Some basic facts- Finland has a population of about 5.5 million people- Area: 338 434 km²- The capital of Finland is Helsinki which has a population of about 620 000

inhabitants- Other big cities: Turku (former capital), Tampere, Oulu, Jyväskylä- Government: Parliamentary republic- President: Sauli Niinistö, Prime minister: Alexander Stubb- Two official languages: Finnish and Swedish- Currency: euro (€)

Climate● Finland has a cold climate but milder than most other regions lying as far north● Moderating effects of the Gulf Stream, Baltic Sea and almost 200 000 lakes make the climate of

Finland milder● Climate is different in various parts of the country ● In Finland there are four seasons:

Summer is warm and bright with almost 20 hours of daylight at the latitude of Helsinki. The temperature often rises to +20 °C or more and occasionally even gets above +30°C.In winter the snow usually arrives in December but the amount of snowfall varies each year. On the North side of Arctic circle there is period where the sun doesn’t rise above the horizon at all, it is called polar night. The temperature is usually between -5°C and -25°C Spring and autumn are transitional seasons but in different ways. Spring is a very short season after winter. In spring everything starts to grow: grass, flowers and leaves. In spring the temperature is between 0°C and 10°C. During autumn the leaves turn into orange and yellowish colours, which makes the nature look beautiful. Later in autumn the weather is rainy and windy and it is dark all the time.

Culture & traditionsJohan Ludvig Runeberg has written the national anthem of Finland “Maamme”, “Our country”.

Lots of people in Finland have a summer cottage, where they spend part of their vacation, especially in summer.

Winter sports (eg. ice hockey and cross-country skiing) are very popular in Finland. Football is also a common hobby in Finland.

Some Finnish traditional foods are for example Karelian pastries, sauteed reindeer and sausages. There are many more but these are the most known Finnish foods.

Sauna and winter swimming are important in Finnish culture.

HistorySome important dates in the history of Finland:1155The first missionaries arrive in Finland from Sweden. Finland becomes part of the Sweden.1809Sweden surrenders Finland to Russia.1917Finland declares independence from Russia on the 6th of December.1939-1940The Soviet Union attacks Finland and the Winter War is fought.1941-1944Fighting between Finnish and Russian forces resumes in the campaign known as the Continuation War. A massive offensive by Soviet forces in summer 1944 forces the Finns to seek peace. Some territory was ceded to the Soviet Union but Finland was never occupied and preserved its independence and sovereignty.1955Finland joins the United Nations.1995Finland becomes a member of the European Union.

Urho Kekkonen was the longest serving president in Finland (1956-1982)