About Finland

Facts of Finland

Land & people

Area: 338,000 sq km
Capital: Helsinki
Population (July 2006 est.): 5,231,372
Official languages: Finnish, Swedish
Per capita GDP (2005 est.): $30,600

The seventh-largest country in Europe, the Republic of Finland or Suomen Tasavalta is neighboured by Sweden to the west, Norway to the north, Russia to the east and Estonia to the south. While St. Petersburg is only about 350 kilometres away from Helsinki, Tallinn in Estonia can be reached in 90 minutes by fast ferry. The Baltic Sea provides a passage to Central and Eastern Europe.

The country is divided into six provinces or laani, namely Aland, Etela-Suomen Laani, Ita-Suomen Laani, Lansi-Suomen Laani, Lappi, and Oulun Laani.

Finland’s landscapes are a glorious variation on the theme of forest and water, where the comforts of modern life are never far away.

Each region has its distinct character, from the wilds of Lapland to the inspiring lakes of the east to the archipelagos of the southwest and the lively attractions of Helsinki.

Useful addresses

Finnish Tourist Board, Head Office
P.O. Box 625, 00101 Helsinki. Tel: 00358-106058000,
website: www.visitfinland.com

Passport/visa

Citizens of the Nordic countries do not need a passport or visa to enter Finland. EU nationals and citizens of Liechtenstein, Monaco, San Marino, Switzerland and Schengen Agreement countries can enter the country with a valid passport or a valid identity card. All other nationalities require a valid passport. For more information on entry requirements, please contact your nearest Finnish embassy or consulate.

Business hours

Banks are open Monday to Friday 9:15am to 4:15pm normally, though the office hours may vary regionally. Shops are open from 9am to 6pm on weekdays and 9am to 3pm on Saturdays. Department stores and shopping malls are usually open till 8pm. Department stores and supermarkets are open on Sundays from June to August and in December; several convenience stores and small supermarkets are also open on Sundays year round.

Cash/credit cards

Traveller’s cheques are accepted in banks, travel agencies and hotels. Foreign currency and traveller’s cheques can be exchanged in several currency exchange offices in Helsinki. Eurocheques are accepted in banks and some shops. All major credit cards such as Visa, Eurocard, MasterCard, Diner’s Club and American Express, are accepted in most hotels, restaurants, car rental companies, department stores, petrol stations, taxis etc.

Getting around

The country has a superb network of domestic train, bus and air connections. More than 20 cities are linked by daily air services, as far north as Ivalo on the 67th parallel.

Buses are the principal mode of domestic and visitor traffic to more remote parts, although trains carry passengers efficiently along intercity routes right up to the Arctic Circle. There is a good highway and freeway network between city centres. Bicycles, an ideal way to explore the country especially during summer, can be hired in most towns.

Lake and river ferries operate over the summer period, and come in handy if you’re walking or cycling around the country.

Tipping

Tips are customary only for hotel and restaurant doormen and porters. A service charge is automatically included in all hotel and restaurant bills. Hairdressers and taxi drivers do not expect tips.

GETTING THERE
Well-connected

There are excellent flight connections to Finland from all over the world.

Finnair and SAS have scheduled flights to Helsinki from most major European cities, as well as from New York, San Francisco, Cairo, Bangkok, Singapore, Beijing, Sydney and Tokyo.

Several other international airlines offer regular flights to Helsinki. The Helsinki- Vantaa Airport, located 18km north of Helsinki, is the hub for global air traffic.

Land crossings into Finland from Sweden and Norway are hassle-free, serviced by frequent buses and trains.

The Trans-Siberian Railway connects Europe to Asia, although its popularity has declined in recent years. Impressive Baltic ferries run from Sweden, Estonia and Germany to Helsinki and Turku.

Future perfect

Finland’s increasing integration into western Europe is set to boost the country’s economy.

Bordered by Norway, Sweden and Russia, Finland has developed remarkably from a predominantly agricultural economy to its present position as a leader of high technology. Despite a high rate of unemployment, the country’s economy is stable and stands on three legs – telecom, IT and its forests.

Finland is a highly industrialised country with a free-market economy; with per capita output roughly that of the UK, France, Germany, and Italy. Rapidly increasing integration with Western Europe – Finland was one of the 12 countries joining the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) – will dominate the economic picture over the next several years.

Electronics sector

Not many people know that Nokia is a Finnish company. The company began expanding towards the electronics field in the 1960s because of its cable manufacturing operations.

In the ’70s the company took over the industrial operations of the national telecommunications administration and in the ’80s began to specialise its repertoire by buying up several electronics firms in Sweden, Germany and elsewhere.

