Finland – located in the north of Europe, a significant part of its territory (25%) is located beyond the Arctic Circle. The country ranks first on Newsweek’s “World’s Best Countries” list.
In the east and south it borders on Russia, in the north – on Norway, in the west – on Sweden. The southern coast is washed by the waters of the Gulf of Finland, the western – by the waters of the Gulf of Bothnia. Almost a third of the country lies north of the Arctic Circle. The area of Finland is 338145 sq. km.
Finland is a country of lakes, there are about 60,000 of them, the largest of which are Saimaa, Inari and Päijänne. The main rivers of the country are Tornio, Muonio, Kemi and Oulu, but only Oulu is navigable. Most of the territory is flat, mountainous terrain is located in the north-west of the country, the highest point of Finland – Mount Haltia (1324 m) is also located there. Finland also owns the Aland Islands (Ahvenanmaa archipelago) – about 6500 islands.
According to BUSINESSCARRIERS, the capital is Helsinki. Languages - Finnish, Swedish, English. Religion – Evangelical Lutheran Church. Time is 1 hour behind Moscow time. 93.5% speak Finnish, 5.9% Swedish. Sami is spoken in Lapland. Most people in Finland are Lutherans. The Swedish population is Catholic. You can meet Orthodox – emigrants from Russia.
The Finnish name for the country is Suomi. In Russian chronicles of the 12th century. indicated – Sum. It is believed that the word “suomi” comes from the Finnish word “suomu” (scales), because people made clothes from fish skin.
The climate is temperate, transitional from maritime to continental. In the north of the country – continental. The northern part of Finland – Lapland is famous for its snowy and frosty winters and ski season from November to May.
Due to the continental climate with warm summers, South-East Finland has the highest average summer temperature in all of Scandinavia. The western coast of Finland is one of the sunniest places in Northern Europe. But what is perhaps even more important is that the air in Finland is always fresh and clean. The long day in summertime quickly raises the water temperature in shallow lakes to 20*C and above from mid-July. Snow lies for about 4 months a year in the south of the country and about 7 months in the north.
The water temperature in the lakes is much higher in summer because the lakes are shallow and open. In a sense, this also applies to sea waters.
Throughout the summer in Northern Finland, the sun shines around the clock, without going beyond the horizon. Utsjoki has the longest polar day, lasting more than 2 months. And even in southern Finland, total darkness does not occur at night: the prolonged evening twilight turns into the same morning ones.
Kamos – polar night. Since the very north of Finland is located above the Arctic Circle, you can experience the charm of kamos there. It’s an incomprehensible combination of darkness and wonder.
Northern lights. The Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis is a light phenomenon observed in the Arctic regions during clear, dark nights. The Finnish name – revontulet – is borrowed from a Sami legend. Most often, this phenomenon can be observed in February-March and September-October. Statistics show that the strongest glow of the northern lights was observed in Lapland, in the area of Lake Kilpisjärvi. With clear skies during the dark season, the Northern Lights are visible on average three nights out of four. In the Sodankylä region, it is visible every second night, and in the Oulu-Kusamo region, every fourth. In cloudy weather, it is not observed at all.
Time is 1 hour behind Moscow time. Currency – euro.
The Åland Islands are an autonomy within Finland in the Baltic Sea.
To enter the country you need to have a passport valid for at least 3 months. after the expiration of the visa. Schengen visa. An invitation from the Finnish side or a hotel reservation.
Telephone connection with Russia – 007 + area code + subscriber number
Telephone connection with Finland – 8 10 358 + area code + subscriber number
Police – 112
Information – 707-3216
Ambulance 112
Our closest neighbor – Finland, as well as geographically and historically close countries of Scandinavia – Sweden, Norway, Iceland and Denmark are becoming an increasingly popular tourist destination. Demand for holidays and tours to Scandinavian countries is constantly growing. The rich historical and cultural heritage, the unique beauty of the northern nature, environmental cleanliness and safety, high standard of living and service every year inspire hundreds of thousands of people to travel to the Scandinavian countries.