Finland

Finland is a nation bordering Sweden, Norway and Russia in Northern Europe. Its capital, Helsinki, occupies a peninsula in the Baltic Sea and its surrounding islands. Helsinki is home to the 18th-century sea fortress Suomenlinna, the fashionable Design District and diverse museums. The Northern Lights can be seen from the country’s Arctic Lapland province, a vast wilderness with national parks and ski resorts. It also is the center of Finnish recreation, including outdoor sports, ice fishing and cross-country skiing. Finland is home to a large population of Finns (7%), Sami (8%), Ukrainians (3%), Belarusians (3%), Russians (11%) and Estonians (2%).

Rounding out the attractions are surfing in Jämtland, the Lapland Center for Northern Traditional Music and Lapland Camping.

While in Finland, there are a host of sightseeing options to explore, including the northernmost point of the European mainland, Kompotarvesaari, in which boats leave daily for 78-kilometer trips to the European mainland. The Finnish capital and Lapland center both welcome small-ship cruises, such as Iso Omena, which is better known as The Arctic Wind. This 54-passenger cruise ship offers daily departures from Helsinki and offers sightseeing from both locations. It’s also well-known for its Art Nouveau design and hospitality. Guests have the opportunity to try the award-winning Finnish rye beer, Olavi, while learning more about the Finnish tradition of saunas, see the Northern Lights or visit historical sites. The cruise is a great way to sample some of the Nordic country’s finest cuisine. And a selection of beer and wine is included, making it a unique way to travel across the world’s largest sea.

Finland was the last European country to enter World War I, on the side of the Entente in 1916, which was headed by Britain and France.

A multinational military force commanded by a British general was assembled on Russian soil to push German forces out of Finland, and to secure its ports and link up with the British and French to create a wider front to the west.

Finland joined the German-led Central Powers in 1918, but as a neutral country, it remained neutral until the very end of the war.

Finland is the northernmost country in Europe. The population is 5.5 million and the land area is 1,276,529 sq miles. Finland is also part of the Nordic region. The island of Hokkaido, in the northernmost part of the country is the only part of Japan that is north of the Tropic of Cancer.

Most of Finland is covered by forest, including much of the entire coastline of the country, which is mostly forested. Forests in Finland are often mature, often older than 1,000 years. Finland’s 7,270 square miles of land are very sparsely populated and sparsely populated doesn’t mean low population density. There is a population density of 250.4 individuals per square mile in Finland and only 110 inhabited islands.

Finland is Europe’s last sovereign nation and the world’s westernmost country. It is one of the two Nordic countries that formed after World War I along with Denmark. The name of Finland means “the land of the butternut,” a term referring to a type of tree that originated in the country’s capital city, Helsinki, although this reference has been disputed.

Finland is the most easternly European country on mainland Europe, and borders Russia, Sweden and the Baltic Sea. There has been very little interaction between the countries, with Finland being part of the Soviet Union during World War II and now a member of the European Union.

Other countries that border Finland include Russia, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Russia. The neighboring countries account for 20% of the world’s fresh water, and the Nordic countries account for 50% of the world’s freshwater lakes.

Finland is a country with a population of 5.518 million people. I’m a small fish in this massive sea.

Finland is a closely knit nation. So we are a bit startled to have found a number of ‘heathens’ living among us. I was rather shocked by our own pastor’s statement.”

Bishop Pichkuiski is on to something. In Finnology (the study of the Finnish language), there is no standard language, as each one of the Finnish national dialects has a degree of variation. That means Finnish languages include “varieties” that are different enough from each other to cause subtle, and often undetectable differences. Among the languages is the somewhat well-known dialect of Erä (Ostrobothnia). The linguistic classification of Finnish within the broader Finnish group of languages is complex, not to mention the fact that there are far more dialects than there are official languages.