Falling on hard times, Nokia gave up its forest operations, rubber and cable manufacturing and the production of TV sets and computers. The company revived in the ’90s because of proliferation of cellular phones that gave it a new lease of life.

Today, Nokia is the most recognisable brand name in the world apart from being a $28-billion, 60,000-employee, company. Nokia is responsible for 15 per cent of Finnish exports and up to half of gross domestic product growth in 2005, and it goes without saying that the company plays a very important role in Finnish economy and politics.

According to recent figures, the company makes 400 million cellphones a year and has cornered 35 per cent of the world’s cellphone market. “Nokia has pioneered many new developments in the industry with products such as the Nokia 9000 which was a combined cellular pone and palm-top computer with Internet access,” says Osmo A. Wiio, professor of communication at Helsinki University, in Facts About Finland.

Cellular phones play an important role in Finland. A Finnish phone company estimates that there is one cellular phone for every three Finns.

Apart from mobile phones, Finland also has a high rate of Internet usage. According to Statistics Finland, three out of four 15 to 74-year-olds used the Internet in 2005, a rise of 20 per cent from 2001.

Steel and electro-technology

Finland’s economy also boasts of a number of smaller, more specialised electronics firms. “The more conventional electro-technical industry is represented by the world’s largest lift manufacturer Kone and its off-shoot KCI- Konecranes and by ABB Stromberg,” says Jyrki Vesikansa, a Finnish journalist and author, in Facts About Finland.

” Kone is the world’s third biggest manufacturer of lifts and escalators. The company is now marketing its innovation lift without an engine room, which is likely to lead to new applications for elevator technology.”

Today, Finland’s leading export industry in terms of both volume of production and jobs is the metal products sector, which includes both electrical equipment and electronics.

Finnish products have little chance of competing with mass-produced products, such as domestic appliances. But, Finland can and has been successful in making sophisticated specialised technology, such as state-of-the-art electronics and large-scale industrial systems.

Finland is also a leading manufacturer of machinery for the timber and wood processing industry.

Surviving on forests

Finland’s first major industry was based on the country’s most important natural resource, its forests. It was imperative for the sector to be on par with other countries that also produce paper and pulp.

Finland is among the top players in building paper machines and designing related industrial processes. But environmentalists needn’t be alarmed, for Finnish authorities ensure that reforestation begins immediately after a stand of trees is felled and large-scale clear cutting is prohibited.

“Finland has traditionally ‘lived on her forests’. The paper industry is a vital source of exports and the country is a major global player in the sawmill and board sector and other mechanical wood-processing industries. Its vast forests are primarily (about 54 per cent) under private ownership. Since the ’60s, the volume of forest growth has exceeded the volume of trees felled,” says Vesikansa.

Specialised metal products

The metal products sector, which includes both electrical equipment and electronics, is Finland’s leading export industry today in terms of both volume of production and jobs.

“It is a byword in the business that the Finns are good at making anything ‘bigger than a horse.’ Finnish products have little chance of competing with standardised products, such as domestic appliances that require large production volumes,” says Vesikansa. “On the other hand, Finland can be successful in making sophisticated specialised technology, such as state-of-the-art electronics and large-scale industrial systems.”

Shipbuilding

According to Matti Ruuskanen, Commercial Counsellor, UAE and Saudi Arabian Trade Centres at Finpro Dubai, a consulting organisation focused on accelerating the internationalisation of Finnish companies, about 30 per cent of the world’s cruise ships have been built in Finland and a large number of luxury cruise ships in the world have been built in Finland.

“Finland has very long traditions in shipbuilding, which began in Turku in 1737 and in Helsinki in 1865,” says Wiio. ” Kvaerner Masa-Yards has built many of the great cruise liners in Helsinki. The other Finnish shipyards have continued to produce special-purpose ships, such as research vessels, tankers, offshore platforms, and vessels for oil and gas production.”

Trade ties

The UAE is a vital economic partner for Finland, and both countries have enjoyed a healthy commercial relationship for several years.

“Finnish exports to the UAE totalled 1.1 billion euros (about Dh5.08 billion) in 2005. The main exports comprise telecom and IT products, which form about 75 per cent of the total, while the rest comprises paper and machinery.

High technology products rank high in foreign trade

The value of Finnish exports of high technology products rose to about 11.2 billion euros  in 2005, having increased by 2.6 billion euros, or a good 30 per cent, from the year before. At the same time, the value returned to almost the peak level it reached in 2000.

High technology products accounted for 21.3 per cent of all Finnish exports. Imports of high technology products also went up by 30 per cent, reaching the record value of 7.3 billion euros. The value of imports rose by 1.7 billion euros and high technology products accounted for 15.7 per cent of all imports.

