Background
Ruled by Sweden from the 12th to the 19th centuries and by Russia from 1809, Finland finally won its independence in 1917. During World War II, it was able to successfully defend its freedom and fend off invasions by the Soviet Union and Germany. In the subsequent half century, the Finns have made a remarkable transformation from a farm/forest economy to a diversified modern industrial economy; per capita income is now on par with Western Europe. As a member of the European Union, Finland was the only Nordic state to join the euro system at its initiation in January 1999.
Ethnic groups:
Finn 93%, Swede 6%, Lapp 0.11%, Roma 0.12%, Tatar 0.02%
Nationality:
Noun: Finn(s)
Adjective: Finnish
Religions:
Evangelical Lutheran 89%, Greek Orthodox 1%, none 9%, other 1%
Languages:
Finnish 93.4% (official), Swedish 5.9% (official), small Lapp- and Russian-speaking minorities
Population: 5,167,486 (July 2000 est.)
Area:
Total: 337,030 sq km
Land : 305,470 sq km
Water : 31,560 sq km
Climate:
Cold temperate; potentially subarctic, but comparatively mild because of moderating influence of the North Atlantic Current, Baltic Sea, and more than 60,000 lakes
Ethnic groups:
Finn 93%, Swede 6%, Lapp 0.11%, Roma 0.12%, Tatar 0.02%
Nationality:
Noun: Finn(s)
Adjective: Finnish
Religions:
Evangelical Lutheran 89%, Greek Orthodox 1%, none 9%, other 1%
Languages:
Finnish 93.4% (official), Swedish 5.9% (official), small Lapp- and Russian-speaking minorities
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