Finland

Description of Finland

Finland is located in the northern part of Europe and shares borders with Sweden, Norway, and Russia. The country is fairly modern and offers comfortable small cities and towns as well as unspoiled nature. There are around 188,000 lakes in the country and about as many islands. The northern lights are often seen in the northern most part of Finland during the winter months. Midnight sun can be seen during the summer months. The people of Finland have also claimed that Korvatunturi, a mythical mountain, as being the home to Santa Claus.

Finland may be one of the more technologically advanced countries of the world, but the people still prefer to visit their summer cottages during the warmer months of the year to enjoy relaxing past times such as swimming, fishing, saunas, and barbecues. Finland today has a unique language and culture that truly sets it apart from all of Nordic Europe.

History

There is not much known about the early history of the country as archaeologists still debate where and win the tribe of Finno-Ugric speakers appeared. Tacitus, a Roman historian has mentioned a primitive and quite savage tribe called Fenni in 100 AD and states that the Vikings chose not to settle in the area because of them.

During the middle of the 1150s the Swedish set out to Christianize and conquer the Finnish pagans. Most of the country was incorporated as part of Sweden by Birger Jarl in the year 1249. Finland remained a part of Sweden until around the 19^th century. There was a constant battle over the area of the country in the east with Russia and there were 2 brief occupations by Russia. Sweden was finally defeated during the Finnish War of 1808 and 1809 and Finland was put under Russian Rule.

Russian rule over the country was alternated between repression and tolerance. There was a significant independence movement within the country and revolutionary chaos ensued during 1917. Independence was declared in December of 1917 with Russia giving assent. However, a civil war quickly erupted between the socialist reds and conservative whites. The Whites would eventually win.

During the second world war, Finland was attacked during the Winter War by Russia. They fought and Russia conquered around 12% of Finnish land. Finland took Germany on as an ally, but were unsuccessful in trying to gain back the territory that was lost. Finland then had to turn on Germany as a peace condition. During WWII Finland fought 3 separate wars and ended up losing a lot of Karelia and Vyborg.

When the war ended Finland became a grey zone between the west and the Soviet Union. Finland remained neutral during the cold war and avoided a communist government during that time.

Cities and Towns in Finland

There are several cities and towns worth visiting in Finland. Helsinki is the only real city of the country and it is the capital. It is often called the “daughter of the Baltic.” Jyvaskyla is a university town that is located in the central part of the country. Kuopio is another university town that is located near the Lakeland area. Oulu is a tech town located at the end of Gulf of Bothnia. Rovaniemi is the largest European town when measuring surface area and it is also the gateway into Lapland. Seinajoki is growing at a fast race and is where many important festivals are held throughout the year.

Tampere is the biggest industrial town of Finland. It is the home of music, art, museums, and culture. It offers one of the best music scenes of the country.

Top Sites of Finland

Some of the top sites of the country include:

• Suomenlinna Sea Fortress: a UNESCO world heritage site the sea fortress is a 15 minute trip by ferry from Helsinki.
• Helsinki: a great city that cannot be matched on a warm summer day
• Turku: offers historical sites that are great to view from the back of a ferry
• Porvoo: wonderful wooden houses dot this town, which is the 2^nd oldest of the country
• Olavinlinna Castle: the most atmospheric castle of Finland, an Opera festival is held here each year.
• Hameenlinna Castle is the oldest castle of the country and was built in the 13^th century
• Northern lights in the northern part of the country during the winter
• Icebreaker cruises

Some facts about Finland

Gallery of Finland

Finland video guide

More information about Finland

Top cities of Finland