Overview of Finland...
The Republic of Finland is one of the world's most progressive and advanced nations. A Nordic country, Finland is bordered on the west by Sweden and
the Gulf of Bothnia, on the north by Norway, on the east and southeast by Russia, on the south by the Gulf of Finland and on the south-west by the Baltic Sea.
Finland's climate is characterized by cold, and sometimes severe, winters and relatively warm summers. Adding to the gloominess of the long winters is
the fact that in the far north (Lapland) the sun does not rise for almost two months, and even in the south the days are short and the sun is very low
on the horizon even at noon. Fortunately, this is at least partially offset by the fact that by mid-April the sun remains above the horizon for more
than 16 hours in the north and 14 hours in the south. In summer the longest day lasts more than two months in the far north, and even in the far south
the nights never become completely dark, with the days being separated by a just a few hours of twilight.
Today Finland has a highly industrialized, largely free-market economy with a per capita output and a standard of living (not only in terms of economic
indicators but also in terms of public health, public safety, welfare, culture and other intangibles) rivaling those of France, Germany and Italy.
This has been accomplished simultaneously with maintaining what is consistently ranked as one of the world's highest, or even the highest, standards of
environmental protection and sustainability.
The main industries are wood, metals, engineering, telecommunications and electronics. Because of the climate, agriculture is limited to maintaining
self-sufficiency in basic crops. Foreign trade is important, with exports accounting for nearly a third of GDP. Finland's most famous company is
Nokia, the world's largest producer of mobile phones.
Find out more about Finland-->
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| Facts About Finland |
| Location: |
Northern Europe |
| Coordinates: |
64 00 N, 26 00 E |
| Int. Dialing Code: |
+358 |
| Currency: |
The Euro |
| Language: |
Finnish and Swedish |
| Area: |
338,145 sq km |
| Capital City: |
Helsinki |
| Population: |
5,250,275 (July 2009 est.) |
| Population Ranking: |
113th In The World |
| Employment: |
N/A |
| Inflation: |
4.1% (2008 est.) |
| GDP: |
$194 billion (2008 est.) |
| GDP Ranking: |
55th In The World |
| GDP Growth: |
0.8% (2008 est.) |
| Internet Users: |
4.383 million (2008) |
| Television Stations: |
120 |
| Phone Lines: |
1.65 million (2008) |
| Mobile Phones: |
6.83 million (2008) |
| Major Industry: |
metals and metal products, electronics, machinery and scientific instruments, shipbuilding, pulp and paper, foodstuffs, chemicals, textiles, clothing |
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