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Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, 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, opposite Estonia. Finland has a population of 5.6 million. Its capital and largest city is Helsinki. The majority of the population are ethnic Finns. The official languages are Finnish and Swedish; 84.9 percent of the population speak the first as their mother tongue and 5.1 percent the latter. Finland's climate varies from humid continental in the south to boreal in the north. The land cover is predominantly boreal forest biome, with more than 180,000 recorded lakes.

Finland was first settled around 9000 BC after the last Ice Age. During the Stone Age, various cultures emerged, distinguished by different styles of ceramics. The Bronze Age and Iron Ages were marked by contacts with other cultures in Fennoscandia and the Baltic region. From the late 13th century, Finland became part of Sweden as a result of the Northern Crusades. In 1809, as a result of the Finnish War, Finland was captured from Sweden and became an autonomous grand duchy within the Russian Empire. During this period, Finnish art flourished and the independence movement began to take hold. Finland became the first territory in Europe to grant universal suffrage in 1906, and the first in the world to give all adult citizens the right to run for public office. Following the Russian Revolution of 1917, Finland declared its independence. A civil war was fought in Finland the following year, with the Whites emerging victorious. Finland's status as a republic was confirmed in 1919. During World War II, Finland fought against the Soviet Union in the Winter War and the Continuation War, and later against Nazi Germany in the Lapland War. As a result, it lost parts of its territory to the Soviet Union but retained its independence and democracy. (Full article...)

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The composer (c. 1940–1945)

The Symphony No. 8, JS 190, was the final major compositional project of the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius, occupying him intermittently from the mid-1920s until around 1938, though he never published it. During this time Sibelius was at the peak of his fame, a national figure in his native Finland and a composer of international stature. A fair copy of at least the first movement was made, but how much of the Eighth Symphony was completed is unknown. Sibelius repeatedly refused to release it for performance, though he continued to assert that he was working on it even after he had, according to later reports from his family, burned the score and associated material, probably in 1945.

Much of Sibelius's reputation, during his lifetime and subsequently, derived from his work as a symphonist. His Seventh Symphony of 1924 has been widely recognised as a landmark in the development of symphonic form, and at the time there was no reason to suppose that the flow of innovative orchestral works would not continue. However, after the symphonic poem Tapiola, completed in 1926, his output was confined to relatively minor pieces and revisions to earlier works. During the 1930s the Eighth Symphony's premiere was promised to Serge Koussevitzky and the Boston Symphony Orchestra on several occasions, but as each scheduled date approached Sibelius demurred, claiming that the work was not ready for performance. Similar promises made to the British conductor Basil Cameron and to the Finnish Georg Schnéevoigt likewise proved illusory. It is thought that Sibelius's perfectionism and exalted reputation prevented him ever completing the symphony to his satisfaction; he wanted it to be even better than his Seventh. (Full article...)

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Helsinki Cathedral

Photograph credit: Joaquim Alves Gaspar

Helsinki Cathedral is an Evangelical Lutheran cathedral of the Diocese of Helsinki, located in the centre of Helsinki, Finland. Designed by Carl Ludvig Engel to form the focal point of Senate Square, it was built from 1830 to 1852 in the Neoclassical style. The church's plan forms a Greek cross (a square centre and four equilateral arms), symmetrical in each of the four cardinal directions. The cathedral is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Helsinki, with more than half a million visitors in 2018.

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Did you know (auto-generated)

... that Joe Wirkkunen coached the Finland men's national ice hockey team after receiving a recommendation from Canada?
... that Matti Lehtinen, a baritone of the Finnish National Opera and professor of singing at the Sibelius Academy, was the voice of God at age 93?
... that the United States severed diplomatic ties with Finland in 1944 because of a personal letter sent to Hitler?
... that Finnish-American model Selene Mahri married three millionaires and is credited with inventing the saying "Marriage is a question of give and take. You give. I take"?
... that Kimmo Leinonen helped establish both the Finnish Hockey Hall of Fame and the IIHF Hall of Fame?
... that the 1972 Finnish film The Sheep Eaters gathered more than a million viewers opposite the 1975 Ice Hockey World Championships match between Finland and the Soviet Union?

