國”之稱。全國1/3的土地在北極圈內。屬溫帶海洋性氣候。平均氣溫鼕季-14℃-3℃，夏季13℃-17℃，年平均降雨600毫米。鼕季寒冷，僅南部較溫和。從南至北，1月平均氣溫約-4--16℃；7月氣溫16-13℃。年降水量約400-600毫米（三分之一為霰和雪）。森林面積占總面積的71％，以鬆和雲杉為主。水力資源豐富。有銅、鋅、金、鉻、鈷、鈦、釩等礦藏。 芬蘭最早的居民為拉普人，故芬蘭又稱拉普蘭，以後芬蘭人遷入，建立了芬蘭大公國。十二世紀後半期被瑞典統治。1809年俄瑞戰爭後並入帝俄，成為大公國。1917年12月芬蘭共和國宣佈獨立。 約9000年前冰河末期，芬蘭人的祖先從南方和東南方遷居至此。 在瑞典的埃裏剋國王(King Erik)1154年將基督教帶入芬蘭之後，兩國在700年間就一直保持着非常密切的關係。瑞典語一直是行政、教育機構的第一語言，而芬蘭語直到19世紀芬蘭民族主義高漲以及芬蘭的第一篇民族詩史《卡勒瓦拉》(Kalevala)發表後纔受到重視。 1808年芬蘭被沙皇亞歷山大一世的軍隊占領，此後芬蘭就一直就是俄羅斯帝國內的自治大公國，直到1917年。1917年12月6日俄國布爾什維剋革命(十月革命)後不久，芬蘭宣佈獨立。1918年這個國傢經歷了一次簡短但卻刻骨銘心的內戰。第二次世界大戰期間芬蘭與蘇聯兩度交手：1939~1940年的鼕季戰爭（這場戰爭中瑞典提供了芬蘭部分協助）以及1941~1944年的繼續戰爭（納粹德國對芬蘭提供了重要幫助）。1944年~1945年間的拉普蘭之戰中，芬蘭又將德國人趕出了芬蘭北部地區。1947年和1948年與蘇聯簽署的多份條約規定了芬蘭對蘇聯的義務與限製，芬蘭也在1940年和約的基礎上作出了更多的領土讓步。1991年蘇聯解體後芬蘭終於可以自己决定命運，並且在1995年加入歐盟。 【政治】 經過2003年3月的議會選舉，由中間黨、社民黨和瑞典族人民黨組成聯合政府執政。政府在內政方面力求保持國民經濟的穩定增長，提高就業率，實現中央財政盈餘，保障社會福利，發展教育、科研；對外積極參與歐盟决策，推動歐盟北部地區政策實施和波羅的海地區能源、核安全和環保領域合作的發展。 【憲法】 1919年7月17日頒布生效。憲法規定，國傢立法權由議會和共和國總統共同行使；總統是國傢元首，擁有掌管外交、統率三軍等實權，每六年選舉一次。1999年芬議會通過新憲法，名稱由《政府組織法》改為《憲法》。新憲法加強了議會和政府在國傢政治生活中的作用，削減了總統部分權力。 【議會】 一院製，國傢最高權力機關和立法機關。由選民直接選舉的200名議員組成，任期4年。主要職能是立法、監督政府、監督財政。本屆議會於2003年3月選舉産生。中間黨55席、社民黨53席、聯合黨41席、左翼聯盟19席、緑色聯盟14席、瑞典族人民黨9席、基督教聯盟6席、正統芬蘭人黨3席。議長帕沃·利波寧（Paavo Lipponen，社民黨），2003年4月22日當選。 【政府】 本屆政府是2003年4月17日由中間黨、社民黨、瑞典族人民黨三黨聯合組成。共有閣員18名，其中女閣員有8名。現任內閣成員為：總理馬蒂·萬哈寧（Matti Vanhanen，中間黨），副總理兼財政部長埃羅·海奈盧奧馬（Eero Heinaluoma，社民黨）、外長埃爾基·圖奧米奧亞（Erkki Tuomioja，社民黨），外貿和發展部長瑪麗·基維涅米（Mari Kiviniemi,女,中間黨），司法部長萊娜·盧赫塔寧（Leena Luhtanen，女，社民黨），內政部長卡裏·拉亞邁基（Kari Rajamaki，社民黨），地方事務部長漢內斯·曼尼寧（Hannes Manninen，中間黨），國防部長塞波·凱裏埃寧（Seppo Kaariainen，中間黨），第二財長烏拉－瑪伊·維德羅斯（Ulla-Maj Wideroos，女，瑞典族人民黨），教育部長安蒂·卡利奧邁基（Antti Kalliomaki，社民黨）,文化部長塔尼婭·卡佩拉（Tanja Karpela，女，中間黨），農林部長尤哈·剋爾凱亞奧亞（Juha Korkeaoja，中間黨），交通和通信部長蘇珊娜·霍維寧（Susanna Huovinen,女），貿工部長毛裏·佩卡裏寧（Mauri Pekkarinen，中間黨），社會衛生部長圖拉·哈泰寧（Tuula Haatainen，女，社民黨），社會福利部長利薩·希薩拉（Liisa Hyssala，女，中間黨），勞動部長塔裏婭·費拉托夫（Tarja Filatov，女，社民黨），環境部長揚-埃裏剋·埃內斯塔姆（Jan-Erik Enestam，瑞典族人民黨）。 