Facts about Finland!

 

Facts About Finland

For those not yet acquainted, Finland is one of the three countries on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe.  It is the eastern most of the three countries and is bounded by Norway, Sweden, and Russia.  Believe it or not, many Finns do not consider themselves Scandinavian but rather Nordic – sharing more in common with nearby Estonia and Iceland than their Scandinavian neighbors. 

5.5 million people live in Finland.  For perspective that’s only slightly larger than the Seattle metropolitan area.  The vast majority live in south and central Finland, though a sizeable portion live to the north, and in rural areas.  The most popular Finnish pastime is the sauna – there are over 2 million saunas in the country.  You can do the math on the ratio of saunas to people.

.

Finland has an abundance of both flora and fauna – and Finns have done a good job of caring for them and using them for the benefit of its people.  Every Finn enjoys the inalienable right to forage berries, mushrooms, and other fruits and vegetables from public places, and you can do limited fishing in streams and rivers without licenses or permits.  The system of private ownership is a bit confusing, but it seems that all Finns have at least some unrestricted access to the forests, rivers, lakes, and beaches of this beautiful country.

Historically, Finland leveraged its forests and internal waterways for the production and export of timber, with Finns subsisting on small scale agricultural production.  That changed after the The Great Famine of 1867-1868, and Finland industrialized.  At the turn of the century it was a leading exporter of paper.  Today Finland’s leading industries are service, manufacturing, and technology.  Telecommunications giant Nokia is a Finnish company.

Finland has only existed as an independent political entity for just over 100 years.  It had previously been a part of the Kingdom of Sweden from the 1300s until 1809 when Sweden lost the Finnish war, which was the last in a series of wars between Russia and Sweden.  For the next hundred years Finland existed as a nominally autonomous grand duchy within the Russian Empire.  After the soviet revolutions from 1917-1918 (in which Finland played an interesting part) Finland was granted – though begrudgingly – its independence. 

Finland then fought two wars with the Soviet Union during World War II, even allying briefly with Nazi Germany to repel the Soviet invaders.  As a result they lost some of their territory in the aftermath of the war. 

The Cold War was a tricky time for Finland (wasn’t that the case for all of us?).  Finland refused any Marshall Plan assistance in an effort to appease the Soviet Union and as such suffered a decade of severe austerity.  After that it toed the line between the Soviet Union and the West – it did not join NATO or the Warsaw Pact, and maintained a position of uneasy neutrality geopolitically.  This presented challenges, but also opportunities.  For virtually the entirety of the Cold War Finland was the number one international tourist destination for Soviet citizens and also a chief exporter of goods to the Soviet Union.  It also hosted the 1952 Olympic Games, and maintained comfortable – if somewhat coy – relations with Western countries. 

Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, relations with Russia have been complicated.  Many Finns have extended family members in Russia, and until recently trade with Russia had been consistent.  More conservative Finnish political groups occasionally advocate annexing those parts of Russia that had formerly been Finnish.  Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine the relationship with Russia has soured in its entirety. 

We will be spending most of our time here in Tampere, which is in south-central Finland.  We will also explore Helsinki and the Turku area, with time for some spontaneous and surprise side trips.  We look forward to bringing you with us!

Hei Hei!