Portal:Finland

The Finland Portal

Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest (otherwise separated from it by the Gulf of Bothnia), Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Finland to the south, opposite Estonia, one of the Baltic states. 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 speak the latter as such. 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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A sod roof, or turf roof, is a traditional Scandinavian type of green roof covered with sod on top of several layers of birch bark on gently sloping wooden roof boards. Until the late 19th century, it was the most common roof on rural log houses in Norway and large parts of the rest of Scandinavia. Its distribution roughly corresponds to the distribution of the log building technique in the vernacular architecture of Finland and the Scandinavian peninsula. The load of approximately 250 kg per m² of a sod roof is an advantage because it helps to compress the logs and make the walls more draught-proof. In winter the total load may well increase to 400 or 500 kg per m² because of snow. Sod is also a reasonably efficient insulator in a cold climate. The birch bark underneath ensures that the roof will be waterproof.

The term ‘sod roof’ is somewhat misleading, as the active, water-tight element of the roof is birch bark. The main purpose of the sod is to hold the birch bark in place. The roof might just as well have been called a "birch bark roof", but its grassy outward appearance is the reason for its name in Scandinavian languages: Norwegian and Swedish torvtak, Danish tørvetag, Icelandic torfþak. (Full article...)

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Photo credit: Christopher Batt
Juuso Pykälistö in his Peugeot 206 WRC during the 2003 Swedish Rally.

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 Turku remained the largest city in Finland after three quarters of it burned down?
... that Kaija Saariaho's 2021 opera Innocence includes traditional Finnish cow-herding calls?
... that Sodankylä Old Church is one of the oldest preserved wooden churches in Finland?
... 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 records of transgender people in Finland stretch back to the 19th century?

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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

...the Finnish Air Force selected the Saab 91 Safir as its primary trainer aircraft over the domestic Valmet Tuuli III?
...that the Kaleva, a Finnish passenger plane carrying diplomatic post, was shot down by Soviet bombers in an act of aggression?
...that the majority of Assyrians in Finland live in Oulu, the sixth largest city in the country?
...that Finland was close to becoming an independent kingdom in 1742?
...that the Saint Petersburg–Hiitola railroad was completed by 1917, but a year later the Finnish Civil War caused traffic to stop, with a mile of track removed?

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A scene of the Kauhajoki vocational college campus a few hours after the shooting

The Kauhajoki school shooting occurred on 23 September 2008 at the Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences (SeAMK) in Kauhajoki, Finland. The gunman, 22-year-old student Matti Juhani Saari, shot and killed ten people with a Walther P22 Target semi-automatic pistol, before shooting himself in the head. He died a few hours later at Tampere University Hospital. One woman was injured but remained in stable condition.

The shooting took place at the Kauhajoki School of Hospitality, owned by the Seinäjoki Municipal Federation of Education. The facilities and campus were shared between SeAMK and the Seinäjoki Vocational Education Centre – Sedu. Saari was a second-year student in a Hospitality Management undergraduate degree programme. The incident was the second school shooting in less than a year in Finland, the other being the Jokela school shooting in November 2007, in which nine people including the gunman died. The first similar incident in the country's history was the Raumanmeri school shooting in Rauma in 1989, leaving two people dead. (Full article...)

