Finland, Discover the
nature of Finland, Hotels in Finland, , Appartments, Studios, Travel Agents,
Finland, , skiing, Czech Republic, mountains, sport, Enterntainment,
Finland
Information: (Extensive set of links at end of this document)
Finland
Introduction
Background: Long ruled by foreign powers, including Sweden and the
pre-revolutionary Russian Empire, Finland finally declared independence
in 1917. During World War II, Finland fought the USSR twice and then the
Germans toward the end of the war. In the following half-century, the Finns
made a remarkable transformation from a farm/forest economy to a diversified
modern industrial economy. Per capita income has risen to the West European
level; Finland is a member of the European Union and is the only Nordic
state to join the euro system at its initiation in January 1999.
Geography
Location: Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia,
and Gulf of Finland, between Sweden and Russia
Geographic coordinates: 64 00 N, 26 00 E
Map references: Europe
Area: total: 337,030 sq km
land: 305,470 sq km
water: 31,560 sq km
Area—comparative: slightly smaller than Montana
Land boundaries: total: 2,628 km
border countries: Norway 729 km, Sweden 586 km, Russia 1,313
km
Coastline: 1,126 km (excludes islands and coastal indentations)
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 6 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm (in the Gulf of Finland—3 nm)
Climate: cold temperate; potentially subarctic, but comparatively
mild because of moderating influence of the North Atlantic Current, Baltic
Sea, and more than 60,000 lakes
Terrain: mostly low, flat to rolling plains interspersed with
lakes and low hills
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m
highest point: Haltiatunturi 1,328 m
Natural resources: timber, copper, zinc, iron ore, silver
Land use: arable land: 8%
permanent crops: NA%
permanent pastures: NA%
forests and woodland: 76%
other: 16% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 640 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: NA
Environment—current issues: air pollution from manufacturing
and power plants contributing to acid rain; water pollution from industrial
wastes, agricultural chemicals; habitat loss threatens wildlife populations
Environment—international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile
Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine
Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants,
Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography—note: long boundary with Russia; Helsinki is northernmost
national capital on European continent; population concentrated on small
southwestern coastal plain
People
Population: 5,158,372 (July 1999 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 18% (male 483,700; female 464,431)
15-64 years: 67% (male 1,743,340; female 1,706,873)
65 years and over: 15% (male 289,405; female 470,623) (1999
est.)
Population growth rate: 0.15% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 10.77 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 9.67 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: 0.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.61 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 3.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 77.32 years
male: 73.81 years
female: 80.98 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.68 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Finn(s)
adjective: Finnish
Ethnic groups: Finn 93%, Swede 6%, Lapp 0.11%, Gypsy 0.12%,
Tatar 0.02%
Religions: Evangelical Lutheran 89%, Greek Orthodox 1%, none
9%, other 1%
Languages: Finnish 93.5% (official), Swedish 6.3% (official),
small Lapp- and Russian-speaking minorities
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 100% (1980 est.)
