Portal:Finland

The Finland Portal

The flag of Finland

Location of Finland

Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, opposite Estonia. Finland covers an area of 338,145 square kilometres (130,559 sq mi) and has a population of 5.6 million. Helsinki is the capital and largest city. The vast majority of the population are ethnic Finns. Finnish and Swedish are the official languages, with Swedish being the native language of 5.1% of the population. Finland's climate varies from humid continental in the south to boreal in the north. The land cover is predominantly boreal forest biome, with more than 180,000 recorded lakes.

Finland was first settled around 9000 BC after the last Ice Age. During the Stone Age, various cultures emerged, distinguished by different styles of ceramics. The Bronze Age and Iron Ages were marked by contacts with other cultures in Fennoscandia and the Baltic region. From the late 13th century, Finland became part of the Swedish Empire as a result of the Northern Crusades. In 1809, as a result of the Finnish War, Finland was captured from Sweden and became a Grand Duchy of Finland, an autonomous state ruled by the Russian Empire. During this period, Finnish art flourished and the idea of full independence began to take hold. In 1906, Finland became the first European state to grant universal suffrage, and the first in the world to give all adult citizens the right to run for public office. Following the Russian Revolution of 1917, Finland declared its full independence. In 1918 the young nation was divided by the Finnish Civil War. During World War II, Finland fought against the Soviet Union in the Winter War and the Continuation War, and later against Nazi Germany in the Lapland War. As a result, it lost parts of its territory but retained its independence. (Full article...)

Selected article -

  Officially monolingual Finnish-speaking municipalities

  Bilingual municipalities with Finnish as the majority language

  Bilingual municipalities with Swedish as the majority language

  Monolingual Swedish-speaking municipalities (Åland)

  Sami bilingual municipalities

There are 53 municipalities of Finland in which Finnish is not the sole official language. In Finland, as of December 31, 2013, 89.3% of the population speak Finnish, 5.3% Swedish and 0.04% Sami languages. Both Finnish and Swedish are official languages of Finland. Officially, a municipality is bilingual if the minority language group consists of at least 8% of the population, or at least 3,000 speakers. A previously bilingual municipality remains so if the linguistic minority proportion drops below 8%, up to 6%. If it drops below 6%, it is possible for the municipality to remain bilingual by government decree, on the recommendation of the municipal council, for a further ten years. Municipalities that make use of the 3,000-speaker rule include the national capital Helsinki and the cultural center of Swedish Finns, Turku. On the Åland archipelago, where Finnish is almost absent from daily life, the language law does not apply. On the mainland, the highest proportion of Swedish-speakers is found on the western coast, in Ostrobothnia.

Of the 310 Finnish municipalities, 16 are monolingually Swedish. 33 municipalities are bilingually Finnish and Swedish; of these, 15 have a Swedish-speaking majority and 18 a Finnish-speaking one. Four municipalities, all located in Lapland, have a Finnish-speaking majority and a Sami-speaking minority: Enontekiö, Inari, Sodankylä and Utsjoki. Initially, only Swedish was accorded official bilingualism, through a language act of 1922; similar provisions were extended to Sami through a 1991 law. The 1922 law was replaced by new but largely similar legislation in 2003. (Full article...)

Selected image -

Photo credit: Petteri Sulonen
The VR warehouses in Helsinki on fire on May 5th 2006.

Did you know (auto-generated)

• ... that Finnish politician Kaarina Suonio answered the world's first GSM phone call?
• ... that Kuappi in Iisalmi, Finland, holds the Guinness world record for the smallest restaurant?
• ... that politician Kalervo Kummola introduced karaoke to Finland?
• ... that Venla Luukkonen is the first Finnish person to win the World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship at black belt level?
• ... that Kaija Saariaho's 2021 opera Innocence includes traditional Finnish cow-herding calls?
• ... that Turku remained the largest city in Finland after three quarters of it burned down?

WikiProjects

You are invited to participate in Finland WikiProject, a WikiProject dedicated to developing and improving articles about Finland.

More did you know -

• ...that when completed in 1967, MS Finlandia was the largest ferry in the world?
• ...that the Pysähdy ajoissa - Stanna i tid ("Stop in time") traffic campaign was the result of the public response to a road death of a nine-year-old girl in Finland?
• ...that the Finnish Association of Graduate Engineers has been in charge of publishing Finland's ethical guidelines on engineering for over 40 years?
• ...that Penedo, a small town in Brazil was colonized by immigrants from Finland?
• ...that the Wärtsilä Turku shipyard in Finland built five state-of-the-art cruiseferries for the Black Sea Shipping Company, Soviet Union, in 1975-1976?

Good article -

This is a Good article, an article that meets a core set of high editorial standards.

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Erik Adolf von Willebrand (1 February 1870 – 12 September 1949) was a Finnish physician who made major contributions to hematology. Von Willebrand disease and von Willebrand factor are named after him. He also researched metabolism, obesity and gout, and was one of the first Finnish physicians to use insulin to treat a diabetic coma.

