Finland is a country located in the north of the European continent, limited to the north with Norway, east with Russia, south with the Gulf of Finland. On the other side are Estonia and the Baltic Sea, and to the west the Gulf of Bothnia and Sweden.
It is a Scandinavian nation that shares with the Russian Federation an extensive frontier and centuries of common history. The north of its territory covers part of Lapland, a mountainous and semi-desert region inhabited by Lapps, traditional reindeer herders. Located beyond the Arctic Circle, this region presents the Northern Lights spectacle and entire days of darkness (in winter) or light (in summer).
Coniferous forests cover two-thirds of Finland's surface, providing the existence of one of the most developed wood and paper industries in the world. Heavily rocked by the end of the Soviet Union in 1991, the country recovered economically after joining the European Economic Community, now the European Union (EU), in 1995.
It is one of the world leaders in cell phone production and internet use. It is currently the country with the highest rate of cell phone usage in the world (65%). Finland had wood and wood products as its main source of exports, however, it is currently the main producer and exporter of cell phones on the planet. Nokia, the largest company in this sector in the country and one of the largest in the world, holds approximately 20% of exports and 4% of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Finnish per capita income is among the highest in the world, currently having the 16th highest Human Development Index (HDI) on the planet.
coat of arms of finland
Finland data:
Territorial extension: 338,145 km².
Location: Europe.
Capital: Helsinki.
Climate: Temperate continental.
Government: Republic with mixed form of government.
Administrative division: 12 provinces subdivided into municipalities.
Languages: Finnish and Swedish.
Religion: Christianity 92.8% (Protestants 89.67%, others 7.7%, dual membership 4.5%), no religion 5.4%, atheism 1.4%, others 0.3%.
Population: 5,325,587 inhabitants. (Men: 2,610.217; Women: 2,715,370).
Ethnic Composition: Finns 98%, other Europeans 1.3%, Somalis, Vietnamese, Yugoslavs, Lapps and others 0.7%.
Demographic density: 16 inhabitants/km².
Average annual population growth rate: 0.27%.
Population residing in urban areas: 63.6%.
Population residing in rural areas: 36.4%.
Undernourished population: 4%.
Life expectancy at birth: 79.1 years.
Households with access to drinking water: 100%.
Households with access to a health network: 100%.
Human Development Index (HDI): 0.871 (very high).
Euro currency.
Gross Domestic Product (GDP): US$ 244,692 million.
GDP per capita: 46,371 US$.
External relations: World Bank, IMF, OECD, WTO, UN, EU.
By Wagner de Cerqueira and Francisco
Graduated in Geography
Brazil School Team
Countries of the world - geography - Brazil School