male: NA%
female: NA%
Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Finland
conventional short form: Finland
local long form: Suomen Tasavalta
local short form: Suomi
Data code: FI
Government type: republic
Capital: Helsinki
Administrative divisions: 6 provinces (laanit, singular—laani);
Aland, Etela-Suomen Laani, Ita-Suomen Lanni, Lansi-Suomen Laani, Lappi,
Oulun Laani
Independence: 6 December 1917 (from Russia)
National holiday: Independence Day, 6 December (1917)
Constitution: 17 July 1919
Legal system: civil law system based on Swedish law; Supreme
Court may request legislation interpreting or modifying laws; accepts compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Martti AHTISAARI (since 1 March 1994)
head of government: Prime Minister Paavo LIPPONEN (since 13
April 1995) and Deputy Prime Minister Sauli NIINISTO (since 13 April 1995)
cabinet: Council of State or Valtioneuvosto appointed by the
president, responsible to Parliament
elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year
term; election last held 31 January-6 February 1994 (next to be held NA
January 2000); prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed from
the majority party by the president after parliamentary elections
election results: Martti AHTISAARI elected president; percent
of vote—Martti AHTISAARI 54%, Elisabeth REHN 46%
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament or Eduskunta (200
seats; members are elected by popular vote on a proportional basis to serve
four-year terms)
elections: last held 21 March 1999 (next to be held NA March
2003)
election results: percent of vote by party—Social Democratic
Party 22.9%, Center Party 22.5%, National Coalition (Conservative) Party
21.0%, Leftist Alliance (Communist) 10.9%, Swedish People's Party 5.1%,
Green Union 7.2%, Finnish Christian League 4.2%; seats by party—Social
Democratic Party 51, Center Party 48, National Coalition (Conservative)
Party 46, Leftist Alliance (Communist) 20, Swedish People's Party 11, Green
Union 11, Finnish Christian League 10, other 3
Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Korkein Oikeus, judges appointed
by the president
Political parties and leaders: government coalition: Social Democratic Party [Paavo LIPPONEN];
National Coalition (conservative) Party [Sauli NIINISTO]; Leftist Alliance
(Communist) composed of People's Democratic League and Democratic Alternative
[Claes ANDERSSON]; Swedish People's Party [(Johan) Ole NORRBACK]; Green
League [Pekka HAAVISTO]
other: Center Party [Esko AHO]; Finnish Christian League [C.
P. Bjarne KALLIS]; Rural Party [Raimo VISTBACKA]; Liberal People's Party
[Pekka RYTILA]; Greens Ecological Party or EPV [Eugen PARKATTI]; Young
Finns [Risto PENTTILA]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Finnish Communist Party-Unity
[Yrjo HAKANEN]; Constitutional Rightist Party; Finnish Pensioners Party;
Communist Workers Party [Timo LAHDENMAKI]
International organization participation: AfDB, AsDB, Australia
Group, BIS, CBSS, CCC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO,
G- 9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,
IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MTCR,
NAM (guest), NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA,
PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNMIBH,
UNMOGIP, UNMOP, UNPREDEP, UNTSO, UPU, WEU (observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Jaakko Tapani LAAJAVA
chancery: 3301 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 298-5800
FAX: [1] (202) 298-6030
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles and New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Eric EDELMAN
embassy: Itainen Puistotie 14A, FIN-00140, Helsinki
mailing address: APO AE 09723
telephone: [358] (9) 171931
FAX: [358] (9) 174681
Flag description: white with a blue cross that extends to the
edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist
side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag)
Economy
Economy—overview: Finland has a highly industrialized, largely free-market
economy, with per capita output roughly that of the UK, France, Germany,
and Italy. Its key economic sector is manufacturing—principally the wood,
metals, engineering, telecommunications, and electronics industries. Trade
is important, with the export of goods representing about 30% of GDP. Except
for timber and several minerals, Finland depends on imports of raw materials,
energy, and some components for manufactured goods. Because of the climate,
agricultural development is limited to maintaining self-sufficiency in
basic products. Forestry, an important export earner, provides a secondary
occupation for the rural population. The economy has come back from the
recession of 1990-92, which had been caused by economic overheating, depressed
foreign markets, and the dismantling of the barter system between Finland
and the former Soviet Union. Rapidly increasing integration with Western
Europe—Finland was one of the 11 countries joining the euro monetary system
(EMU) on 1 January 1999—will dominate the economic picture over the next
several years. Growth in 1999 probably will slow, perhaps to 3%, a barrier
to any substantial drop in unemployment.
GDP: purchasing power parity—$103.6 billion (1998 est.)
GDP—real growth rate: 5.1% (1998 est.)
GDP—per capita: purchasing power parity—$20,100 (1998 est.)
GDP—composition by sector: agriculture: 5%
industry: 32%
services: 63% (1997)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 4.2%
highest 10%: 21.6% (1991)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.5% (1998 est.)
Labor force: 2.533 million
Labor force—by occupation: public services 30.4%, industry 20.9%,
commerce 15%, finance, insurance, and business services 10.2%, agriculture
and forestry 8.6%, transport and communications 7.7%, construction 7.2%
Unemployment rate: 12% (1998 est.)
Budget: revenues: $33 billion
expenditures: $40 billion, including capital expenditures of
$NA (1996 est.)
