TravellerHints! Finland is a European country located in the northern part of the continent. It is one of the northernmost European countries and borders with Russia, Norway and Sweden.
Despite its vast area covering more than 338 thousand square kilometres, it has a population of only around 5.5 million people as it is sparsely populated state.
Due to the tough weather conditions up north, most of the population is situated in the southern parts of the country. The official name is the Republic of Finland and the official languages are Finnish and Swedish.
Finland’s capital city is Helsinki , serving as a cultural and political centre and also an area which most of the residents consider their home. Same as other Nordic countries, Finland has a highly developed economy with a great prosperity and high income. It is also often highly ranked in terms of education and life quality.
Finnish history is tangled with Sweden and Russia. It used to be part of Sweden from the 12th century (therefore the two official languages) and also belonged to the Russian Empire in the beginning of the 19th century. The independence for Finland came in 1917. During the World War II, Finland was occupied by Russia which led to losing some parts of the territory.
However, the independence was withheld and as an aftermath of the country joining the United Nations in 1995, Finland declared itself a neutral country. Nowadays, it is a member of the European Union, NATO or Eurozone.
Finland’s main appeals lies in the pristine nature. Thanks to the location, it is a destination for great adventures and unique journeys. There is no better place for experiencing the true Finnish Sauna in the freezing cold outside, while watching the spectacular colourful sky show (Aurora Borealis). The perfect location is Lapland – the very north of the country (where Santa Claus is rumoured to live).
During summer months, the sun never sets, allowing the midnight sun to shine over the wild nature. Finland is called the land of thousand lakes. The reason behind it is more than the impressive 180 000 lakes spread across the whole country (caused by the glaciers). The most beautiful area in terms lakes is the Finnish Lakeland with the largest concentration of those water miracles.