WikiProjects

You are invited to participate in Finland WikiProject, a WikiProject dedicated to developing and improving articles about Finland.

More did you know - show different entries

...that the career of Tiia Piili, four-time FISAF World Champion in sport aerobics, was threatened when she got food poisoning attending a competition in Morocco?
...that Erkki Karu founded both Suomi-Filmi and Suomen Filmiteollisuus, the two largest film production companies during the 'Golden Age' of Finnish cinema?
...that "Blooddrunk", a track by Finnish band Children of Bodom about self-destructive behaviour, debuted at number one in Finland?
...that Taisto Mäki, one of the so-called Flying Finns, was the first man to run 10,000 metres in under half an hour?
...that when called by the opposition to quit after the Kauhajoki school shooting, Finnish politician Anne Holmlund refused and compared resigning her post as Interior Minister to "desertion"?

... that the asteroid 1536 Pielinen is named after Pielinen Lake (pictured) in Finland?

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Rosberg in 2016

Nico Erik Rosberg (born 27 June 1985) is a German and Finnish former racing driver and entrepreneur, who competed under the German flag in Formula One from 2006 to 2016. Rosberg won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in 2016 with Mercedes, and won 23 Grands Prix across 11 seasons.

The only child of Finnish 1982 Formula One World Champion Keke Rosberg and his German wife, he was born in Wiesbaden but was raised primarily in Monaco. Rosberg began competitive kart racing at the age of six and achieved early success, winning regional and national French championships, before moving to European-based series and world championships. At the age of 16, he progressed to car racing, winning nine races to claim the 2002 Formula BMW ADAC Championship with VIVA Racing. He subsequently moved to the higher-tier Formula 3 Euro Series with Team Rosberg in 2003 and 2004 before winning the inaugural GP2 Series championship with ART Grand Prix in 2005. (Full article...)