【網址】 政府網址：http//www.valtioneuvosto.fi； 議會網址：http://www.eduskunta.fi； 外交部網址：http://formin.finland.fi； 【行政區劃】 芬蘭最早有12個省份(芬蘭語：單數lääni，復數läänit;瑞典語：län)，1997年重新劃定行政區後現有省份減少到6個： 奧蘭府 (芬蘭語：Ahvenanmaan maakunta；瑞典語：Åland) 東芬蘭省 (芬蘭語：Itä-Suomen lääni；瑞典語：Östra Finlands län) 拉普蘭省 (芬蘭語：Lapin lääni；瑞典語：Lapplands län) 奧盧省 (芬蘭語：Oulun lääni；瑞典語：Uleåborgs län) 南芬蘭省 (芬蘭語：Etelä-Suomen lääni；瑞典語：Södra Finlands län) 西芬蘭省 (芬蘭語：Länsi-Suomen lääni；瑞典語：Västra Finlands län) 其中奧蘭府(Åland)享有高度自治。 【司法機構】 最高司法機關為最高法院和最高行政法院。最高法院由院長和19名法官組成，負責審理民事和刑事案件。最高行政法院由院長和20名法官組成，負責審理政府機構和省、市（縣）機構的行政案件。起訴機關是各級檢察院。另設有國傢法律監察官，有權出席內閣會議，監督總統、內閣和政府各部門的决定是否符合憲法規定。最高法院和最高行政法院的院長、法官以及最高檢察長均由總統任命。最高法院院長葆琳·高斯科洛（Pauliine Koskelo，女），2006年1月就任；最高行政法院院長貝卡·哈爾貝格（Pekka Hallberg）,1993年就任；最高檢察長馬蒂·庫西麥基（Matti Kuusimaki）,1997年就任；國傢法律監察官帕沃·尼古拉（Paavo Nikula），1998年就任。議會法律監察官麗塔-萊娜·鮑尼歐（Riitta-Leena PAUNIO），2003年就任。 【政黨】 芬蘭是一個多黨製國傢，在2003年3月議會選舉中註册的政黨有21個，主要政黨是中間黨、社民黨和聯合黨。 （1）芬蘭中間黨（Centre Party of Finland）：執政黨，1906年成立。曾先後稱農村居民聯盟、農民聯盟和中間力量，1988年6月改為現名。黨員約20萬人。二次大戰後一直入閣。1987年3月議會選舉後被排斥在政府之外。1991年3月議會選舉獲勝，以第一大黨資格組閣。1995年3月議會選舉失利，但仍為議會第二大黨。2003年議會大選再次獲勝，重新以第一大黨資格組閣。主張維護農業在國民經濟中的地位。對外主張裁軍、緩和。主席馬蒂·萬哈寧（Matti Vanhanen,2003年10月當選）。 （2）芬蘭社會民主黨（The Finnish Social Democratic Party）:執政黨，1899年成立，原名芬蘭工人黨，議會第二大黨，黨員5.9萬人。曾多次執政，2003年3月議會選舉後與中間黨和瑞典族人民黨組成多黨聯合政府。倡導民主、自由，主張嚮經濟民主化發展，實行適應經濟發展的社會變革，建立民主社會主義。在國際上積極從事爭取維和、裁軍活動。主席帕沃·利波寧（Paavo Lipponen, 1993年6月首次當選，至2002年兩次連任）。 （3）瑞典族人民黨（The Swedish People's Party）：執政黨，1906年成立。由芬蘭的瑞典族人組成，黨員3萬餘人。對內維護瑞典族居民的社會地位和權利，對外支持芬官方外交政策。2003年議會大選後同中間黨和社民黨繼續聯合執政。主席揚－埃裏剋·埃內斯塔姆（Jan-Erik Enestam，1998年當選）。 （4）民族聯合黨（The National Coalition Party）：簡稱聯合黨，在野黨，1918年成立。議會第三大黨，黨員約7萬人。主要代表資産階級利益，主張同西方保持緊密的經濟、政治關係。1987年起連續三屆執政，2003年議會大選中失敗，成為在野黨。主席於爾基·卡泰寧（Jyrki Katainen，2004年當選）。 （5）芬蘭左翼聯盟（The Finnish Left Union）:簡稱左聯。在野黨，現有黨員3.42萬人。1990年5月由芬蘭共産黨和人民民主聯盟合併組成，提出今後黨的政治活動和組織形式要適應資本主義社會的變化，宗旨不再是奪取政權和實行國有化，而是在資本主義制度內擴大社會主義成份。1995年3月議會選舉後入閣，2003年議會大選後成為在野黨。黨主席蘇薇－安妮·西梅斯（Suvi-Anne Siimes，女）。 （6）緑色聯盟（The Green League）：在野黨，由不同思想的協會和地區性協會組成，沒有個人盟員。1983年3月議會選舉中首次獲得2個議席；5月舉行第一次全國性會議。1987年秋，决定成立緑色聯盟。1991年3月議會選舉後議席大幅度增加，但因能源政策上分歧未能入閣。1995年3月議會選舉後入閣，2002年因議會通過新建核電站計劃退出政府，成為在野黨。主席奧斯莫·索伊寧瓦拉（Osmo Soininvaara，2001年當選）。 （7）芬蘭基督教聯盟（The Finnish Christian Union）：在野黨，1958年成立，盟員1.8萬人，以基督教教義作為聯盟的宗旨。1960年議會選舉中首次獲得席位。主席拜依維·萊塞寧(Paivi Rasanen,女）。 （8）正統芬蘭人黨（The True Finns）：原名農村黨，在野黨，1959年從芬蘭中間力量分裂出來。黨員2萬人。主張維護小農、城市貧民和中小企業利益。曾自稱是官方政策的堅定反對派，後來對政策進行了調整。1983年議會選舉後首次參加政府。1990年8月，因提出國民養老金的預算提議未被采納，退出政府。1991年議會選舉後在野。主席蒂莫·索依尼（Timo Soini，1997年當選）。 （9）芬蘭共産黨(The Finnish Communist Party):在野黨，於1986年4月由原芬共中分裂出來的“少數派”組成。1990年芬共停止活動並入“左聯”後，該黨以芬共（團结派）的名義繼續開展活動，宣稱要繼承芬蘭共産黨的傳統。黨員約4000人。1994年11月該黨舉行黨代會，决定改稱共産黨。於爾約.哈卡寧（Yrjo Hakkanen）當選黨主席至今。 【重要人物】 總統：塔裏婭·哈洛寧，女，1943年生。法學碩士，社民黨人，議員。1970年起任芬工會中央聯盟法律事務顧問，1974至75年任總理秘書，1977至96年任赫爾辛基市議會議員。1979年當選國會議員，曾任議會社會事務委員會主席和大委員會主席。1987至90年任社會衛生部長，1990至91年任司法部長。1995年4月出任外長，2000年當選為芬蘭歷史上第一位女總統，2006年1月獲選連任。70年代曾來華旅遊。1995年9月率團參加北京世婦會，1996年4月陪同芬總統訪華。1997年出席香港回歸儀式。1998年9月以外長身份訪華。2002年11月應邀對華進行國事訪問。已婚，丈夫彭蒂·阿拉耶爾維（Pentti Arajarvi）。生有一女。 總理：馬蒂·萬哈寧，1955年生。政治學碩士，中間黨人。1980-83年任中間黨青年聯盟主席，1981-84年任埃斯堡市議會議員。1981-2003年任青年基金會副主席、主席。1985-91年任KEHASANOMAT報社編輯、總編。1991年當選國會議員。1991-95年任議會環境委員會副主席，2000-01年任議會大委員會主席。1994-2001年任中間黨議會黨團副主席，2000年起擔任中間黨副主席。2002年-2003年4月任歐盟製憲籌備會議的芬蘭代表。2003年4月出任國防部長，6月24日接替因泄密事件而辭職的耶滕邁基出任總理。2005年9月非正式訪華，赴上海、江蘇、廣東等地訪問。已婚，有兩個子女。 議長：帕沃·利波寧，1941年出生於林場主家庭，政治學碩士，社民黨主席。60年代曾任赫爾辛基大學學報和芬廣播公司記者。後在社民黨總部擔任政策研究及國際事務書記、計劃部主任，1979-1982年任總理秘書，1983年任勞工部政治秘書，1989-1991年任芬外交政策研究所所長。1964年加入社民黨，並先後任區委主席、中央委員等職，1983-1987年、1991年至今任議會議員，1993年當選社民黨主席。1995年4月起任總理,連任兩屆。2003年4月當選議長。熟悉國際問題，曾多次在其他北歐國傢、西歐國傢、前蘇聯和美國作報告或講學，並在瑞典、英、德國報刊上撰文。1998年正式訪華。夫人拜依維·利波寧(Paivi Lipponen)，哲學碩士。 【經濟】 80年代，芬蘭經濟以年平均增長3.7 %的速度持續發展。90年代初，經濟出現嚴重衰退。1993年開始復蘇，1994年以來經濟總體上發展良好。芬政府90年代初完成經濟結構調整，增大知識型經濟在國民經濟中所占比重，重視科技投入，發展高新技術和信息技術，在宏觀上繼續執行緊縮財政、鼓勵投資、削減社會福利、降低所得稅、加快國有企業私有化進程、改善就業的政策，使經濟保持穩定增長。上世紀90年代中後期經濟增長保持在5％左右。1999年加入歐元，2002年1月歐元正式流通，取代芬蘭馬剋。2004年國內生産總值為1497億歐元，比上年增長3.7%，人均國內生産總值2.86萬歐元。2003、2004、2005連續3年被世界經濟論壇評為年度“世界最具競爭力的國傢”。 工業以木材（采伐、加工）和造紙為主，次為煉油、機械、造船、鋼鐵、有色冶金、紡織等。乳用畜牧業發達。耕地衹占總面積的9％，大部種植飼料作物，餘種小麥、大麥、馬鈴薯、甜菜等。出口收入的40-50％為木材、木材製品、紙張和紙漿，餘為金屬製品和畜産品（肉、乳品）等。進口以機器、煤、石油、金屬、運輸設備、棉花和煙草為主。對外交通重海運；內陸湖區交通重要，有運河聯繫許多湖泊，航程達6，600多公裏。旅遊業發達。 2004年主要經濟指標如下： 國內生産總值:1497億歐元。 人均國內生産總值：2.86萬歐元。 