Finland

Finland (Finnish: Suomi [ˈsuo̯mi] (listen); Swedish: Finland [ˈfɪ̌nland] (listen)), officially the Republic of Finland (Finnish: Suomen tasavalta; Swedish: Republiken Finland (listen to all)),[note 2] is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, across from Estonia. Finland covers an area of 338,455 square kilometres (130,678 sq mi) with a population of 5.6 million. Helsinki is the capital and largest city. The vast majority of the population are ethnic Finns. Finnish and Swedish are the official languages, Swedish is the native language of 5.2% of the population.[11] Finland's climate varies from humid continental in the south to the boreal in the north. The land cover is primarily a boreal forest biome, with more than 180,000 recorded lakes.[12]

Quick facts: Republic of Finland.mw-parser-output .plainli... ▼

Republic of Finland Suomen tasavalta (Finnish) Republiken Finland (Swedish)
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem:  Maamme (Finnish) Vårt land (Swedish) (English: "Our Land")
Show globe Show map of Europe Location of Finland (dark green) – in Europe (green & dark grey) – in the European Union (green)  –  [Legend]
Capital and largest city	Helsinki 60°10′15″N 24°56′15″E
Official languages	Finnish Swedish
Recognized national languages	Sami Karelian Finnish Kalo Finnish Sign Language Finland-Swedish Sign Language
Ethnic groups (2021)[1][2]	91.5% Finns[note 1] 8.5% others
Religion (2021)[3]	68.6% Christianity —66.6% Lutheranism —1.1% Orthodoxy —0.9% other Christian 30.6% no religion 0.8% other
Demonym(s)	Finnish Finn
Government	Unitary parliamentary republic[4]
• President	Sauli Niinistö
• Prime Minister	Sanna Marin
• Speaker of the Parliament	Petteri Orpo
Legislature	Parliament
Independence  from Russia
• Integration and autonomy in the Russian Empire	29 March 1809
• Declaration of Independence	6 December 1917
• Finnish Civil War	January – May 1918
• Constitution established	17 July 1919
• Winter War	30 November 1939 – 13 March 1940
• Continuation War	25 June 1941 – 19 September 1944
• Joined the EU	1 January 1995
• Joined NATO	4 April 2023
Area
• Total	338,455 km2 (130,678 sq mi) (65th)
• Water (%)	9.71 (2015)[5]
Population
• 2023 estimate	5,614,571[6] (116th)
• Density	16.4/km2 (42.5/sq mi) (213th)
GDP (PPP)	2022 estimate
• Total	$321.2 billion[7] (60th)
• Per capita	$58,010[7] (21st)
GDP (nominal)	2022 estimate
• Total	$267.61 billion[7] (46th)
• Per capita	$53,745[7] (16th)
Gini (2021)	25.7[8] low
HDI (2021)	0.940[9] very high · 11th
Currency	Euro (€) (EUR)
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Date format	dd.mm.yyyy[10]
Driving side	right
Calling code	+358
ISO 3166 code	FI
Internet TLD	.fi, .axa
The .eu domain is also used, as it is shared with other European Union member states.

Finland was first inhabited around 9000 BC after the Last Glacial Period.[13] The Stone Age introduced several different ceramic styles and cultures. The Bronze Age and Iron Age were characterized by contacts with other cultures in Fennoscandia and the Baltic region.[14] From the late 13th century, Finland became a part of Sweden as a consequence of the Northern Crusades. In 1809, as a result of the Finnish War, Finland became part of the Russian Empire as the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland, during which Finnish art flourished and the idea of independence began to take hold. In 1906, Finland became the first European state to grant universal suffrage, and the first in the world to give all adult citizens the right to run for public office.[15][note 3] After the 1917 Russian Revolution, Finland declared independence from Russia. In 1918, the fledgling state was divided by the Finnish Civil War. During World War II, Finland fought the Soviet Union in the Winter War and the Continuation War, and Nazi Germany in the Lapland War. It subsequently lost parts of its territory, but maintained its independence.

Finland largely remained an agrarian country until the 1950s. After World War II, it rapidly industrialized and developed an advanced economy, while building an extensive welfare state based on the Nordic model; the country soon enjoyed widespread prosperity and a high per capita income.[16] During the Cold War, Finland adopted an official policy of neutrality. Finland joined the European Union in 1995, the Eurozone at its inception in 1999 and NATO in 2023. Finland performs highly in metrics of national performance, including education, economic competitiveness, civil liberties, quality of life and human development.[17][18][19][20]