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About Finland - Overview
Finland (Finnish name Suomi) is a republic which became a member
of the European Union in 1995. Its population is 5.2 million. The
capital Helsinki has 560 000 residents and considering its neighbouring
areas, the Greater Helsinki region’s population is about one
million. Finland is an advanced industrial economy: the metal, engineering
and electronics industries account for 50 % of export revenues,
the forest products industry for 30 %. Finland is one of the leading
countries in Internet use. Today, there are more mobile phone than
land line subscriptions. Forests cover three quarters of the country's
surface area of 338 000 sq. km. Other outstanding features of Finland's
scenery are some 190 000 lakes and approximately as many islands.
The principal archipelago and the self-governing province of the
Aaland Islands lie off the south-west coast while the main lake
district, centred on Lake Saimaa, is in the east.
Finland was a part of the Kingdom of Sweden until 1809 when Sweden
surrenders Finland (its eastern provinces) to Russia and the Czar
declares Finland an autonomous Grand Duchy. The Russian era ends
in 1917 when Finland declares its independence.
Finland has two official languages, Finnish and Swedish, the latter
spoken as a mother tongue by about 6 % of the people. The official
status of Swedish has historical roots in the period when Finland
was a part of the Swedish realm, a period that lasted from the early
13th century until 1809. Another indigenous language is Sami, spoken
within the small community of Sami people in Lapland (also known
as Lapps). English has become the most popular foreign language
and is widely spoken.
While Finland is an attractive, efficient centre for Northern European
business it is also a knowledge centre offering world-class skills,
research and development in cutting-edge technologies, telecoms,
e-business, software and semiconductor development, ship building,
forestry, biotechnology, industrial design, and logistics. This
is the place for international logistics centers, business/academic
partnerships, expertise and innovation.
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