Portal:Finland

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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 covers a total area of 338,145 square kilometres (130,559 sq mi), including a land area of 303,815 square kilometres (117,304 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 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 but retained its independence and democracy. (Full article...)

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Finns or Finnish people (Finnish: suomalaiset, IPA: [ˈsuo̯mɑlɑi̯set]) are a Baltic Finnic ethnic group native to Finland. Finns are traditionally divided into smaller regional groups that span several countries adjacent to Finland, both those who are native to these countries as well as those who have resettled. Some of these may be classified as separate ethnic groups, rather than subgroups of Finns. These include the Kvens and Forest Finns in Norway, the Tornedalians in Sweden, and the Ingrian Finns in Russia.

Finnish, the language spoken by Finns, is closely related to other Balto-Finnic languages, e.g. Estonian and Karelian. The Finnic languages are a subgroup of the larger Uralic family of languages, which also includes Hungarian. These languages are markedly different from most other languages spoken in Europe, which belong to the Indo-European family of languages. Native Finns can also be divided according to dialect into subgroups sometimes called heimo (lit. 'tribe'), although such divisions have become less important due to internal migration. (Full article...)

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Photo credit: fi:User:Neofelis Nebulosa
The Central Park of Helsinki during the summer

Did you know (auto-generated)

... that Charlotte Haining was an International Jury Member for the selection of Finland's 2020 Eurovision Song Contest entry?
... that Kimmo Leinonen helped establish both the Finnish Hockey Hall of Fame and the IIHF Hall of Fame?
... 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 Sodankylä Old Church is one of the oldest preserved wooden churches in Finland?
... that Venla Luukkonen is the first Finnish person to win the World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship at black belt level?
... that politician Kalervo Kummola introduced karaoke to Finland?

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

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...that the Finnish company YIT was responsible for the construction of the Finnish National Opera house, the Helsinki Fair Centre and Cirrus, the tallest high-rise building in Finland?
...that the paintings in the Espoo Cathedral were painted over in the 18th century, as they were thought to be "crude and superstitious'?
...that there are three unilingually Swedish municipalities in one province of mainland Finland?
...that Maria, the Finnish form of Mary, is the most popular Finnish name used during the modern era?
...that Finnish film director Valentin Vaala was reportedly so disappointed with his first film that he dumped the original camera negatives into the sea?

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This is a Good article, an article that meets a core set of high editorial standards.

The background of the Winter War covers the period before the outbreak of the Winter War between Finland and the Soviet Union (1939–1940), which stretches from the Finnish Declaration of Independence in 1917 to the Soviet-Finnish negotiations in 1938–1939.

Before its independence, Finland had been an autonomous grand duchy within Imperial Russia. During the ensuing Finnish Civil War, the Red Guards, supported by the Russian Bolsheviks, were defeated. Fearful of Soviet designs, in the 1920s and the 1930s, the Finns were constantly attempting to align themselves with Scandinavian neutrality, particularly regarding to Sweden. Furthermore, the Finns engaged in secret military co-operation with Estonia in the 1930s. (Full article...)