國內生産總值增長率：3.7%。 貨幣名稱：歐元（Euro） 匯率：1美元＝0.8840歐元（2003年） 通貨膨脹率:0.9% 失業率：9.0 % 【資源】 森林覆蓋率高達66.7%，約2024.7萬公頃，人均占有量3.89公頃，木材儲積量20.48億立方米。礦産資源中銅較多，還有少量的鐵、鎳、釩、鈷等。泥炭資源豐富，已探明儲量約700億立方米，相當於40億噸石油。有兩座核電站（四個核反應堆）。 【工業】 2003年工業産值400.12億歐元,約占國內生産總産值31.1%。工業從業人口為64.2萬人，約占總勞力的34.2%。工業90年代得到快速發展，已從勞動、資金密集型轉變為技術密集型。建立在森林基礎上的木材加工、造紙和林業機械製造業為經濟支柱，並具有世界領先水平，整個森林工業産量占世界總産量的5%，是世界第二大紙張、紙板出口國（占世界出口量的25%）及世界第四大紙漿出口國。近年來，化工、電子工業迅速發展，2003年主要工業産品産量如下： 2001 2002 2003 圓材（百萬立方米）53.3 54.2 55 紙漿（百萬立方米）27.6 27.8 （資料來源: 2004年芬蘭統計年鑒） 【信息業】 信息産業發達，極大地促進了本國經濟的發展。2003年的産值為33.92億歐元，占GDP的2.8%。芬蘭是因特網接入比例和人均手機持有量最高的國傢之一，2003年每1000人擁有219個接入終端，手機普及率為91%。 【農林業】 林業發達，農畜産品自給有餘。2003年農林業産值為43.67億歐元，占當年國內生産總值3%。農林密切結合，幾乎所有的農戶都經營一定數量的林地。2002年耕地約221.55萬公頃，從事農林業的勞動力為11.3萬，約占總勞力的5.1%。主要農畜産品産量如下（單位：萬噸）： 2001 2002 2003 小麥48.9 56.9 67.9 大麥178.7 173.9 169.7 燕麥128.7 150.8 129.5 黑麥6.4 7.3 7.3 牛奶（億公升）23.8 23.8 23.2 黃油6.1 6.1 5.8 肉類34.0 35.9 37.4 雞蛋5.7 5.5 5.6 （資料來源：2004年芬蘭統計年鑒） 【服務業】 服務業發達，80年代以來更為完善。基本分為私人服務業和公共管理服務業兩大類。主要包括商業、貿易、旅館、飯店、銀行、保險、社會性服務業和公共服務業。2003年服務業産值為780.8億歐元，占國內生産總值的54.4%，從業人口為69.5萬，占總勞力的31.2%。 【旅遊業】 2003年外國來芬旅遊者共433萬人次，旅遊收入16.55億歐元，占國內生産總值的1.15%。遊客主要來自瑞典、俄羅斯、德國、英國、美國等。主要旅遊點是赫爾辛基、圖爾庫、東部湖區、北部拉畢地區和奧蘭島。 旅遊項目： 采摘 到野外采摘野漿果和野蘑菇，是領略芬蘭清純大自然的途徑之一。在其他國傢，你可能需要繳費，並且有地區限製，但在芬蘭國傢法規Everyman's Rights的保障下，可以隨意采摘。 在芬蘭，有67％的人會以此作為夏季的活動項目。 天文景觀 極夜與極晝 由於芬蘭的拉普蘭省的大部分位於北極圈內，所以可以看到極夜與極晝，在極晝中，午夜的天空也不會灰暗，即使在南部海岸，也有19－20個小時的日照。 北極光 在寒冷、乾燥的夜晚，緯度越大，越有多的機會看到北極光，北部的烏茨約基，每年觀賞北極光的日期為11月25日到1月17日 【交通運輸】 交通運輸業發達，以鐵路和公路為主。2003年交通運輸情況： 鐵路：總長5851公裏，41%為電氣化，客運量33億人公裏，貨運量100億噸公裏。 公路:總長78197公裏,其中653公裏高速公路。各種機動車263萬輛，其中小汽車約227.5萬輛、公共汽車1.04萬輛、貨車35.94萬輛，客運量77億人公裏，貨運量269億噸公裏。 水運：商船630艘，總噸位148.4萬噸；內河航綫長9149公裏,客運量0.1億人公裏,貨運量4億噸公裏；沿海航綫長9534公裏，客運量1.37億人公裏，貨運量25億噸公裏；水運港口近30個，總吞吐量31億噸。重要港口有赫爾辛基、圖爾庫、科特卡和波裏。 空運：有157個機場，4傢航空公司，697架民用飛機，國際航綫35條；客運量11億人公裏；貨運量200萬噸公裏;國際機場有赫爾辛基、圖爾庫和坦佩雷等。 管道：天然氣管道580公裏。 【財政金融】 國傢財政收支情況（單位:億歐元）: 2001 2002 2003 收入(不包括藉債) 354.26 363.53 364.13 支出360.72 355.11 368.97 差額-6.46 +8.42 -4.84 （資料來源: 2004年芬蘭統計年鑒） 2003年外匯儲備80.45億歐元，其中黃金儲備5.15億歐元；國際收支經常項目順差105.99億歐元，淨外債纍计633.2億歐元，占國內生産總值的44.2%。 