Von Willebrand qualified in medicine in 1896 from the University of Helsinki, where he received his Ph.D. in 1899. He worked at the University of Helsinki from 1900 until 1930. From 1908 until his retirement in 1933, he was the head of the department of medicine at the Deaconess Hospital in Helsinki, where he also was physician-in-chief from 1922 to 1931. (Full article...)

General images

The following are images from various Finland-related articles on Wikipedia.

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  S/S Urania in Hanko harbor in 1893, with 509 emigrants on board on their way to America (from History of Finland)
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  President Urho Kekkonen's funeral procession in 1986 (from History of Finland)
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  Prehistoric red ochre painted rock art of moose, human figures, and boats in Astuvansalmi, Finland, from ca. 3800–2200 BC (from Culture of Finland)
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  Memorial of the Mannerheim Cross Knights of Parikkala, Finland (from History of Finland)
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  Finnish Guards' Rifle Battalion, 1850s (from History of Finland)
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  Helsinki Accords Treaty (from History of Finland)
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  Captain Aarne Juutilainen at the front at Kollaa during the Winter War (from History of Finland)
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  Battle of Valkeala was part of the Russo-Swedish War (1788–1790). (from History of Finland)
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  Women in sauna with Vihtas
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  Midsummer bonfire (kokko) in Mäntsälä (from Culture of Finland)
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  2007 Formula One World Champion Kimi Räikkönen celebrating victory at the 2007 Brazilian Grand Prix (from Culture of Finland)
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  A group of Finnish soldiers operating a Bofors gun during the Continuation War in 1943 (from History of Finland)
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  The Finno-Soviet Treaty (from History of Finland)
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  Janne Ahonen is considered one of the best and most successful currently active ski jumpers. (from Culture of Finland)
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  Map of Finnish areas ceded to the Soviet Union in 1944, after the Continuation War (from History of Finland)
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  Mikael Agricola hands over the Finnish Translation of the New Testament to King Gustav Wasa. (from History of Finland)
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  Ancylus Lake covered major part of Finland (7,500–6,000 BC) (from History of Finland)
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  Homann's map of the Scandinavian Peninsula and Fennoscandia with their surrounding territories: northern Germany, northern Poland, the Baltic region, Livonia, Belarus, and parts of Northwest Russia. Johann Baptist Homann (1664–1724) was a German geographer and cartographer; map dated around 1730. (from History of Finland)
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  Uspenski Cathedral in Helsinki (from Culture of Finland)
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  Linus Torvalds, a famous Fennoswede software engineer, best known for initiating the development of the Linux kernel (from Culture of Finland)
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  Alvar Aalto, Viipuri Library (1927–35) (from Culture of Finland)
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  The ruins of Vammala burned by the Reds, during the Civil war (from History of Finland)
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  Stone Age stone axe engraved with human face found from Kiuruvesi. (from History of Finland)
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  The decision of the Soviet of the People's Comissars' to recognise Finnish independence, signed by Vladimir Lenin, Leon Trotsky, Grigory Petrovsky, Joseph Stalin, Isaac Steinberg, Vladimir Karelin, and Alexander Schlichter (from History of Finland)
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  President K. J. Ståhlberg in his office in 1919 (from History of Finland)
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  In the middle is the patron saint of Finland, Saint Henry, on the right side of him is Bishop Konrad Bitz and on the left is Dean Magnus Stjernkors; from Missale Aboense (1488) (from History of Finland)
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  Stone Age dwelling named Kierikki 5000–3000 BC (from History of Finland)
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  A summer cottage (mökki) on a lake island (from Culture of Finland)
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  Wehrmacht soldiers with a local Sámi reindeer herder, Lappland, Sodankylä, Finland 1942 (from History of Finland)
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  Grand Duchy of Finland, 75 kopek assignat (1824) (from History of Finland)
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  Marshal of Finland Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim visit in Germany, 1942 (from History of Finland)
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  The Swedish empire at its largest. Most of present-day Finland was part of Sweden proper, rike, shown in dark green. (from History of Finland)
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  Battle of Gangut (Hanko) was part of the Great Northern War during 1700–1721. (from History of Finland)
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  Students on Helsinki's Esplanadi wearing their caps on Vappu (from Culture of Finland)
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  An old drawing of the city of Turku in the 18th century (from History of Finland)
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  The area controlled by Finland at its largest, in 1942 (from History of Finland)
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  Imagery collage of Birger Jarl conquering Häme and the construction of Häme Castle (from History of Finland)
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  Apocalyptica's Perttu Kivilaakso playing metal music live (from Culture of Finland)
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  Badge of the Finnish White/Civil Guard (from History of Finland)
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  A reconstruction of a 12th-century Perniö costume (from History of Finland)
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  Kreeta Haapasalo Playing the Kantele in a Peasant Cottage (1868), by Robert Wilhelm Ekman (from History of Finland)
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  A triptych by Akseli Gallen-Kallela, depicting the Aino Story of Kalevala on three panes (from Culture of Finland)
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  Identification document and tag of a Finnish war child (from History of Finland)
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  Jean Sibelius at work in his study (from History of Finland)
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  People gathered in the Senate Square for a demonstration against the February Manifesto in March 1899. (from History of Finland)
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  This 1825 map of the Grand Duchy of Finland is from a larger work, geographical atlas of the Russian Empire. (from History of Finland)
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  Eero Järnefelt, Burning the Brushwood, 1893 (from History of Finland)
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  Finnish folk dancers in a 1907 postcard sent from Mustamäki, Finland (from Culture of Finland)
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  Women dressed in Finnish folk costumes (from Culture of Finland)
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  Signing the Helsinki Accords are the West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt, East Germany's leader Erich Honecker, US president Gerald Ford and the Austrian chancellor Bruno Kreisky (from History of Finland)
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  Paavo Nurmi at the 1920 Summer Olympics (from Culture of Finland)
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  Kastelli Giant's Church in Pattijoki by Pöljä culture (from History of Finland)
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  Karjalanpiirakka, a traditional Finnish pastry (from Culture of Finland)
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  The area of Finland in the years 1920–1940. The 1935 county and municipality division on the map. (from History of Finland)
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  Winter War Monument in Suomussalmi, Kainuu, Finland (from History of Finland)
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  A peasant girl and a woman in traditional dress from Ruokolahti, eastern Finland, as depicted by Severin Falkman in 1882 (from Culture of Finland)
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  Lapua Movement supporters beating the "red officer" Eino Nieminen in front of the Vaasa courthouse during the 4 June 1930 riot. (from History of Finland)
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  The Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (1865–1957), a significant figure in the history of classical music (from Culture of Finland)
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  A smoke sauna (savusauna) in Enonkoski (from Culture of Finland)
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  Kalmar Union in 1400s (from History of Finland)
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  Three Finnish Romani women in Helsinki, Finland, in 1930s (from Culture of Finland)
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  Erkki Karu, one of the pioneers of the Finnish cinema, with cinematographer Eino Kari in 1927 (from Culture of Finland)
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  Sámi / Laplander family in traditional costumes from Finland. (from Culture of Finland)
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  Pekka Halonen's painting "against persecutors" from 1896 depicts the warfare of the ancient Finns. (from History of Finland)
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  Finland Ostrobothnia regiment uniforms in 1705 (from History of Finland)
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  Painting of Lalli killing Henry. Painting by C. A. Ekman. (from History of Finland)
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  In 2011 figure skater Kiira Korpi was ranked 4th in the world. (from Culture of Finland)
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  In the sauna, by Pekka Halonen, 1925 (from Culture of Finland)
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  Turku Cathedral and its surroundings from 1814 (from History of Finland)
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  (1809 Diet of Porvoo) The sovereign's pledge, printed in Finnish (from History of Finland)
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  A view of Pohjoisesplanadi in the center of Helsinki in 1891 (from History of Finland)
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  The part of Finland controlled by the Reds at its largest in February–March 1918 (from History of Finland)
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  Northern Europe in 814 (from History of Finland)
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  The first government of independent Finland. P. E. Svinhufvud, the first Prime Minister of Finland, sitting at the head of the table. (from History of Finland)
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  Jussipaita (transl. Jussi sweater); a traditional sweater from the Finnish region of Southern Ostrobothnia (from Culture of Finland)
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  Pieces of the Antrea Net (8,300 BC), the oldest-known fishing net in the world. (from History of Finland)

