Interesting facts about Finland

25 interesting facts about Finland

Finland is one of the most northern countries in the world, it is located in a region of harsh but very beautiful nature. The state is located in northern Europe, has access to the Baltic Sea and a fairly extreme climate.

However, the harsh landscape and sub-zero temperatures do not prevent Finland from being among the happiest countries in the world. This amazing country has a unique culture, unusual cuisine and a lot of interesting activities.

In this collection of 25 facts about Finland, which will help you get to know this northern country better!

1. Since last year, Finland tops the list of the happiest countries in the world according to the UN report. In 2017, this country was in the top five of this ranking along with other Nordic countries.
2. Finland is notable for its love of extreme sports – throwing cell phones, carrying wives on their backs, catching mosquitoes, and wading soccer.
3. There are about 190 thousand lakes in Finland, and they occupy 9% of the country. It is often called the country of a thousand lakes.
4. The country’s largest lake, called Saimaa, is home to a freshwater subspecies of ringed seals – the Saimaa seal. In total, there are about 380 individuals at the moment, and they live only here, cut off from other bodies of water after the ice age.
5. The inhabitants of the country are famous for consuming a lot of coffee. There are about 12 kg of this strong drink per Finn per year. Also they drink a lot of milk!

1. Finland is famous for its saunas: there are more than 3 million saunas for every 5.4 million Finns!
2. Finnish language is not like other Nordic languages. The three Scandinavian languages, Norwegian, Swedish and Danish, are so similar to each other that their speakers can easily understand each other. However, Finnish belongs to the Finno-Ugric language group, unlike the other European languages, which represent the Indo-European language group.
3. The real pride of Finland is free education, even at university level. Even foreign students can take advantage of this right. However, if they do not have European citizenship, they can only study in Finnish or Swedish.
4. Three unique phenomena can be found in Finland – the northern lights, the polar night and the midnight sun.
5. Finland was the first country, which gave all women the full right to vote – it was possible not only to vote, but also to run for parliament. This happened in 1906, before many countries in Europe.
6. Finns have one of the best passports in the world. They can travel without a visa to 175 countries around the world, slightly less than the passports of Germany, Japan and Singapore.

1. Finnish is considered one of the most difficult languages to learn, and no wonder. A noun can have about 200 different forms. And the longest word sounds like epäjärjestelmällistyttämättömyydellänsäkään.
2. One of the most popular activities in Finland is to ride on a reindeer or barker. With this mode of transportation you can travel around the country.
3. Finland is an incredibly green country, about 75% of its territory is covered by forests.
4. Because of the abundance of natural material in Finnish forests, one of the most popular building materials until the last century was wood. Entire wooden towns still remain, adding to the charm of the country’s appearance.
5. J.R.R. Tolkien created Elvish languages for his Middle-earth universe based on the Finnish. He was inspired by the epic Kalevala and the mythological history of Finland.
6. Finland has six UNESCO cultural heritage sites and one natural site.

1. In 2017-2019, Finland ran an assistance program for 2,000 unemployed citizens. They received about 600 euros a month, despite their other incomes. The government wanted to test the theory that a person without the stress of money can do better business.
2. The Finnish education system is world famous. Finns study at the expense of the state; they have no nationwide exams or voluminous homework.
3. The national animal of Finland is the brown bear.
4. The official residence of Santa Claus is in the Finnish town of Rovaniemi in the province of Lapland and is the most popular tourist spot in the country.
5. One of the very popular computer and mobile games in the world, Angry Birds, was created in Finland.
6. Finland is home to about 10,000 Roma, one of the largest ethnic minority groups in the country. They appeared in the area about 500 years ago and are well integrated into Finnish society.

1. Interestingly, in the 12th century Finland was the last country to convert to Christianity. Now most of the population of the country considers Lutheran Protestantism as their creed.
2. In Finland and its surroundings have more than 179 thousand islands and more than 187 thousand lakes, which is a world record.

By the way, another interesting fact – officially Finland is called the Republic of Finland. This country is a unique place with its own features, which can be seen only here.

Do you like the article? Support our project and share with your friends!

11 interesting facts about Finland

Finland – a country with an amazing nature, unique environment and developed infrastructure. Here you can see the northern lights in the reflection of the lakes with clear water, and enjoy a measured pace of life, which is famous for its local population.