【對外貿易】 2003年出口額為463.78億歐元，占國內生産總值57%，有貿易關係的國傢約50個。近幾年對外貿易情況如下（單位:億歐元）: 2001 2002 2003 出口478 472.45 463.78 進口358.91 356.11 367.75 差額119.1 116.34 96.03 （資料來源：2004年芬蘭統計年鑒） 芬出口商品主要有機械設備、化工産品、金屬、紙張紙板等；進口商品主要有食品、石油及石油産品、鋼鐵、紡織品、飼料等。主要貿易對象為歐盟國傢。2003年對歐盟國傢的進出口分別占進出口總額的55%和53%，對其他歐洲國傢的進出口分別占13%和9%，對北美地區進出口占5%和9.2%，對經合組織成員進出口占73%和74%，對發展中國傢進出口占12%和14%。2003年，芬主要貿易夥伴依次為德、瑞典、俄、英、美。 【對外投資】 芬直接投資國主要為瑞典及其它歐盟國傢，外國對芬直接投資主要來自瑞典、荷蘭和美國等國傢。2003年芬對外直接投資543.96億歐元,外國對芬投資額367.38億歐元。 【對外援助】 90年代初芬經濟衰退，政府被迫大幅削減外援款項，1994年後有所增加。對外援助情況如下（單位:億歐元）: 2001 2002 2003 總額4.35 4.9 4.94 占國內生産總值百分比0.32% 0.35% 0.35% （資料來源：2004年芬蘭統計年鑒） 主要受援國為：坦桑尼亞、贊比亞、莫桑比剋、肯尼亞、越南、埃及、尼加拉瓜、中國、埃塞俄比亞和尼泊爾。 【著名公司】 芬歐匯川集團（UPM－Kymmene）是世界第三大紙和紙製品生産商，具有百年歷史，在芬擁有93萬公頃森林，年平均消費林材24萬立方米。主要生産紙張紙漿、紙板和包裝薄膜。2003年有雇員3.3萬人，淨銷售額99億歐元，盈利10.6億歐元。1999年在江蘇投資6億美元建立芬歐匯川（常熟）紙廠，年産35萬噸優質文化用紙。2003年在華營業額為5億美元。2005年9月，芬歐匯川在江蘇常熟的投資興建的第二條造紙生産綫正式投産，芬總理萬哈寧出席慶祝活動。 諾基亞集團（Nokia）公司成立於1865年，早期從事造紙、化工、橡膠行業，60年代開始進入電信市場，近十年得到快速發展。主要生産移動和固定電信網絡設備及移動電話，在9個國傢設有17個工廠，在14個國傢設有研發中心，現已成為世界最大移動電話生産商，全球領先的數字移動和固定網絡供應商。2003年有雇員5.14萬人，銷售額294.55億歐元，盈利53.45億歐元。中國已成為諾基亞全球第二大市場，其纍计在華投資超過23億歐元。2001年在華銷售收入34億歐元,出口25億歐元。2000年5月，諾基亞星網（國際）工業園在北京落成。 斯托拉－恩索紙業集團（StoraEnso）由瑞典斯托拉紙業公司和芬蘭恩索紙業公司於1998年合併組建而成。為世界最大的林業生産集團之一，主要生産雜志用紙、新聞紙、包裝用紙和辦公用紙等。2004年有雇員4.5萬，銷售額124億歐元。1998年在蘇州建立年産12萬噸膠版紙的工廠。 富騰工程有限公司（Fortum）歐洲主要能源公司之一，由耐思特（NESTE）工程公司、IVO有限公司等組成。經營範圍包括石油和天然氣，電力和熱能，工程建造、運營和維護，業務幾乎涉及所有能源領域。2004年公司有雇員1.3萬人，銷售額117億歐元，盈利19億歐元。富騰在中國市場開展業務已有20年歷史，主要在石油、天然氣、太陽能、區域供熱、熱電混合産品和環保技術等領域提供服務和係統設備。 凱斯科（Kesko）1940年由四傢零售商合併組建而成，90年代開始實行連鎖經營，並獲得快速發展。公司主要從事食品、傢居用品等批發零售，建築裝修及農業産品的流通和銷售。2003年有雇員1.5萬人，銷售額70.7億歐元，盈利1.62億歐元。 【人民生活】 2003年，勞動力人均收入為2.75萬歐元。2002年，社會保障和醫療保險開支占當年GDP的26.4%。2003年，全國擁有醫生16633人，病床37656張，每千人擁有3.2名醫生，7.2張病床；每千人擁有小汽車436輛、電話492部、移動電話909部；人均住房面積36.3平方米。 【軍事】 總統為軍隊最高統帥。國防委員會是最高咨詢機構。總理負責領導民政方面的國防活動。國防軍總司令負責軍事方面的國防活動。國防軍總司令海軍上將尤哈尼·卡斯凱亞拉（Juhani Kaskeala）2001年6月4日就任。實行普遍義務兵役製，服役期6-12個月。 常備武裝力量4.15萬人，其中陸軍2.73萬人；海軍3000人,艦艇總噸位1.3萬噸；空軍4500人，主戰飛機為F－18C。 2003年國防預算為20.06億歐元，占政府預算的5.4%。 【教育】 教育事業發達。1921年起實行義務教育。1980年起在全國實行9年一貫製義務、免費教育。2003年全國有各類學校5103所，在校學生超過190.1萬人。 