Finland is a country located in the north of the European continent, limited to the north with Norway, to the east with Russia, to the south with the Gulf of Finland. On the other side are Estonia and the Baltic Sea, and to the west the Gulf of Bothnia and Sweden.
It is a Scandinavian nation that shares an extensive border and centuries of common history with the Russian Federation. The north of its territory covers part of Lapland, a mountainous and semi-desert region inhabited by the Lapps, traditional reindeer herders. Located beyond the Arctic Circle, this region presents a spectacle of the northern lights and entire days of darkness (in winter) or light (in summer).
Coniferous forests cover two thirds of Finland’s surface, providing the existence of one of the most developed wood and paper industries in the world. Strongly rocked by the end of the Soviet Union in 1991, the country recovered economically after joining the European Economic Community, now the European Union (EU), in 1995.
It is one of the world leaders in the production of cell phones and the use of the internet. It is currently the country that has the highest rate of cell phone use in the world (65%). Finland had wood and derivatives as its main source of exports, however, it is currently the main producer and exporter of mobile phones on the planet. Nokia, the largest company in this sector in the country and one of the largest in the world, holds approximately 20% of exports and 4% of the national gross domestic product (GDP).
Finnish per capita income is among the highest in the world, currently has the 16th highest Human Development Index (HDI) on the planet.
Finland has the lowest population density in Europe: 18 inhabitants per square kilometer.There are more saunas than cars in the country. In fact, even companies usually have one for their employees! You will find a sauna in the lounge of the Finnair airline at Helsinki airport and also in a Burger King in the capital.
There is a golf course on the border between Sweden and Finland with half the holes in one country and the other half in the other. It is called Tornio Golf Club or Green Zone and, thanks to its location, it is possible to play at any time of the day and night with the sun high during the summer months, when the sun does not set.
In Finland, recycling is very advanced: nine out of ten plastic bottles are returned and almost 100% of glass bottles are recycled.
Until 1809, Finland was part of Sweden. That is why Swedish is also one of the country’s official languages to this day. When a student completes a doctorate in Finland , he receives a top hat and a sword! And the hat has a different color for each study area. For example: Fine Arts is dark blue, Medicine and Dentistry is dark green, and Theology is purple. His typical price is € 500.
In 2010, Finland became the first country in the world to declare internet access a legal right.At the Kakslauttanen resort , you can stay in glass igloos during the winter to watch the northern lights.
Finland has an official sport that consists of throwing cell phones! The championship is open to participants of all ages.
According to a map made by a Reddit user in 2012, Finland has more heavy metal bands per capita than any other country in the world. There is even a heavy metal band of “dinosaurs” that is very popular with children, Hevisaurus .
In Finland, all slot machines are monopolized by the state-owned company called RAY (the Finnish Slot Machine Association), a non-profit organization that donates all its winnings to charities, such as asylums and clinics for the treatment of video in games. RAY also controls Finland’s only official casino, Grand Casino Helsinki.
Finns have a day to celebrate “sleepers”, called National Sleepy Head Day . On the 27th of July, the last person to wake up in the house is thrown into the river or awake with water in the face! In some cities, ceremonies are held in which a celebrity is thrown into the river or the sea at 7 am. The chosen person’s identity can be kept secret until the day of the event!
A Finnish passport, together with the British and Swedish, allows entry into more countries without the need for a visa than any other in the world.
Finland has conducted an experiment that started in January 2017 and should end in January 2019. Basically, 2,000 randomly chosen inhabitants will receive a basic income of € 560 every month , regardless of employability status, salary or financial condition . The country wants to study the possibility of a universal income, in order to offer greater stability to workers and also encourage the unemployed to look for professional vacancies without fear of losing unemployment insurance. If the experience has a positive result, all adults in Finland can officially start receiving basic income.
The inhabitants call the country Suomi , a Finnish word for “Finland”. Although its origin is uncertain, it is believed to come from the proto-Baltic word źemē , which means “earth”.
Speeding fines in Finland are calculated according to the fined person’s income, which ends up forcing some millionaires to spend more than € 100,000.
The capital Helsinki holds Restaurant Day four times a year so that anyone can open a restaurant, cafe or bar for just one day without needing an official authorization, as long as they do not serve any alcoholic drinks.
In 2005, the Italian Prime Minister at the time, Berlusconi, made fun of Finnish cuisine, saying that the population ate “marinated reindeer”. In 2008, Finland won an international pizza competition, beating Italy. The winning pizza was called “Pizza Berlusconi” and was made from smoked reindeer.
In Finland, there is practically no “invasion of private property” because the vast majority of the country’s land is free for everyone to walk, pick fruit, fish, camp, etc.Finland is one of the only countries in the world to win at least one Olympic medal in each of the Olympic Games. (Sweden too!)
In Finland, it is mandatory to keep the headlights on at all times and in any way, even during the day.Finland won first place in the Reporters Without Borders world press freedom ranking 12 times since 2002.
All pregnant women in Finland can request a government kit for their newborns , consisting of clothes, a sleeping bag, hygiene products, diapers, bedding, a little mattress and a cardboard box that can serve, literally, cradle . This tradition emerged in the 1930s and its main ideal is to offer an equal start to life for all children in the country, regardless of the condition of their family.
Finland is also called the “land of the midnight sun” because between June and July the sun does not set in the northern regions.