Industries: metal products, shipbuilding, pulp and paper, copper
refining, foodstuffs, chemicals, textiles, clothing
Industrial production growth rate: 7.4% (1995)
Electricity—production: 67.469 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity—production by source: fossil fuel: 54.73%
hydro: 17.35%
nuclear: 27.9%
other: 0.02% (1996)
Electricity—consumption: 71.169 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity—exports: 1.7 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity—imports: 5.4 billion kWh (1996)
Agriculture—products: cereals, sugar beets, potatoes; dairy
cattle; fish
Exports: $43 billion (f.o.b., 1998)
Exports—commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals;
timber, paper, and pulp
Exports—partners: Germany 11%, UK 10%, Sweden 10%, US 7%, Russia
7%, France 4%, Japan (1997)
Imports: $30.7 billion (f.o.b., 1998)
Imports—commodities: foodstuffs, petroleum and petroleum products,
chemicals, transport equipment, iron and steel, machinery, textile yarn
and fabrics, fodder grains
Imports—partners: Germany 15%, Sweden 12%, UK 8%, Russia 8%,
US 7%, Japan 5% (1997)
Debt—external: $30 billion (December 1993)
Economic aid—donor: ODA, $388 million (1995)
Currency: 1 markka (FMk) or Finmark = 100 pennia
Exchange rates: markkaa (FMk) per US$1—5.12 (January 1999),
5.3441 (1998), 5.1914 (1997), 4.5936 (1996), 4.3667 (1995), 5.2235 (1994);
note: on 1 January 1999, the European Union introduced a common
currency that is now being used by financial institutions in some member
countries at the rate of 0.8597 euros per US$ and a fixed rate of 5.93472
Markkaa per euro; the euro will replace the local currency in consenting
countries for all transactions in 2002
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 2.5 million (1995 est.)
Telephone system: modern system with excellent service
domestic: cable, microwave radio relay, and an extensive cellular
net care for domestic needs
international: 1 submarine cable; satellite earth stations—access
to Intelsat transmission service via a Swedish satellite earth station,
1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions); note—Finland shares the
Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic countries (Denmark, Iceland,
Norway, and Sweden)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 6, FM 105, shortwave 0
Radios: 4.98 million (1991 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 120 (in addition, there are 431
low-power repeaters) (1997)
Televisions: 1.92 million (1995 est.)
Transportation
Railways: total: 5,859 km
broad gauge: 5,859 km 1.524-m gauge (2,073 km electrified; 480
km double- or more-track) (1996)
Highways: total: 77,796 km
paved: 49,789 km (including 444 km of expressways)
unpaved: 28,007 km (1997 est.)
Waterways: 6,675 km total (including Saimaa Canal); 3,700 km
suitable for steamers
Pipelines: natural gas 580 km
Ports and harbors: Hamina, Helsinki, Kokkola, Kotka, Loviisa,
Oulu, Pori, Rauma, Turku, Uusikaupunki, Varkaus
Merchant marine: total: 101 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,192,559 GRT/1,161,594
DWT
ships by type: bulk 9, cargo 23, chemical tanker 6, oil tanker
11, passenger 1, railcar carrier 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 38, short-sea
passenger 12 (1998 est.)
Airports: 157 (1998 est.)
Airports—with paved runways: total: 68
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 26
1,524 to 2,437 m: 10
914 to 1,523 m: 20
under 914 m: 9 (1998 est.)
Airports—with unpaved runways: total: 89
914 to 1,523 m: 6
under 914 m: 83 (1998 est.)
Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Frontier Guard (includes
Sea Guard)
Military manpower—military age: 17 years of age
Military manpower—availability: males age 15-49: 1,274,654 (1999 est.)
Military manpower—fit for military service: males age 15-49: 1,050,944 (1999 est.)
Military manpower—reaching military age annually: males: 34,336 (1999 est.)
Military expenditures—dollar figure: $1.8 billion (1999)
Military expenditures—percent of GDP: 2% (1999)
Transnational Issues
Disputes—international: none
Illicit drugs: minor transshipment point for Latin American
cocaine for the West European market
-
