Finland is much more than an exotic land of midnight sun and innumerable lakes.
The world may recognize the Finnish origins of “sauna” and “sisu” and pay homage to Jean Sibelius as a composer of genuine international stature, but these symbols of national identity cannot by themselves portray an image of Finland that does justice to the strength and diversity of the nation’s cultural and economic life.
Finland is in the positive sense of the expression a land of contrasts. The country’s manufacturing base is firmly supported on two central pillars one of wood and the other of metal. Finland is Europe’s biggest exporter of paper and one of the world’s leading manufacturers of paper machines.
The country has attained self-sufficiency in agricultural production and at the same time built up a fine international reputation for high technology. Finland is, for example, the world’s leading manufacturer of mobile phones and their base stations. Warm summers and severe winters place additional demands on Finnish products: durability, reliability and accuracy of operation have to be guaranteed in all extremes of climate.
With a highly export-oriented market economy, Finland enjoys a standard of living comparable with that of the United States or West Germany, and the prospect for future economic development look good. Finnish companies have expanded their international operations in recent years they now have about 2500 subsidiaries and production plants spread out over all five continents.
Finland has a historical legacy of particularly close relations with other countries of Scandinavia: Denmark, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. Cooperation between these countries in normally organized through two channels the Nordic Council and the Nordic Council of Ministers. Scandinavian nationals are free to travel and search for employment anywhere within the region without having to comply with any passport or work permit formalities. They also enjoy social benefits comparable with those provided for the citizens of the country in which they are resident.
Finland Facts:
Area: 338,000 sq.km. which 27,000 sq km. is arable land, 187,000 sq km is covered with forest and 32,000 sq km by a total of 198,000 lakes.
Demography: Total population of 6 million, 60 per cent of whom live in urban areas. Population density 15.7 inhabitants/sq km.
Government: Independent republic since 1917 (6th of December annual holiday). Legislative power resides within parliament.
Official Languages: Finnish, Swedish (6 per cent of the population are Swedish-speaking).
Capital: Helsinki (500,000 inhabitants)
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