NAVIGATION
|
HOME
• FLAG FINDER
• MAP FINDER
• SOURCES
• ADD YOURSELF TO THE ATLAS! COUNTRIES A-D • COUNTRIES E-K • COUNTRIES L-R • COUNTRIES S-Z |
NAVIGATION
Republic of Finland
Suomen Tasavalta
INTRODUCTION
|
Background:
|
Finland was a province and then a grand duchy under Sweden from the 12th to the 19th centuries and an autonomous grand duchy of Russia after 1809. It finally won its complete 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. |
GEOGRAPHY
|
Location:
|
Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, and Gulf of Finland, between Sweden and Russia |
|
Geographic coordinates:
|
64 00 N, 26 00 E |
|
Map references:
|
Europe |
|
Area:
|
total: 337,030 sq km
water: 31,560 sq km land: 305,470 sq km |
|
Area - comparative:
|
slightly smaller than Montana |
|
Land boundaries:
|
total: 2,628 km
border countries: Norway 729 km, Sweden 586 km, Russia 1,313 km |
|
Coastline:
|
1,126 km (excludes islands and coastal indentations) |
|
Maritime claims:
|
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive fishing zone: 12 NM; extends to continental shelf boundary with Sweden territorial sea: 12 NM (in the Gulf of Finland - 3 NM) |
|
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 |
|
Terrain:
|
mostly low, flat to rolling plains interspersed with lakes and low hills |
|
Elevation extremes:
|
lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m
highest point: Halti 1,328 m |
|
Natural resources:
|
timber, copper, zinc, iron ore, silver |
|
Land use:
|
arable land: 6.98%
permanent crops: 0.01% other: 93.01% (1998 est.) |
|
Irrigated land:
|
640 sq km (1998 est.) |
|
Natural hazards:
|
NA |
|
Environment - current issues:
|
air pollution from manufacturing and power plants contributing to acid rain; water pollution from industrial wastes, agricultural chemicals; habitat loss threatens wildlife populations |
|
Environment - international agreements:
|
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol |
|
Geography - note:
|
long boundary with Russia; Helsinki is northernmost national capital on European continent; population concentrated on small southwestern coastal plain |
PEOPLE
|
Population:
|
5,183,545 (July 2002 est.) |
|
Age structure:
|
0-14 years: 17.9% (male 471,920; female 454,082)
15-64 years: 66.9% (male 1,752,493; female 1,717,544) 65 years and over: 15.2% (male 306,216; female 481,290) (2002 est.) |
|
Population growth rate:
|
0.14% (2002 est.) |
|
Birth rate:
|
10.6 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
|
Death rate:
|
9.78 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
|
Net migration rate:
|
0.62 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
|
Sex ratio:
|
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.64 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
|
Infant mortality rate:
|
3.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
|
Life expectancy at birth:
|
total population: 77.75 years
female: 81.52 years (2002 est.) male: 74.1 years |
|
Total fertility rate:
|
1.7 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
|
0.05% (1999 est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
|
1,100 (1999 est.) |
|
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
|
less than 100 (1999 est.) |
|
Nationality:
|
noun: Finn(s)
adjective: Finnish |
|
Ethnic groups:
|
Finn 93%, Swede 6%, Sami 0.11%, Roma 0.12%, Tatar 0.02% |
|
Religions:
|
Evangelical Lutheran 89%, Russian Orthodox 1%, none 9%, other 1% |
|
Languages:
|
Finnish 93.4% (official), Swedish 5.9% (official), small Lapp- and Russian-speaking minorities |
|
Literacy:
|
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 100% (1980 est.) male: NA% female: NA% |