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General images

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

Image 1Memorial of the Mannerheim Cross Knights of Parikkala, Finland (from History of Finland)
Image 2The part of Finland controlled by the Reds at its largest in February–March 1918 (from History of Finland)
Image 3Finnish folk dancers in a 1907 postcard sent from Mustamäki, Finland (from Culture of Finland)
Image 4Portrait of Finnish poet Elias Lönnrot who wrote "the Kalevala" (1802 - 1884) (from History of Finland)
Image 5The 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 6The 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 7President Urho Kekkonen's funeral procession in 1986 (from History of Finland)
Image 8Northern Europe in 814 (from History of Finland)
Image 9Midsummer bonfire (kokko) in Mäntsälä (from Culture of Finland)
Image 10Identification document and tag of a Finnish war child (from History of Finland)
Image 11Kastelli Giant's Church in Pattijoki by Pöljä culture [fi] (from History of Finland)
Image 12Signing 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 13The area controlled by Finland at its largest, in 1942 (from History of Finland)
Image 14A summer cottage (mökki) on a lake island (from Culture of Finland)
Image 15A group of Finnish soldiers operating a Bofors gun during the Continuation War in 1943 (from History of Finland)
Image 16Helsinki Accords Treaty (from History of Finland)
Image 17Eero Järnefelt, Burning the Brushwood, 1893 (from History of Finland)
Image 18People gathered in the Senate Square for a demonstration against the February Manifesto in March 1899. (from History of Finland)
Image 19Finnish Guards' Rifle Battalion, 1850s (from History of Finland)
Image 20Ancylus Lake covered major part of Finland (7,500–6,000 BC) (from History of Finland)
Image 21Marshal of Finland Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim visit in Germany, 1942 (from History of Finland)
Image 22Captain Aarne Juutilainen at the front at Kollaa during the Winter War (from History of Finland)
Image 23The Finno-Soviet Treaty (from History of Finland)
Image 24Stone Age dwelling named Kierikki 5000–3000 BC (from History of Finland)
Image 25President K. J. Ståhlberg in his office in 1919 (from History of Finland)
Image 26A peasant girl and a woman in traditional dress from Ruokolahti, eastern Finland, as depicted by Severin Falkman in 1882 (from Culture of Finland)
Image 27Imagery collage of Birger Jarl conquering Häme and the construction of Häme Castle (from History of Finland)
Image 28Mikael Agricola hands over the Finnish Translation of the New Testament to King Gustav Wasa. (from History of Finland)
Image 29S/S Urania in Hanko harbor in 1893, with 509 emigrants on board on their way to America (from History of Finland)
Image 30This 1825 map of the Grand Duchy of Finland is from a larger work, geographical atlas of the Russian Empire. (from History of Finland)
Image 31Prehistoric red ochre painted rock art of moose, human figures, and boats in Astuvansalmi, Finland, from ca. 3800–2200 BC (from Culture of Finland)
Image 32Grand Duchy of Finland, 75 kopek assignat (1824) (from History of Finland)
Image 33In 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 34Pieces of the Antrea Net (8,300 BC), the oldest-known fishing net in the world. (from History of Finland)
Image 35Students on Helsinki's Esplanadi wearing their caps on Vappu (from Culture of Finland)
Image 36The Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (1865–1957), a significant figure in the history of classical music (from Culture of Finland)
Image 37A triptych by Akseli Gallen-Kallela, depicting the Aino Story of Kalevala on three panes (from Culture of Finland)
Image 38Sámi / Laplander family in traditional costumes from Finland. (from Culture of Finland)
Image 39Stone Age stone axe engraved with human face found from Kiuruvesi. (from History of Finland)
Image 40Map of Finnish areas ceded to the Soviet Union in 1944, after the Continuation War (from History of Finland)
Image 41The 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 422007 Formula One World Champion Kimi Räikkönen celebrating victory at the 2007 Brazilian Grand Prix (from Culture of Finland)
Image 43A view of Pohjoisesplanadi in the center of Helsinki in 1891 (from History of Finland)
Image 44Battle of Valkeala was part of the Russo-Swedish War (1788–1790). (from History of Finland)
Image 45Janne Ahonen is considered one of the best and most successful currently active ski jumpers. (from Culture of Finland)
Image 46Painting of Lalli killing Henry. Painting by C. A. Ekman. (from History of Finland)
Image 47Homann'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 48A smoke sauna (savusauna) in Enonkoski (from Culture of Finland)
Image 49Kreeta Haapasalo Playing the Kantele in a Peasant Cottage (1868), by Robert Wilhelm Ekman (from History of Finland)
Image 50Women in sauna with Vihtas
Image 51Jussipaita (transl. Jussi sweater); a traditional sweater from the Finnish region of Southern Ostrobothnia (from Culture of Finland)
Image 52Pekka Halonen's painting "against persecutors" from 1896 depicts the warfare of the ancient Finns. (from History of Finland)
Image 53The area of Finland in the years 1920–1940. The 1935 county and municipality division on the map. (from History of Finland)
Image 54Winter War Monument in Suomussalmi, Kainuu, Finland (from History of Finland)
Image 55The ruins of Vammala burned by the Reds, during the Civil war (from History of Finland)
Image 56Jean Sibelius at work in his study (from History of Finland)
Image 57(1809 Diet of Porvoo) The sovereign's pledge, printed in Finnish (from History of Finland)
Image 58An old drawing of the city of Turku in the 18th century (from History of Finland)
Image 59The 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 60Erkki Karu, one of the pioneers of the Finnish cinema, with cinematographer Eino Kari in 1927 (from Culture of Finland)
Image 61Three Finnish Romani women in Helsinki, Finland, in 1930s (from Culture of Finland)
Image 62Turku Cathedral and its surroundings from 1814 (from History of Finland)
Image 63A reconstruction of a 12th-century Perniö costume (from History of Finland)
Image 64Wehrmacht soldiers with a local Sámi reindeer herder, Lappland, Sodankylä, Finland 1942 (from History of Finland)
Image 65Lapua Movement supporters beating the "red officer" Eino Nieminen [fi] in front of the Vaasa courthouse during the 4 June 1930 riot. (from History of Finland)
Image 66Battle of Gangut (Hanko) was part of the Great Northern War during 1700–1721. (from History of Finland)
Image 67Kalmar Union in 1400s (from History of Finland)
Image 68Women dressed in Finnish folk costumes (from Culture of Finland)
Image 69Karjalanpiirakka, a traditional Finnish pastry (from Culture of Finland)
Image 70Finland Ostrobothnia regiment uniforms in 1705 (from History of Finland)
Image 71In 2011 figure skater Kiira Korpi was ranked 4th in the world. (from Culture of Finland)
Image 72Linus Torvalds, a famous Fennoswede software engineer, best known for initiating the development of the Linux kernel (from Culture of Finland)
Image 73In the sauna, by Pekka Halonen, 1925 (from Culture of Finland)
Image 74Badge of the Finnish White/Civil Guard (from History of Finland)
Image 75Apocalyptica's Perttu Kivilaakso playing metal music live (from Culture of Finland)
Image 76Alvar Aalto, Viipuri Library (1927–35) (from Culture of Finland)
Image 77Paavo Nurmi at the 1920 Summer Olympics (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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View from the water tower in Hanko, Finland

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Panoramic photo shot from the water tower in Hanko, Finland

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