Finland

Capital: Helsinki Population: 5,421,827 Official Languages: Finnish Time Zone: +2 / Summer +3 Dialing Code: +358

Government: Parliamentary republic Area: 338,424 km2 largest city: Helsinki Currency : Euro ISO 3166 code: FI

Basic Info

Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden to the west, Norway to the north and Russia to the east, while Estonia lies to the south across the Gulf of Finland.

Geography

Lying approximately between latitudes 60° and 70° N, and longitudes 20° and 32° E, Finland is one of the world's northernmost countries. Of world capitals, only Reykjavík lies more to the north than Helsinki. The distance from the southernmost Hanko to the northernmost point in the country Nuorgam is 1,160 kilometres (720 mi).

Finland is a country of thousands of lakes and islands 187,888 lakes (larger than 500 m2/0.12 acre) and 179,584 islands. Its largest lake, Saimaa, is the fourth largest in Europe. The area with most lakes is called Finnish Lakeland. The greatest number of islands are to be found in the southwest in the Turku archipelago. Further from the coast lies Ahvenanmaa or Åland (in Swedish) Islands.

Much of the geography of Finland is explained by the Ice Age. The glaciers were thicker and lasted longer in Fennoscandia compared to the rest of Europe. Their eroding effects have left the Finnish landscape mostly flat with few hills and fewer mountains. Its highest point, the Halti at 1,324 metres (4,344 ft), is found in the extreme north of Lapland at the border between Finland and Norway. The highest mountain whose peak is entirely in Finland is Ridnitsohkka at 1,316 m (4,318 ft), directly adjacent to Halti.

Climate

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. In the Köppen climate classification, the whole of Finland lies in the boreal zone characterized by warm summers and freezing winters. Within the country, the temperateness varies considerably between the southern coastal regions and the extreme north, showing characteristics of both a maritime and a continental climate. Finland is near enough to the Atlantic Ocean to be continuously warmed by the Gulf Stream. The Gulf Stream combines with the moderating effects of the Baltic Sea and numerous inland lakes to explain the unusually warm climate compared to other regions that share the same latitude, such as Alaska, Siberia and southern Greenland.

Finland consists of 19 regions called maakunta in Finnish and landskap in Swedish. The regions are governed by regional councils, which serve as forums of cooperation for the municipalities of a region. The main tasks of the regions are regional planning and development of enterprise and education. In addition, the public health services are usually organized on the basis of regions. Currently, the only region where a popular election is held for the council is Kainuu. Other regional councils are elected by municipal councils, each municipality sending representatives in proportion to its population.

Religion

Approximately 4.1 million (or 76.4% at the end of 2012) adherents are members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland is one of the largest Lutheran churches in the world, although its share of the country's population has declined in recent years. The second largest group, accounting for 20.1% of the population, has no religious affiliation. A small minority belong to the Finnish Orthodox Church (1.1%). Other Protestant denominations and the Roman Catholic Church in Finland are significantly smaller, as are the muslim, Jewish and other non-Christian communities (totaling 1.5%). The main Lutheran and Orthodox churches are national churches of Finland with special roles such as in state ceremonies and schools.

Administrative divisions

Finland consists of 19 regions called maakunta in Finnish and landskap in Swedish. The regions are governed by regional councils which serve as forums of cooperation for the municipalities of a region. The main tasks of the regions are regional planning and development of enterprise and education. In addition, the public health services are usually organized on the basis of regions. Currently, the only region where a popular election is held for the council is Kainuu. Other regional councils are elected by municipal councils, each municipality sending representatives in proportion to its population. See The Map

City	Population	Land area	Density
Helsinki	604,380	213.75	2,827.51
Espoo	256,896	312.26	822.7
Tampere	217,497	525.03	414.26
Vantaa	205,275	238.37	861.16
Turku	180,314	245.67	733.97
Oulu	146,527	1,410.17	103.91
Jyväskylä	133,448	1,170.99	113.96
Lahti	103,065	135.05	763.16
Kuopio	98,706	1,597.39	61.79
Kouvola	87,329	2,558.24	34.14
Pori	83,303	834.06	99.88
Joensuu	74,163	2,381.76	31.14
Lappeenranta	72,393	1,433.36	50.51
Hämeenlinna	67,531	1,785.76	37.82
Rovaniemi	60,888	7,581.97	8.03

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