FINLAND

THE MODERN COUNTRY OF THOUSANDS' LAKES The Republic of Finland
	A western country in the north Finland is a western democracy and has been independent since 1917. It is located in northern Europe, between Sweden and Russia. Finland has border with Norway, too. To the south and southwest is the Baltic Sea, with its two arms, the Gulf of Finland, and the Gulf of Bothnia. The capital of Finland is Helsinki. Because of the geographic location, Finland is a gateway between Western Europe and the growing markets of St.Petersburg, Russia and the Baltic rim countries. Finland is the seventh-largest European country in area. Its greatest lenght is 1,160 km and greatest width 540 km.
	Country of 187888 Lakes and 179584 islands There are 187,888 lakes and 179,584 islands. Water cover 10% of the total area, forest 69%. Finnish lakes, ponds, waterways and large lake systems add an significant feature to the finnish landscape. The Lake District in the southeast parts of Finland and lakes in Central Finland or Tampere Region in Southern Finland are the most remarkable. In addition to all those lakes, Finland contains more islands than any other country in the world. In a recent count. 45% are in the Baltic Sea, making the archipelago one of the densest in the world. One quarter of Finland's area lies above the Arctic Circle. Despite of the location, the climate is milder than in other places at the same northern latitude. The bedrock of Finland is over 1,5 billion years old, making it some of the oldest in the world. Three quarters of the area of Finland lies on granite, which breaks through the surface so often that the granite has become the symbol for the whole country. Because Finland is sparsely populated area, there is lot of wild and unpolluted nature. Finland contains some of the last wilderness areas in Europe, and even in the cities one is never far from the forest. About 65% of Finland's area is still forest, 10% is lakes and rivers.
	The Finns. Genetically Finns are European race. According to a recent study, Finnish ancestors came from the South and the South East immediately after the iceage, approx. 9,000 years ago. Christianity reached Finland about 1,000 years ago, more or less simultaneously from east and west. As a consequence, both the Evangelical-Lutheran Church and the Orthodox Church have the status of official religions. Some 86% of the population belong to the former and 1% or so to the latter. The Constitution guarantees freedom of religion. Finland is officially bilingual. Of the 5,099,000 inhabitants, 93% speak Finnish as their mother tongue, 5.8% Swedish. About 1,700 people in Lapland speak Sámi. The mean population density is 17 per sq. km. In the past Finns were obliged to struggle against nature and against foreign intruders. Despite of the drawbacks along the way, the struggle gave a lot of strength. The early settlers found inspiration in the Finnish landscape, sky and in mythological heroes who taught them that it was possible to overcome obstacles. In more recent times the same sources have been the basic source of inspiration for artists, designers and architects who have made Finland known to the world. 'Sisu' is a finnish word, meaning special strength and stubborn determination to continue and overcome in the moment of adversity. The Finns define 'Sisu' as an almost magical quality, a combination of stamina, courage, and obstinacy held in reserve for hard times.
	History Finland came within the sphere of influence of the Swedish Crown during the period that saw several "Crusades" from Sweden eastwards in the 12th and 13th centuries. The country became a Duchy within the Swedish Realm in the 16th century. As a result of the Napoleonic war settlement Finland became part of Russia as an autonomous Grand Duchy in 1809. Swedish laws were retained and the country was allowed to keep its own currency, mail and railway systems. Helsinki became the capital in 1812 (replacing Turku). After collapse of the Russian Empire in 1917, Finland declared herself independent on 6th December of that year. Today Finland is a prosperous country with good social security, a high standard of living and advanced technology. For a country with a population of around five million, Finland's ability to turn out top class sportsmen -ever since Paavo Nurmi ran Finland onto the world sports map with his nine Olympic medals in the 1920s - is exceptional. Climat Thanks to its continental climate with warm summers, south-east Finland has the highest mean summer temperature of anywhere in Scandinavia. The Finnish west coast is one of the sunniest places in northern Europe. What is probably even more important is that the air in Finland is always fresh and stimulating. Prolonged sunshine in the summer raises the temperature of the shallow lakes rapidly to over 20C from Mid-June onwards. Mean midday temperature in Helsinki in July is 20C. At the height of summer in northern Finland, the sun remains above the horizon round the clock. In Utsjoki the longest summer day lasts over two months. Not even in southern Finland does complete darkness descend during the night; a long evening twilight blends into an equally long morning one.
	Saint Nicholaus = Santa Claus = Father Christmas
	And last, but not least and of vital interest to children all over the world. Make a note of Santa's true address: SANTA CLAUS FIN-99999 Korvatunturi, Finland It's the real thing! Don't let anybody tell you he lives anywhere else!

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Vittorio-Maria Brandoni

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July 7 th 1998

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