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General images

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

Image 1Battle of Gangut (Hanko) was part of the Great Northern War during 1700–1721. (from History of Finland)
Image 2Kreeta Haapasalo Playing the Kantele in a Peasant Cottage (1868), by Robert Wilhelm Ekman (from History of Finland)
Image 3President Urho Kekkonen's funeral procession in 1986 (from History of Finland)
Image 4Painting of Lalli killing Henry. Painting by C. A. Ekman. (from History of Finland)
Image 5The Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (1865–1957), a significant figure in the history of classical music (from Culture of Finland)
Image 6Linus Torvalds, a famous Fennoswede software engineer, best known for initiating the development of the Linux kernel (from Culture of Finland)
Image 7Eero Järnefelt, Burning the Brushwood, 1893 (from History of Finland)
Image 8The ruins of Vammala burned by the Reds, during the Civil war (from History of Finland)
Image 9The 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 10Mikael Agricola hands over the Finnish Translation of the New Testament to King Gustav Wasa. (from History of Finland)
Image 11Apocalyptica's Perttu Kivilaakso playing metal music live (from Culture of Finland)
Image 12Women dressed in Finnish folk costumes (from Culture of Finland)
Image 132007 Formula One World Champion Kimi Räikkönen celebrating victory at the 2007 Brazilian Grand Prix (from Culture of Finland)
Image 14Memorial of the Mannerheim Cross Knights of Parikkala, Finland (from History of Finland)
Image 15A triptych by Akseli Gallen-Kallela, depicting the Aino Story of Kalevala on three panes (from Culture of Finland)
Image 16Marshal of Finland Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim visit in Germany, 1942 (from History of Finland)
Image 17Battle of Valkeala was part of the Russo-Swedish War (1788–1790). (from History of Finland)
Image 18Imagery collage of Birger Jarl conquering Häme and the construction of Häme Castle (from History of Finland)
Image 19Badge of the Finnish White/Civil Guard (from History of Finland)
Image 20Finnish folk dancers in a 1907 postcard sent from Mustamäki, Finland (from Culture of Finland)
Image 21Identification document and tag of a Finnish war child (from History of Finland)
Image 22Students on Helsinki's Esplanadi wearing their caps on Vappu (from Culture of Finland)
Image 23Winter War Monument in Suomussalmi, Kainuu, Finland (from History of Finland)
Image 24Kalmar Union in 1400s (from History of Finland)
Image 25The area of Finland in the years 1920–1940. The 1935 county and municipality division on the map. (from History of Finland)
Image 26S/S Urania in Hanko harbor in 1893, with 509 emigrants on board on their way to America (from History of Finland)
Image 27Signing 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 28Portrait of Finnish poet Elias Lönnrot who wrote "the Kalevala" (1802 - 1884) (from History of Finland)
Image 29Women in sauna with Vihtas
Image 30The part of Finland controlled by the Reds at its largest in February–March 1918 (from History of Finland)
Image 31President K. J. Ståhlberg in his office in 1919 (from History of Finland)
Image 32In 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 33A peasant girl and a woman in traditional dress from Ruokolahti, eastern Finland, as depicted by Severin Falkman in 1882 (from Culture of Finland)
Image 34A view of Pohjoisesplanadi in the center of Helsinki in 1891 (from History of Finland)
Image 35The 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 36Northern Europe in 814 (from History of Finland)
Image 37The 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 38Three Finnish Romani women in Helsinki, Finland, in 1930s (from Culture of Finland)
Image 39A reconstruction of a 12th-century Perniö costume (from History of Finland)
Image 40Prehistoric red ochre painted rock art of moose, human figures, and boats in Astuvansalmi, Finland, from ca. 3800–2200 BC (from Culture of Finland)
Image 41The 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 42Pieces of the Antrea Net (8,300 BC), the oldest-known fishing net in the world. (from History of Finland)
Image 43Stone Age stone axe engraved with human face found from Kiuruvesi. (from History of Finland)
Image 44Finland Ostrobothnia regiment uniforms in 1705 (from History of Finland)
Image 45Paavo Nurmi at the 1920 Summer Olympics (from Culture of Finland)
Image 46An old drawing of the city of Turku in the 18th century (from History of Finland)
Image 47Map of Finnish areas ceded to the Soviet Union in 1944, after the Continuation War (from History of Finland)
Image 48Captain Aarne Juutilainen at the front at Kollaa during the Winter War (from History of Finland)
Image 49Finnish Guards' Rifle Battalion, 1850s (from History of Finland)
Image 50Lapua 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 51Jussipaita (transl. Jussi sweater); a traditional sweater from the Finnish region of Southern Ostrobothnia (from Culture of Finland)
Image 52Erkki Karu, one of the pioneers of the Finnish cinema, with cinematographer Eino Kari in 1927 (from Culture of Finland)
Image 53Alvar Aalto, Viipuri Library (1927–35) (from Culture of Finland)
Image 54The area controlled by Finland at its largest, in 1942 (from History of Finland)
Image 55Homann'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 56Jean Sibelius at work in his study (from History of Finland)
Image 57People gathered in the Senate Square for a demonstration against the February Manifesto in March 1899. (from History of Finland)
Image 58This 1825 map of the Grand Duchy of Finland is from a larger work, geographical atlas of the Russian Empire. (from History of Finland)
Image 59Turku Cathedral and its surroundings from 1814 (from History of Finland)
Image 60A group of Finnish soldiers operating a Bofors gun during the Continuation War in 1943 (from History of Finland)
Image 61Ancylus Lake covered major part of Finland (7,500–6,000 BC) (from History of Finland)
Image 62Sámi / Laplander family in traditional costumes from Finland. (from Culture of Finland)
Image 63Wehrmacht soldiers with a local Sámi reindeer herder, Lappland, Sodankylä, Finland 1942 (from History of Finland)
Image 64A summer cottage (mökki) on a lake island (from Culture of Finland)
Image 65In the sauna, by Pekka Halonen, 1925 (from Culture of Finland)
Image 66Grand Duchy of Finland, 75 kopek assignat (1824) (from History of Finland)
Image 67Janne Ahonen is considered one of the best and most successful currently active ski jumpers. (from Culture of Finland)
Image 68Helsinki Accords Treaty (from History of Finland)
Image 69Stone Age dwelling named Kierikki 5000–3000 BC (from History of Finland)
Image 70Midsummer bonfire (kokko) in Mäntsälä (from Culture of Finland)
Image 71The Finno-Soviet Treaty (from History of Finland)
Image 72(1809 Diet of Porvoo) The sovereign's pledge, printed in Finnish (from History of Finland)
Image 73Karjalanpiirakka, a traditional Finnish pastry (from Culture of Finland)
Image 74In 2011 figure skater Kiira Korpi was ranked 4th in the world. (from Culture of Finland)
Image 75A smoke sauna (savusauna) in Enonkoski (from Culture of Finland)
Image 76Pekka Halonen's painting "against persecutors" from 1896 depicts the warfare of the ancient Finns. (from History of Finland)
Image 77Kastelli Giant's Church in Pattijoki by Pöljä culture [fi] (from History of Finland)

In the news

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)
9 September 2024 –: Finnish-Canadian sportswear mogul Peter Nygård is sentenced to 11 years in prison for sexual assault. (CBC News)
14 August 2024 – Organized crime in Sweden: Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Finland form an international police hub in Stockholm to prevent escalating Swedish gang activity and criminal networks from spreading to other Nordic countries. (Reuters)
26 July 2024 – Finland–Russia relations: Finland reports that a Russian Navy Baltic Sea fleet vessel trespassed on Finnish territorial waters in the eastern Gulf of Finland. (Reuters)
12 July 2024 – Finland–Russia relations, Russian emigration during the Russian invasion of Ukraine: The Parliament of Finland passes a law allowing border guards to restrict trafficked asylum seekers from crossing the Finland–Russia border. (CNN)

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Panoramic photo shot of Helsinki, Finland

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