In the news

2 April 2024 – Viertola school shooting

A student is killed and two others are injured in a shooting at a school in Vantaa, Uusimaa, Finland. A 12-year-old student is detained. (AP) (Yle)

1 March 2024 – 2024 Finnish presidential election

Alexander Stubb is sworn in as the 13th President of Finland. (Reuters)

11 February 2024 – 2024 Finnish presidential election

Alexander Stubb is elected President of Finland with 51.6% of the vote.(Yle)

27 January 2024 – Israel–Hamas war

The United Kingdom, United States, Australia, Italy, Canada, Finland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Germany suspend humanitarian aid to UNRWA over allegations that some UNRWA staff members were involved in the Hamas-led attack on Israel. (BBC News) (CBS News)

14 December 2023 – Finland–United States relations

Finland announces the creation of a defense cooperation agreement with the United States. The agreement will grant Finland access to American military resources for use in defensive operations, while the US will gain military access to Finland in the event of conflict. (Reuters)

29 November 2023 – Finland–Poland relations, Finland–Russia relations

National Security Bureau chief Jacek Siewiera announces that Poland will send "a team of military advisors" to the Finland–Russia border in response to an official request for allied support. Finland says it was unaware of the Polish offer. Russia warns against the move, viewing the concentration of troops on the border as a threat. (Reuters)

Related portals

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Northern Europe

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Other countries

Selected panorama -

View of Helsinki

Panoramic photo shot of Helsinki, Finland

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