About Finland
What do you know about Finland? Unfortunately, most people would probably say “Not too much”. Let us help!
If you’ve ever been in a hot sauna, played the mobile game Angry Birds, used a Nokia cell phone in your life or used a pair of orange-handled Fiskars scissors, you’ve been exposed to the people, ingenuity and culture of Finland because these were all invented there. Yet, Finland is so much more than these cultural icons. It’s truly a unique place in the world and one definitely worth getting to know and experience.
Oh, by the way, did I mention that Finns drink more coffee than any other nation in the world? Enough said. Ready to come to Finland?
A Few Quick Facts about Finland
Capital: Helsinki
Population: 5,519,586 (As of May 31, 2019)
Size: 130,666 m2 (about the size of Montana)
President: Sauli Niinistö
Languages: Finnish 91% and Swedish 5%
Nature: 70% of the country is covered with forest
Unique Features: 187,888 lakes, 179,584 islands, more than 2,000,000 saunas and the Northern Lights are visible here.
Famous People: Jean Sibelius (composer), Alvar Aalto (designer/architect), Linus Torvalds (creator of Linux) and Kimi Räikkönen (Formula One race driver).
Photo Gallery
Finland is a beautiful country. Here are some photos to help you visually to get to know the nation and people better. Photos are courtesy of the VisitFinland.com website.
Useful Links about Finland
Finland.fi is an official information portal about Finland. It covers a wide range of news, cultural insights and general information. Highly recommended.
VisitFinland.com is the official travel website for Finland. It has lots of great information and articles about the country, food, culture and other interesting facts about the nation.
Wikipedia article on Finland. A great introduction to the country including its history, economy, politics, geography, culture and even an audio file of the national anthem.
Winter War of Finland and Russia is a documentary produced by the BBC that history buffs will find most interesting. It chronicles how Finland successfully defended itself against all odds from a Russian invasion in the early days of WWII.
Facts about the Finnish sauna and what it means to Finnish culture and life. (And, yes, Finns go to the sauna in their birthday suits!)
A Taste of Finnish is an introduction to the Finnish language. It is one of the most unique and difficult languages in the world. Check it out for yourself and practice your Finnish.
A list of some traditional Finnish Recipes including salads, soups, main dishes and desserts.
Videos from Finland
Finlandia, Op. 26 is a symphonic poem by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. The video shows common sights from around Finland set to his most famous musical work.
This time-lapse video over traditional Finnish landscapes reveals the beauty of the country. The video also includes images of the aurora borealis, or Northern Lights in Lapland.
Additional Videos
If you would like to see additional videos about Finland, click the image above and you will be taken to the VisitFinland.com video page.
Did something get your attention? If you have any questions about Finland, feel free to contact us.