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General images

The following are images from various Finland-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1People gathered in the Senate Square for a demonstration against the February Manifesto in March 1899. (from History of Finland)
Image 2Jean Sibelius at work in his study (from History of Finland)
Image 3Winter War Monument in Suomussalmi, Kainuu, Finland (from History of Finland)
Image 4Wehrmacht soldiers with a local Sámi reindeer herder, Lappland, Sodankylä, Finland 1942 (from History of Finland)
Image 5The part of Finland controlled by the Reds at its largest in February–March 1918 (from History of Finland)
Image 6The decision of the Soviet of the People's Comissars' to recognise Finnish independence, signed by Vladimir Lenin, Leon Trotsky, Grigory Petrovsky, Joseph Stalin, Isaac Steinberg, Vladimir Karelin, and Alexander Schlichter (from History of Finland)
Image 7Memorial of the Mannerheim Cross Knights of Parikkala, Finland (from History of Finland)
Image 8The Swedish empire at its largest. Most of present-day Finland was part of Sweden proper, rike, shown in dark green. (from History of Finland)
Image 9Pekka Halonen's painting "against persecutors" from 1896 depicts the warfare of the ancient Finns. (from History of Finland)
Image 10S/S Urania in Hanko harbor in 1893, with 509 emigrants on board on their way to America (from History of Finland)
Image 11Sámi / Laplander family in traditional costumes from Finland. (from Culture of Finland)
Image 12In the middle is the patron saint of Finland, Saint Henry, on the right side of him is Bishop Konrad Bitz and on the left is Dean Magnus Stjernkors; from Missale Aboense (1488) (from History of Finland)
Image 13In 2011 figure skater Kiira Korpi was ranked 4th in the world. (from Culture of Finland)
Image 14The ruins of Vammala burned by the Reds, during the Civil war (from History of Finland)
Image 15The Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (1865–1957), a significant figure in the history of classical music (from Culture of Finland)
Image 16An old drawing of the city of Turku in the 18th century (from History of Finland)
Image 17Lapua Movement supporters beating the "red officer" Eino Nieminen in front of the Vaasa courthouse during the 4 June 1930 riot. (from History of Finland)
Image 18A view of Pohjoisesplanadi in the center of Helsinki in 1891 (from History of Finland)
Image 19A smoke sauna (savusauna) in Enonkoski (from Culture of Finland)
Image 20Mikael Agricola hands over the Finnish Translation of the New Testament to King Gustav Wasa. (from History of Finland)
Image 21A summer cottage (mökki) on a lake island (from Culture of Finland)
Image 22Grand Duchy of Finland, 75 kopek assignat (1824) (from History of Finland)
Image 23Eero Järnefelt, Burning the Brushwood, 1893 (from History of Finland)
Image 24President K. J. Ståhlberg in his office in 1919 (from History of Finland)
Image 25A triptych by Akseli Gallen-Kallela, depicting the Aino Story of Kalevala on three panes (from Culture of Finland)
Image 26Linus Torvalds, a famous Fennoswede software engineer, best known for initiating the development of the Linux kernel (from Culture of Finland)
Image 27President Urho Kekkonen's funeral procession in 1986 (from History of Finland)
Image 28Portrait of Finnish poet Elias Lönnrot who wrote "the Kalevala" (1802 - 1884) (from History of Finland)
Image 29The public education system founded during earlier Swedish rule resulted the literacy of Grand Duchy of Finland being higher than its host country Russian Empire (map of 1897 census literacy data) (from History of Finland)
Image 30A reconstruction of a 12th-century Perniö costume (from History of Finland)
Image 31Battle of Gangut (Hanko) was part of the Great Northern War during 1700–1721. (from History of Finland)
Image 32Identification document and tag of a Finnish war child (from History of Finland)
Image 33Kalmar Union in 1400s (from History of Finland)
Image 34Finland Ostrobothnia regiment uniforms in 1705 (from History of Finland)
Image 35Stone Age dwelling named Kierikki 5000–3000 BC (from History of Finland)
Image 362007 Formula One World Champion Kimi Räikkönen celebrating victory at the 2007 Brazilian Grand Prix (from Culture of Finland)
Image 37Finnish folk dancers in a 1907 postcard sent from Mustamäki, Finland (from Culture of Finland)
Image 38This 1825 map of the Grand Duchy of Finland is from a larger work, geographical atlas of the Russian Empire. (from History of Finland)
Image 39Karjalanpiirakka, a traditional Finnish pastry (from Culture of Finland)
Image 40Janne Ahonen is considered one of the best and most successful currently active ski jumpers. (from Culture of Finland)
Image 41Women dressed in Finnish folk costumes (from Culture of Finland)
Image 42Marshal of Finland Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim visit in Germany, 1942 (from History of Finland)
Image 43Prehistoric red ochre painted rock art of moose, human figures, and boats in Astuvansalmi, Finland, from ca. 3800–2200 BC (from Culture of Finland)
Image 44Students on Helsinki's Esplanadi wearing their caps on Vappu (from Culture of Finland)
Image 45Alvar Aalto, Viipuri Library (1927–35) (from Culture of Finland)
Image 46Pieces of the Antrea Net (8,300 BC), the oldest-known fishing net in the world. (from History of Finland)
Image 47Ancylus Lake covered major part of Finland (7,500–6,000 BC) (from History of Finland)
Image 48Apocalyptica's Perttu Kivilaakso playing metal music live (from Culture of Finland)
Image 49The area controlled by Finland at its largest, in 1942 (from History of Finland)
Image 50Homann's map of the Scandinavian Peninsula and Fennoscandia with their surrounding territories: northern Germany, northern Poland, the Baltic region, Livonia, Belarus, and parts of Northwest Russia. Johann Baptist Homann (1664–1724) was a German geographer and cartographer; map dated around 1730. (from History of Finland)
Image 51A peasant girl and a woman in traditional dress from Ruokolahti, eastern Finland, as depicted by Severin Falkman in 1882 (from Culture of Finland)
Image 52Badge of the Finnish White/Civil Guard (from History of Finland)
Image 53Signing the Helsinki Accords are the West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt, East Germany's leader Erich Honecker, US president Gerald Ford and the Austrian chancellor Bruno Kreisky (from History of Finland)
Image 54In the sauna, by Pekka Halonen, 1925 (from Culture of Finland)
Image 55Map of Finnish areas ceded to the Soviet Union in 1944, after the Continuation War (from History of Finland)
Image 56(1809 Diet of Porvoo) The sovereign's pledge, printed in Finnish (from History of Finland)
Image 57Imagery collage of Birger Jarl conquering Häme and the construction of Häme Castle (from History of Finland)
Image 58Kreeta Haapasalo Playing the Kantele in a Peasant Cottage (1868), by Robert Wilhelm Ekman (from History of Finland)
Image 59Captain Aarne Juutilainen at the front at Kollaa during the Winter War (from History of Finland)
Image 60The first government of independent Finland. P. E. Svinhufvud, the first Prime Minister of Finland, sitting at the head of the table. (from History of Finland)
Image 61Kastelli Giant's Church in Pattijoki by Pöljä culture [fi] (from History of Finland)
Image 62Northern Europe in 814 (from History of Finland)
Image 63Helsinki Accords Treaty (from History of Finland)
Image 64Erkki Karu, one of the pioneers of the Finnish cinema, with cinematographer Eino Kari in 1927 (from Culture of Finland)
Image 65Finnish Guards' Rifle Battalion, 1850s (from History of Finland)
Image 66The Finno-Soviet Treaty (from History of Finland)
Image 67Midsummer bonfire (kokko) in Mäntsälä (from Culture of Finland)
Image 68A group of Finnish soldiers operating a Bofors gun during the Continuation War in 1943 (from History of Finland)
Image 69Jussipaita (transl. Jussi sweater); a traditional sweater from the Finnish region of Southern Ostrobothnia (from Culture of Finland)
Image 70Battle of Valkeala was part of the Russo-Swedish War (1788–1790). (from History of Finland)
Image 71Painting of Lalli killing Henry. Painting by C. A. Ekman. (from History of Finland)
Image 72Turku Cathedral and its surroundings from 1814 (from History of Finland)
Image 73Women in sauna with Vihtas
Image 74The area of Finland in the years 1920–1940. The 1935 county and municipality division on the map. (from History of Finland)
Image 75Stone Age stone axe engraved with human face found from Kiuruvesi. (from History of Finland)
Image 76Paavo Nurmi at the 1920 Summer Olympics (from Culture of Finland)
Image 77Three Finnish Romani women in Helsinki, Finland, in 1930s (from Culture of Finland)

