Finland

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 covers an area of 338,145 square kilometres (130,559 sq mi) and has a population of 5.6 million. Helsinki is the capital and largest city. The vast 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

Some of the key events about Finland

  • 1808
    Finland was conquered by Russia, ending over 600 years of Swedish rule
  • 1866
    A severe famine struck Finland, resulting in the deaths of approximately 150,000 people
  • 1917
    Finland gained independence from Russia
  • 1918
    A bitter civil war erupted between the Reds and Whites, causing significant loss of life and societal division
  • 1921
    The Åland Islands were granted autonomy within Finland
  • 1939
    The Soviet Union invaded Finland, initiating the Winter War
  • 1941
    Finland entered World War II as a co-belligerent with Nazi Germany against the Soviet Union
  • 1944
    Finland was forced to cede territory to the Soviet Union as part of the Moscow Armistice
  • 1950s
    Finland experienced a period of "Finlandization", limiting its sovereignty in foreign policy due to Soviet influence
  • 1952
    Helsinki hosted the Summer Olympics
  • 1955
    Finland joined the United Nations
  • 1975
    Helsinki hosted the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe
  • 1990
    Finland entered a severe economic depression, with unemployment reaching nearly 20%
  • 1995
    Finland became a member of the European Union
  • 2000
    Helsinki was one of the nine European Capitals of Culture
  • 2004
    A tsunami in the Indian Ocean killed 179 Finnish tourists in Thailand
  • 2007
    A school shooting in Jokela resulted in the deaths of nine people, shocking the nation
  • 2010
    Finland became the first country to make broadband internet access a legal right
  • 2017
    Finland became the first country to experiment with a nationwide basic income program
  • 2019
    Finland ranked as the happiest country in the world for the second consecutive year

Disclaimer: This material is written based on information taken from open sources, including Wikipedia, news media, podcasts, and other public sources.

Finland Latest news

Europe freezes Syrian asylum cases as Damascus changes hands

Europe freezes Syrian asylum cases as Damascus changes hands

European nations hit pause on Syrian refugee applications after rebels take Damascus and **Bashar al-Assad** escapes to Russia. The move affects over 124‚000 asylum-seekers who applied this year

Society, Politics • December 11 2024 , 02:34 AM  •  2715 views
Russian commander faces life term in Finland over decade-old Ukraine crimes

Russian commander faces life term in Finland over decade-old Ukraine crimes

Finnish court starts hearing war-crime case about events from eastern Ukraine that happened 10 years ago. **Yan Petrovsky** faces charges for leading a pro-russian unit that killed and hurt Ukrainian soldiers

Society, Politics • December 5 2024 , 09:39 PM  •  3218 views
Top diplomats from Russia and US might cross paths at European security meeting

Top diplomats from Russia and US might cross paths at European security meeting

Key diplomatic figures gather in Malta for yearly European security talks‚ with Ukraine situation taking center stage. Last-minute agreements on staff positions reached despite ongoing regional disputes

Society, Politics • December 5 2024 , 12:00 PM  •  2174 views
German helicopter and Russian ship clash raises Baltic Sea security questions

German helicopter and Russian ship clash raises Baltic Sea security questions

German media reports mysterious encounter between military helicopter and Russian vessel in Baltic Sea. Defense officials stay silent while recent underwater cable damages add to regional security worries

Politics • December 4 2024 , 04:49 PM  •  1555 views
Secret tech-tricks in Baltic waters put ships in danger - heres what we know

Secret tech-tricks in Baltic waters put ships in danger - heres what we know

Baltic Sea shipping faces double-trouble with strange Chinese vessels and fake location signals making waters unsafe. Ships captains deal with wrong position data while govts cant do much to stop it

Politics, Science • December 4 2024 , 12:56 PM  •  996 views
Hidden dangers: Baltic Sea navigation systems face mysterious disruptions

Hidden dangers: Baltic Sea navigation systems face mysterious disruptions

Ships in Baltic Sea deal with fake location signals and nav-system problems. Chinese vessels watching undersea cables while Russian interference grows making shipping lanes less safe

Society, Politics • December 4 2024 , 12:44 PM  •  836 views
Chinese ships linked to mysterious Baltic Sea cable breaks - what's going on?

Chinese ships linked to mysterious Baltic Sea cable breaks - what's going on?

