     
Information & Brief History
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 won its complete independence in 1917. During
World War II, it was able to successfully defend its freedom and resist
invasions by the Soviet Union - albeit with some loss of territory. In
the subsequent half century, the Finns 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.
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Capital: Helsinki
Finland
Largest City: Helsinki
Finland
Religion: Lutheran National
Church 84.2%, Greek Orthodox in Finland 1.1%, other Christian 1.1%, other
0.1%, none 13.5%
Languages Spoken: Finnish
92% (official), Swedish 5.6% (official), other 2.4% (small Sami- and Russian-speaking
minorities)
See also: Languages
spoken in Europe, Languages of
the world
Northern Europe, bordering
the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, and Gulf of Finland, between Sweden and
Russia
Lowest point: Baltic Sea 0
m
Highest point: Haltiatunturi
1,328 m
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Finland