Interesting facts about Finland – this is an opportunity to get to know the northern country as it was created by the Finns, as well as a chance to get acquainted with the peculiarities of Finnish culture.

Fact 1: Land of a Thousand Lakes and Islands!

The second name of Finland is “the country of a thousand lakes,” and there is a very good proof of that. In this relatively small country there are about 180,000 large and small lakes, which is very attractive to tourists who appreciate relaxing with a fishing rod on the shores of mirror-like water surfaces.

But if Finland has so many lakes, then accordingly, there must also be islands! So it is: and at last count there are about 179,000 registered islands.

Fact 2: Karaoke!

Do you like to express your emotions through singing? You definitely need to come to Finland! One of the favorite entertainment for the Finns is karaoke. Every tourist sees that there are karaoke bars not only in every Finnish town but in every street!

Fact 3: The most unusual competitions!

Finns have a great sense of humor, and it is evident in many areas. For example, only in Finland you can witness (and, if you wish, participate in) unusual championships.

Every year here are held competitions in carrying wives on the shoulders or hands, throwing on the range of cell phones or rubber boots, as well as competitions in mosquito catching or soccer in the mud.

Fact 4: The Land of Saunas

Finnish saunas are world famous and popular in every corner of the world. But few people know about the special attitude of Finns to the addiction of visiting saunas. The fact is that on the territory of Finland there are about two million two hundred thousand saunas! In terms of population, for every 3 people there is 1 sauna.

Saunas are available in every home, as well as an extensive network of saunas for travelers and visitors to the country. It remains only to add that in Finnish saunas is not accepted to go in clothes. The maximum allowed is bathing suits.

Fact 5. Gambling is for the public good!

The gambling business is legal in Finland. You can see a slot machine in every store but a non-profit organization has the right to monopolize it. Now pay attention! The incomes coming from gambling business go to charity, including getting rid of addiction to this addiction.

Fact 6: A Tourist’s Note!

Traveling through Finland on one of the many trains, the tourist is sure to come across strange images. On the doors between the cars depicted human hands, but with one difference, namely palms with six fingers instead of five.

It was not the designer’s mistake, but a way to attract passengers’ attention. According to the idea, the image attracts the eye and encourages to push the door in that place, but not where the glass is. This clever move allows you to significantly save on windshield wipers.

Fact 7. Interesting penalty calculation

This interesting fact about Finland concerns the rules of the road, and more precisely, the penalties for their violation. When calculating penalties, not only the severity of the offense, but also the financial situation of the offender is taken into account. In other words, the higher the salary of the driver, the higher the fine.

There is even the biggest fine paid, the amount of which was equal to 170,000 euros, and it is for ordinary speeding.

Fact 8: Home of Joelupukki

Finland, more precisely its northern part – Lapland, is the official homeland of Santa Claus, who gives presents to children on New Year’s Eve. But not many people know that in Finland his name is Joelupukki, which translates from Finnish as “Christmas Goat.

This good old man also has a wife, Muori (Old Lady Christmas), a passport indicating his age, and a residence where tourists are allowed to visit on holidays.

Fact 9. Coffee, coffee and coffee again!

Finland is a leader in coffee consumption per capita. According to official statistics, Finns consume 14 kg of ground coffee per person per year, which is 9 cups per day!

Fact 10. The country of innovations and inventions

It is difficult to believe, but many inventions came to us exactly from Finland. The most widespread are: the sauna, the dishwasher, the Toboggan evacuation device, the heart rate monitor, the exotic sweet “salmiak”, the computer operating system Linux, skates, the computer game “Angry Birds”, the Molotov cocktail, SMS.

Fact 11: Finns are a nation of futurists!

Finland is the first and perhaps the only country in the entire world to conduct futuristic research and to plan for the future. For this purpose, there is an entire committee for the near future, which not only provides a development plan for the next few years, but also implements the most inconceivable projects.

Finland is a cozy country with a hospitable local population, radiating peace and kindness. Here with respect for the guests and are very appreciative of individuality. At the end of our story, we would like to traditionally recommend a must-see place – this time we recommend visiting Ranua Zoo in Lapland.