In the news

14 January 2025 – 2024 Baltic Sea submarine cable disruptions, NATO operations: At the Summit of Baltic Sea Allies in Helsinki, Finland, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announces the establishment of the Baltic Sentry military mission, which will strengthen the protection of critical infrastructure in the region, such as energy and communication cables, from "destabilizing acts". (NATO News)
3 January 2025 – 2024 Estlink 2 incident: A district court in Helsinki, Finland, denies a request to release the impounded oil tanker Eagle S, suspected of damaging the Estlink 2 submarine power cable and carrying sanctioned Russian oil. (Al Jazeera)
26 December 2024 – 2024 Baltic Sea submarine cable disruptions, Finland–Russia relations: 2024 Estlink 2 incident; Finnish border guards and police detain a Russian vessel suspected of damaging the Estlink-2 submarine power cable yesterday. (AP)
25 December 2024 – 2024 Estlink 2 incident: HVDC submarine power cable Estlink 2, which connects the power grids of Estonia and Finland, suffers an unexplained outage with Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo stating that an investigation into the incident is underway. (AP)
18 November 2024 – 2024 Baltic Sea submarine cable disruptions: The C-Lion1 submarine communications cable across the Baltic Sea between Finland and Germany is damaged in what German officials suspect is sabotage. (The Guardian)

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