2003年教育預算為57.86億歐元，占政府預算的15.7%。著名高等學校有赫爾辛基大學、赫爾辛基技術大學、坦佩雷大學等。2002年各級學校數、學生及教師人數： 學校（所） 學生（人） 教師（人） 基礎學校3873 606600 43783 普通高中441 131800 7480 職業學校300 197500 13854 專科學院30 135000 5844 綜合性大學20 166000 7728 2003年，芬全國有各類圖書館968傢，公民人均年藉書20.9本。 【新聞出版】 2003年，全國共有報紙205種，其中每周發行4-7期的日報53種；各種雜志、期刊5042種。主要報刊、創刊年及發行量：《赫爾辛基新聞》，1904年，43.96萬份；《晚間新聞》，19.87萬份；《晨報》，1882年，13.63萬份；《晚報》，12.13萬份；《圖爾庫新聞》，11.15萬份；《首都日報》，1864年，5萬份。有5傢通訊社，其中最大的是芬蘭通訊社，簡稱芬通社，1915年成立，屬半官方性質，同世界主要通訊社均有業務聯繫。外國在芬的通訊分社有15傢。 芬蘭廣播公司（Finnish Broadcasting Company, YLE）：1926年成立，1934年改為國營。對外用芬蘭語、瑞典語、英語、德語和法語廣播。1958年正式開播電視，現有電視1臺、電視2臺、電視3臺。此外還有私營廣告電視臺。70年代開始有有綫電視（赫爾辛基有綫電視臺）。 【對外關係】 戰後長期奉行同蘇聯保持睦鄰友好關係、不介入大國衝突、同各國發展友好關係的“積極的和平中立政策”。冷戰結束、蘇聯解體後，芬蘭對其外交政策進行了重大調整，將發展同歐盟的關係作為外交重點。1995年1月1日起成為歐盟正式成員。芬仍堅持奉行軍事不結盟和獨立可靠的防務政策，密切與北約的合作，同時繼續與俄羅斯保持睦鄰關係，支持俄融入國際社會。芬已正式承認183個國傢，與165個國傢有外交關係（截至2004年）。 【對當前重大國際問題的態度】 關於世界形勢：認為國際形勢總體趨嚮緩和，但“9·11”事件後，世界安全形勢發生了深刻變化，民族矛盾、地區衝突、恐怖主義、大規模殺傷性武器擴散及環境污染等問題構成新的全球安全威脅。主張通過國際合作和發揮聯合國的核心作用應對上述挑戰。 關於全球化進程：認為全球化既有積極也有消極一面。全球化帶來的新科技尤其是信息技術的應用增加了各國間的依賴度，並在某種程度上提高了民主和人權的重要性。但全球化同時造成了貧富差距拉大和地區性發展不平衡等問題。同坦桑尼亞等國共同提出“赫爾辛基進程”，目的是建立一個討論全球化問題的論壇，通過對話與合作就正確引導和管理全球化提出具體建議。 關於歐洲形勢：認為歐洲目前不存在大戰危險，但非傳統安全因素對歐洲安全的影響日益深遠。認為歐盟和北約是歐安機製的主要决定因素。北約東擴的政治意義大於其軍事意義。北約正嚮政治組織的方向發展，但將保留集體防禦組織的性質。歐盟東擴強化了歐洲整體穩定。支持歐盟發展共同外交和安全政策，但反對因此損害跨大西洋合作關係。支持歐盟立憲，強調保護小國利益和保持歐盟各機構權力的平衡，不贊成設歐盟常任主席。 關於聯合國作用及其改革：認為聯合國及其安理會是維護世界和平、實踐國際法的主要機製，主張加強聯合國的作用，維護聯合國的權威，反對單邊主義。認為聯合國改革勢在必行，支持擴大安理會。積極參與聯合國維持和平活動，主張所有地區性組織在解决衝突和危機中應與聯合國密切合作。 關於反恐鬥爭：支持並參與國際反恐鬥爭，同時主張重視貧睏和發展問題，從源頭上防止恐怖主義。認為反恐過程中不應搞單邊主義、製造不同文明和宗教的對立。單憑軍事手段不能根除恐怖主義，應進行廣泛的國際合作，並充分發揮聯合國的核心作用。 關於伊拉剋問題：強調聯合國在嚮伊提供人道主義援助和戰後維和以及重建工作中應發揮主導作用。主張國際社會應積極合作，共同參與維和行動。芬明確表示願在聯合國安理會授權的前提下派遣維和人員赴伊。2004年通過世界銀行和聯合國重建與發展基金嚮伊提供約500萬歐元的資助。 【同中國的關係】1950年10月28日中芬建交，1951年互設公使館，1954年升格為大使館。建交以來兩國關係一直友好。雙方簽有雙邊年度貿易協定和支付協定、航空協定、海運協定、經濟、工業和科技合作協定、文化協定、投資保護協定、避免雙重徵稅協定、開發信貸協定和科技合作協定及專業領域的交流與合作諒解備忘錄。 2005 年， 中共中央政治局常委、中紀委書記吳官正，國務院副總理回良玉， 全國人大常委會副委員長路甬祥以及 四川省省長張中偉、河北省政協主席趙金鐸等80餘起副部級以上代表團訪問或過境芬蘭。2005年9月，芬總理萬哈寧對上海、江蘇和廣東進行非正式訪問。芬蘭前總統阿赫蒂薩裏、農林部長科爾凱奧亞、司法部長科斯基寧、文化部長卡佩拉、國防部長凱裏埃寧及芬蘭議會外事委員會、法律委員會、農林委員會、銀行監管專員和議會秘書長代表團等分別訪華。