Finland (pronounced officially the Republic of Finland
Finnish: Suomi; Swedish: Finland is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden on the west, Norway on the north and Russia on the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.
Around 5.4 million people reside in Finland, with the majority concentrated in the southern part of the country. It is the eighth largest country in Europe in terms of area and the most sparsely populated country in the European Union. Finland is a parliamentary republic with a central government based in Helsinki and local governments in 342 municipalities. A total of about one million residents live in the Greater Helsinki area (which includes Helsinki, Espoo, Kauniainen and Vantaa), and a third of the country's GDP is produced there. Other larger cities include Tampere, Turku, Oulu, Jyväskylä, Kuopio, Kouvola and Lahti.
Finland was historically a part of Sweden and from 1809 on, an autonomous Grand Duchy within the Russian Empire. Finland's declaration of independence from Russia in 1917 was followed by a civil war, wars against the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany, and a period of official neutrality during the Cold War. Finland joined the United Nations in 1955, the OECD in 1969, the European Union in 1995, and the eurozone since its beginning. Finland has been ranked the second most stable country in the world, in a survey based on social, economic, political and military indicators.
Finland was a relative latecomer to industrialization, remaining a largely agrarian country until the 1950s. Thereafter, economic development was rapid, and the country reached the world's top income levels in the 1970s. Between 1970 and 1990, Finland built an extensive welfare state. In the aftermath of the country's severe depression in the early 1990s, successive governments have changed the Finnish economic system through some privatisation, deregulation and tax cuts.
Finland is well placed in international comparisons of national performance such as the share of high-technology manufacturing and health care.[8] The country is ranked 1st in the 2009 Legatum Prosperity rating, which is based on economical performance and quality of lifeCoat of arms /Anthem: Maamme (Finnish)
Vårt land (Swedish)
"Our Land"(English).
Location of Finland (dark green) – on the European continent (light green & dark grey) | ||
Capital (and largest city) | Helsinki 60°10′N 024°56′E / 60.167°N 24.933°E | |
Official language(s) | Finnish, Swedish | |
---|---|---|
Recognised regional languages | Saami | |
Demonym | Finns, Finnish | |
Government | Parliamentary republic[1] | |
- | President | Tarja Halonen |
- | Prime Minister | Mari Kiviniemi |
Independence | from Russian Empire | |
- | Autonomy | March 29, 1809 |
- | Declared | December 6, 1917 |
- | Recognized | January 4, 1918 |
EU accession | January 1, 1995 | |
Area | ||
- | Total | 338,424 km2 (64th) 130,596 sq mi |
- | Water (%) | 10 |
Population | ||
- | 2010 estimate | 5,359,538[2] (111th) |
- | 2000 census | 5,180,000 |
- | Density | 16/km2 (201st) 40/sq mi |
GDP (PPP) | 2009 estimate | |
- | Total | $179.598 billion[3] |
- | Per capita | $33,556[3] |
GDP (nominal) | 2009 estimate | |
- | Total | $238.128 billion[3] |
- | Per capita | $44,491[3] |
Gini (2000) | 26.9 (low) | |
HDI (2007) | ▲ 0.959[4] (very high) (12th) | |
Currency | Euro (€)¹ (EUR ) | |
Time zone | EET (UTC+2) | |
- | Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) |
Drives on the | right | |
Internet TLD | .fi, .ax ² | |
Calling code | 358 | |
1 | Before 2002: Finnish markka | |
2 | The .eu domain is also used, as it is shared with other European Union member states. |
2 kommenttia:
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