Three major underwater infrastructure damages in Baltic Sea over past two years raise questions about security. Chinese vessels presence during two recent incidents makes investigators look closer at these cases

Society, Politics, Science • December 3 2024 , 11:04 AM  •  1270 views
Swedish officials want answers about mysterious Baltic Sea cable damage

Swedish officials want answers about mysterious Baltic Sea cable damage

Two undersea cables in Baltic Sea got damaged within 24-hours causing communication issues between several countries. Swedish authorities seek cooperation from Chinese ship that was near incident area

Society, Politics • November 26 2024 , 03:03 PM  •  2007 views
Chinese ship draws attention in Nordic waters as undersea cables get damaged

Chinese ship draws attention in Nordic waters as undersea cables get damaged

Danish military keeps watch on Chinese vessel in waters between Denmark and Sweden. Finland and Sweden look into damaged undersea communication cables while China offers cooperation

Politics, Science • November 21 2024 , 11:17 AM  •  2602 views
Chinese ship with Russian captain stops after Baltic Sea cables mysteriously break

Chinese ship with Russian captain stops after Baltic Sea cables mysteriously break

Two key undersea cables in Baltic Sea stopped working within 24hrs. Danish navy now watches Chinese vessel Yi Peng 3 which passed through damaged area on its way from Russian port

Politics • November 20 2024 , 10:06 PM  •  2637 views
Mystery in Baltic waters: Two major data cables go dark as tensions rise

Mystery in Baltic waters: Two major data cables go dark as tensions rise

Two key undersea data cables connecting Baltic nations stopped working this week raising questions about possible sabotage. NATO countries are looking into the incident while experts dont rule out accidental damage

Society, Politics • November 19 2024 , 11:59 PM  •  755 views
Baltic Sea mystery: Data cables go dark as experts debate Russian involvement

Baltic Sea mystery: Data cables go dark as experts debate Russian involvement

Two major undersea data cables in Baltic Sea stopped working this week causing concerns about possible sabotage. German and Finnish experts try to figure out if its an accident or part of wider geo-political game

Society, Politics • November 19 2024 , 10:42 PM  •  953 views
Small towns and big plans: How regular people prepare for uncertain times

Small towns and big plans: How regular people prepare for uncertain times

From Estonia to Taiwan regular citizens join defense training programs as global threats increase. Local communities work on emergency skills while governments build resilience plans

Society, Business, Politics • November 11 2024 , 04:22 PM  •  1332 views
Small towns and big plans: How regular people prepare for the worst in Estonia and Taiwan

Small towns and big plans: How regular people prepare for the worst in Estonia and Taiwan

Citizens in Estonia and Taiwan take action to build stronger communities through defense training. Local initiatives show how everyday people adapt to modern-day challenges while governments create new safety plans

Society, Politics • November 11 2024 , 04:09 PM  •  1064 views
From missile tests to lost vampires: This weeks most shocking global events

From missile tests to lost vampires: This weeks most shocking global events

Major political shifts happened in Japan and Botswana while North Korea broke missile records. Meanwhile‚ a forgotten story by Draculas creator emerged from dusty archives

Society, Economics, Politics • November 1 2024 , 07:11 PM  •  457 views
Finnish court tackles mysterious case of Russian fighter with double identity

Finnish court tackles mysterious case of Russian fighter with double identity

Finnish prosecutors charge a Russian national for war-related actions from about 10 years ago. The suspect who lived under fake name in Finland faces five different charges

Society, Politics • October 31 2024 , 04:05 PM  •  726 views
Secret tanker tricks exposed in Baltic Sea navigation mystery

Secret tanker tricks exposed in Baltic Sea navigation mystery

Finnish authorities spot strange patterns in ships navigation systems near Russian waters. Coast Guard finds vessels using tech tricks to hide their real locations while Baltic Sea faces GPS problems

Business, Politics • October 31 2024 , 11:40 AM  •  1182 views
Finnish leader challenges North Korea's military support to Russia during China visit

Finnish leader challenges North Korea's military support to Russia during China visit

Finnish President points out contradictions in North Korean troops deployment to Russia during Beijing meeting. Chinese leader Xi Jinping holds lengthy talks about Ukraine war developments

Economics, Politics • October 29 2024 , 03:32 PM  •  1289 views