2005年2月，芬蘭外交部國務秘書滿薩拉來華與中國外交部副部長張業遂舉行政治磋商。5月，中國外交部長李肇星在日本出席亞歐外長會議期間會見芬蘭外交部長圖奧米奧亞。 2005 年 5月，中國人民解放軍副總參謀長許其亮中將訪芬。6月，芬蘭國防軍總參謀長林畢中將訪華。10月，芬蘭國防部長凱裏埃寧訪華。 2005 年，中芬貿易總額為62.54億美元，同比增長13.4%，其中中方出口額為36.26億美元，進口額為26.28億美元，同比分別增長45.4%和減少13%。 芬連續第三年成為中國在北歐地區第一大貿易夥伴。 2005 年 3月和5月，兩國分別簽署《中芬農業合作諒解備忘錄》和新的《中芬經濟、工業和科學技術合作協定》。7月，芬蘭國傢旅遊局駐京辦事處正式成立。9月，芬蘭航空公司開通赫爾辛基至廣州直航航綫。 9 月， 芬蘭貿工部與浦東新區政府在上海浦東張江科技園區設立“芬中創新中心”。 中國駐芬蘭大使:張直鑒（2002年3月到任）。館址：Vanha kelkkamaki 9-11,00570 Helsinki, Finland；網址：www.chinemb.fi；電話(國傢地區號3589): 2289 0110(辦公室)，684 8416(商務處);傳真: 2289 0168(使館),6849595(商務處)。 芬蘭駐華大使：郭安祺（Antti Kuosmanen，2005年12月遞交國書）。館址：北京朝陽區光華路1號嘉裏中心南樓26層,郵政編碼100020；網址：www.finland-in-china.com；電話:85298541/42/43傳真:85298547；商務處電話：85298625/26/27/28傳真：85298559。 【同歐洲聯盟的關係】1995年1月1日正式加入歐盟。1999年1月1日在北歐國傢中率先加入歐元。2001年3月25日正式實施<<申根協定>>。芬與歐盟其他成員國的貿易約占芬外貿總額的56%，對外投資近一半面嚮歐盟國傢。主張歐盟成為一個政府間合作機構，支持並參加歐盟統一的外交和安全政策，支持歐盟東擴和實現經貿聯盟。芬於1997年嚮歐盟提出北部地區政策倡議，主張歐盟加強同包括俄羅斯在內的歐洲北部地區的合作，促進經濟發展和地區安全與穩定，該計劃2000年獲得通過。2004年，歐盟委員會主席普羅迪、歐盟共同外交和安全政策高級代表索拉納、歐盟對外關係委員彭定康及貿易委員拉米分別訪芬。 【同俄羅斯的關係】1992年1月，芬同俄羅斯簽署《芬俄兩國關係基礎條約》，同時宣佈廢除《芬蘇友好合作互助條約》。芬認為歐洲共同價值觀、民主觀、人權觀已成為芬俄關係的基礎，積極支持並呼籲國際社會支援俄的民主改革進程，推動發展歐俄關係。芬俄關係密切，合作主要涉及能源、環保、核安全、海運安全等領域。俄是芬第三大貿易夥伴。2004年，芬總統、總理、外長、外貿部長分別訪俄，俄總理弗拉德科夫訪芬。 【同北歐及波海三國的關係】同北歐國傢的傳統合作是芬外交政策的重要支柱。主張歐盟北歐成員國應在涉及到北歐的重大問題上協調立場，以維護北歐國傢的利益，同時進一步深化北歐國傢在能源、環保、軍工方面的合作。芬、瑞、丹三國建立了在歐盟首腦會前磋商的機製。2004年，芬承辦“歐盟擴大後的北部地區合作大會”，芬總理出席波海國傢理事會第五屆首腦會議。芬總理訪問丹麥，芬議長和外長分別訪問瑞典，瑞典首相佩爾鬆、挪威首相邦德維剋、愛沙尼亞總理帕茨分別訪芬。 【同美國和北約的關係】芬重視同美國的關係，認為美在歐洲仍發揮重要作用。90年代以來芬先後從美購買64架F－18型戰鬥機及配套防護係統。近年來雙方互訪頻繁。2004年，芬總統、外長、國防部長和外貿部長分別訪美，芬議長率北歐及波海地區國傢議長代表團訪美。芬主張加強與北約合作，但目前不準備加入北約。1992年6月，芬成為北大西洋合作委員會（NACC）的觀察員，1994年5月與北約簽署“和平夥伴關係計劃”框架協議。1997年芬首次派出156人快速反應部隊赴挪威參加北約聯合軍事演習。同年11月在布魯塞爾正式設立駐北約代表處。2004年，北約秘書長夏侯雅伯訪芬，芬總統出席歐洲-大西洋夥伴關係委員會首腦會議。 【同發展中國傢的關係】 芬重視對發展中國傢關係。認為發展中國傢的經濟和社會問題並未減少，貧睏正在增加。工業國傢應重視發展問題。積極支持南北對話，主張建立國際經濟新秩序。2004年，芬總統訪問尼加拉瓜，芬外長訪問印度、吉爾吉斯斯坦、亞美尼亞，芬外貿部長訪問越南、泰國、烏剋蘭。巴基斯坦總統穆沙拉夫訪芬。2004年，芬大幅度提高對外發展援助資金，首次占到國內生産總值的0.7%。 【文化】 芬蘭嚴峻的氣候條件以及特殊的地理位置和歷史，使芬蘭人形成了極富北歐特色的民族性格和文化。芬蘭人性格內斂，行事低調，但實際上內心充滿民族自豪感，在全球化的今天並不隨波逐流，而是堅定的維護着自己的傳統文化。 