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Finland
Physical. Finland is located in Northern Europe, bordering Norway to the
north, Russia to the east, the Gulf of Finland to the south, and the Gulf of
Bothnia and Sweden to the west. It covers an area slightly smaller than Montana.
The climate is cold temperate and could be sub arctic, but is moderated due to
the influence of Finland’s lakes, the Baltic Sea and the North Atlantic Current.
Finland is mostly composed of low, flat to rolling plains, which are
interspersed with lakes and low hills. Natural resources include timber, iron
ore, copper, lead, zinc, chromite, nickel, gold, silver and limestone.
People. More than 5,231,000 people live in Finland. They recognize
both Finnish and Swedish as their official languages with small Lapp and
Russian-speaking minorities. Ethnically, the country is composed of Finns (93%),
Swedes (6%), with 1% comprised of other ethnic groups. The religious make-up is
as follows: Lutheran National Church (84%), and none or other (16%).
Government. The country is officially known as the Republic of Finland
and is comprised of 12 provinces. Its capital, Helsinki, is located near the
southernmost point of the country along the Gulf of Finland coastline. Finland
celebrates its independence from Russia on December 6 (1917). Its constitution
was put into effect on July 17, 1919. The president is elected by popular vote
to a six-year term. Its seven major parties and their supporters are spread
throughout 6 provinces or laanit. While some groups in Finland dispute border
issues with Russia, the government makes no claims.
Economy. Finland has a highly industrialized, largely free-market
economy; with per capita output roughly that of the UK, France, Germany and
Italy. Its key economic sector is manufacturing, principally the wood, metals,
engineering, telecommunications and electronics industries. Trade is important,
with exports equaling almost two-fifths of GDP. Except for timber and several
minerals, Finland depends on imports of raw materials, energy and some
components for manufactured goods. Because of the climate, agricultural
development is limited to maintaining self-sufficiency in basic products.
Forestry, an important export earner, provides a secondary occupation for the
rural population. Finland was the only Nordic country joining the euro monetary
system (EMU) on January 1, 1999 and integration with the European economy will
dominate the economic picture for Finland over the next few years. High
unemployment (7.9%) remains a persistent problem. Its GDP is broken down as
follows: Agriculture (3%), industry (30%) services (67%) (2005 est.).
Areas of Concern. Air and water pollution are Finland's primary
environmental concerns. In the economy, high unemployment is also a concern.
For more information, you may write to the chancery at 3301 Massachusetts
Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008; check the U.S. State Department or World
Factbook country sites; or type in the country's name on the Internet using a
broad-based World Wide Web search engine
Finland statistics
Geography
Area: 338,145 sq km
Capital: Helsinki (population 560,000)
Environmental concerns: acid rain from manufacturing and power plants air
pollution; water pollution from industrial wastes, agricultural chemicals;
wildlife habitat loss
Geographical features: mostly low, flat to rolling plains interspersed with
lakes and low hills
Climate: cold temperate; potentially subarctic potential moderated by the North
Atlantic Current, Baltic Sea, and more than 60,000 lakes
People
5,231,000 (July 2006 est.); Finn (93%), Swede (6%), other (1%)
Annual growth rate: 0.14%
Major languages are Finnish (92% - official), Swedish (6% - official), other (2%
- small Sami- and Russian-speaking minorities) (2003)
Religions: Lutheran National Church (84%), Greek Orthodox in Finland (1%), other
Christian (1%), none (15%)
Health and social issues
Life expectancy: Men, 75 years; women, 82 years
Infant mortality: 3.55 deaths per 1000 live births
% of population below poverty line: NA%
1 physician per 371 people (2004 est.)
HIV/AIDS Rate in Adults: less than 0.1% (2003 est.)
100% of adults are literate
Compulsory education (Ages): 7-16 years; free (2004)
Communication and transportation
2.368 million (2004 est.) main telephone lines
3.286 million Internet users (2005)
78,168 km of roadways
5,851 km railroads
148 airfields
2,231,000 motor vehicles (2004)
Government
Finland is a republic
President Tarja Halonen has been the chief of state since 1 March 2000). Prime
Minister Matti Vanhanen (since 24 June 2003) is head of the government.
Universal suffrage at 18
Military
Military expenditures are 2% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for FY98-99
Current disputes: some groups in Finland want to reclaim Karelia and other areas
from the Soviet Union, but the Finnish Government makes no territorial claims
Economy
Currency: euro
Per capita GDP: $30,900 (2005 est.)
GDP: $161.5 billion (2005 est.)
GDP growth rate: 2.2% (2005 est.)
Inflation rate: 1.2% (2005 est.)
Labor force: agriculture and forestry (8%), industry (22%), construction (6%),
commerce (14%), finance, insurance, and business services (10%), transport and
communications (8%), public services (32%)
Resources and industry
Natural resources: timber, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, chromite, nickel, gold,
silver, limestone
Agriculture: barley, wheat, sugar beets, potatoes; dairy cattle; fish
Industry: metals and metal products, electronics, machinery and scientific
instruments, shipbuilding, pulp and paper, foodstuffs, chemicals, textiles,
clothing
Exports: $67.88 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports: $56.45 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Suggested web sites
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finland
http://www.siba.fi/eng/info/finland/
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