芬蘭有很多著名的藝術傢：偉大的音樂傢西貝柳斯開創了民族音樂的新紀元，被譽為芬蘭民族音樂之父；語言學家倫洛特搜集編撰的充滿傳奇色彩的民族史詩《卡勒瓦拉》成為世界文學史中最偉大的史詩之一；著名建築大師阿爾瓦·阿爾托以充滿芬蘭本土傳統浪漫風格的設計在現代主義建築設計潮流中獨樹一幟。芬蘭還有一批世界一流的藝術傢。尤為特別的是，芬蘭極具本民族文化特色的設計風格使許多幾十年前的工藝品和建築物在現代人眼中仍是新穎別緻、富有想象力的傑作。出自芬蘭設計大師之手的作品大都以簡潔實用的設計風格、優質的材料和精美的做工而享譽世界。 芬蘭還是聖誕老人的故鄉。1927年芬蘭的兒童故事大王瑪爾庫斯在電臺講故事時說，聖誕老人和兩萬頭馴鹿一起就住在芬蘭和蘇聯分界的拉普蘭省“耳朵山”上，正是因為有“耳朵”，聖誕老人才能在北極聽到世界上所有孩子的心聲。他的這種頗有感染力的浪漫推理獲得了世人認可，從此，故事中的“耳朵山”就成了聖誕老人的故鄉。在每年的平安夜孩子們在睡覺前將長筒襪挂在壁爐旁，然後帶着熱切的期盼進入夢鄉，聖誕老人晚上就會乘着馴鹿拉的雪橇，把聖誕禮物從壁爐煙囪中分發到孩子們的長筒襪裏。 除了藝術，芬蘭人還發明了桑拿浴，號稱芬蘭的國粹。芬蘭諺語說：先建桑拿，再搭房屋。桑拿（Sauna）是為數不多的進入世界語言範疇的芬蘭詞彙之一。芬蘭桑拿室一定完全用木材建造，其中一定包括蒸汽房、洗澡間和更衣室。芬蘭全國有不同大小桑拿上百萬間，平均每三個人就擁有一間桑拿房，密度是全球之冠。對到芬蘭旅遊的人來說，如果沒有洗過桑拿，就等於沒到過芬蘭。 芬蘭的音樂： 芬蘭地圖上看來更像一個島國，因為遠離歐洲大陸顯得相對比較孤立，那裏到處都是茂密的森林和美麗的湖泊，孕育出了獨特的北歐金屬文化。 越是具有異國情調的國傢他們的金屬樂就越出色。 我想也正是她的地理位置使得芬蘭的金屬文化和其他歐洲國傢存在了差異，幾乎在整個八十年代海外對這片土地的金屬音樂還是一無所知的，高額的交通費用也使得很少有海外的樂隊到芬蘭巡演，一切的故事和演變都在本國內進行.在八十年代末的時候，那裏的黑暗死亡金屬勢力已經格外強大，那時候已經有很多相當優秀的地下死亡金屬樂隊，卻是那麽的沒有名氣! 漸漸的一些樂隊在商業上取得了巨大的成功，像Stratov Arius，impaled nazarene,Amorphis,children of bodom，Nightwish,Eternal tears of sorrow一個個都登上了當地最大的音樂排行榜，從此全世界的金屬樂迷把目光投嚮了芬蘭，但註意到的多數是商業痕跡很重的樂隊，比如上述提到的這些樂隊，對於資深金屬迷來說，其中的多數樂隊發展到今天已經沒有任何創意和可聽性可言，雖然他們曾經帶領歷史的潮流。旋律化是這些成名樂隊的一大特點，這就是我們常說芬蘭樂隊重旋律的原因 芬蘭實在有太多太多的金屬樂隊，他們有太多的能量需要爆發？還是北歐漫長的鼕日沉澱了他們陰鬱的情感？ 在那裏你完全可以找到更自我，更純粹的金屬音樂！ Demigod,Abhorrence,Sentenced,Amorphis,Impaled Nazarene，Yxysma,Beherit,Sarcofagus...他們對別人的影響和啓發是有目共睹的，如果你喜歡芬蘭金屬音樂，記住這些名字吧 近幾年芬蘭新生代屬樂隊HIM,Entwine,Charon,ToDieFor,69Eyes,Shamrain,Soulrelic組成的Finnish Metal大軍更是風靡全球 當然，芬蘭人在做金屬音樂的同時並沒有放棄他們的傳統民樂,出現了一批以Moonsorrow,Ensiferum,Finntroll(前三者統稱維京三劍客),Korpiklaani為代表的將傳統民樂，英雄傳說，極地風光，異教力量完美融合為一體的金屬樂隊。類似樂隊還有viikate，Tenhi（此為Dark wave），Eternal Tears of Sorrow，Calvarium等等。 芬蘭的電影： 芬蘭的電影在國際上並不著名，但題材也是多種多樣，最著名的要屬90年代初期拍攝的反應蘇芬邊界戰爭的電影《Winter War》（鼕戰），與中國在2006年合拍的《玉戰士》，戛納電影節評審團大奬和最佳女演員奬的《沒有過去的男人》(The Man Without A Past)。 其他還有： 《薄暮之光》（Laitakaupungin valot） 《縱情欲海》（ Min? ja Morrison） 《一個人的工作/職業男人》（Miehen työ） 《幸福背後》（Shades Of Happiness） 《黑冰》(Black Ice)-芬蘭德國合拍 《冷鈔票》（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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