The share of electronics and telecommunications equipment again exceeded 80 per cent of the total value of exports of high technology products, and amounted to nine billion euros In the course of 2005, the value of exports of this product group went up by nearly one-third from the previous year.

Scientific instruments

Scientific instruments were also exported to a value approaching one billion euros. Measured by value (45 million euros, the third largest group of export goods was computers and office machinery, where the growth of exports, approaching 50 per cent, was also strongest among the large product groups.

As with exports, electronics and telecommunications equipment was also the largest group of imported products with its value of 3.8 billion euros and share of imports exceeding more than one-half. Computers and office machinery were imported to the value of 1.4 billion euros.

Likewise, both electrical machinery and scientific instruments were major product groups both of which were imported to a value approaching 600 million euros. Imports of electronics and telecommunications equipment went up by nearly 1.2 billion euro.

By comparison, imports of aerospace products almost doubled, so they showed the fastest growth in relative terms.

The balance in Finland’s foreign trade in high technology products has been positive for a decade. In 2005, the surplus exceeded 3.8 billion euros, and was nearly one billion euros up on 2004. The export-import ratio remained unchanged at 1.52.

Innovation and preservation

A sense of space and lightness has found elegant expression in the works of modern Finnish architects.

A bird’s eye view reveals that Finland’s surface area is covered with forests and lakes and the country is sparsely occupied.

In 1900 there were only 33 recognisable towns, most of which were coastal and each inhabited by fewer than a thousand people. Rivers and lakes were used for transport, and settlements sprang up along the waterways. Work on the first railway began in 1862. Canals were built to connect the lakes and provide ships with a route to the sea.

Historic buildings

Wood is abundant in Finland and has always been a natural building material. Only public buildings and castles were made of stone, so most of Finland’s historic buildings are wooden. This is one reason why the Finnish building stock is so young, since towns and buildings were destroyed by fire or rot before they reached any great age.

Not all has been lost, however: take, for example, the wooden quarters of some small towns, the 17th century industrial milieus, the red-ochre log houses of Ostrobothnia and the harmonious Neo-Classical manor houses. While giving tangible expression to the Finnish feeling for nature, the summer cottages dotted around lakes and along the coastline represent a totally new culture of wooden building.

About 70 elegant medieval greystone churches survive. The oldest wooden churches date to the 17th century: Kerimäki church, for example, built in 1849, is one of the world’s biggest wooden buildings and a venue for summer concerts. There are some handsome medieval castles too, such as those at Turku, Hämeenlinna and Savonlinna. The picturesque 18th-century island fortress of Suomenlinna is only a short ferry journey from the centre of Helsinki.

Major European architectural trends left little mark on Finnish architecture before the 18th century, when international influences gained strength.

Highlights of Finnish architecture are the Neo-Classicism of the early 19th century, the National Romanticism of the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the Functionalism of the 1930s and the Modernism of the 1960s.

Along with vernacular building traditions, the Finnish variations of these styles have added their flavour to the world’s architectural history.

Splendid architecture

Helsinki’s Senate Square, with its Cathedral, University and Council of State, all the work of Carl Ludvig Engel (1776-1840), is one of Western Europe’s finest expressions of Neo-Classical architecture.

The Katajanokka quarter in Helsinki boasts some splendid examples of art nouveau Jugenstil, while the architect’s former home and studio at Hvitträsk, now a museum, is a dazzling showcase of the Finnish National Romantic.

As a young and dynamic nation, Finland has provided fertile soil for new ideas, and under the influence of Eliel Saarinen (1873-1950) – one of the designers and original occupants of Hvitträsk – and his contemporaries, Finnish architecture began to blossom. Alvar Aalto (1898-1976), whose work expressed practicality, light and an awareness of natural environment, emerged as one of Finland’s most famous architects, and visitors to the country are still keen to inspect his best-known creations, including the Finlandia hall in Helsinki and the pioneering sanatorium at Paimio.

Finnish architecture experienced yet another awakening in the 1950s as the country emerged from the shadow of war in a frenzy of construction, industrialisation and urbanisation. Churches, schools, libraries and town halls mushroomed, and a new type of suburb – the garden city of Tapiola near Helsinki was a shining example – provided a model for the future. A sense of space and lightness has found elegant expression in the works of many modern architects. Juha Leiviskä is one of several examples.

Bold innovation

Urbanisation and extensive post-war socio-economic development have resulted in extensive reconstruction of Finland’s old towns and villages. Three-quarters of Finland’s buildings have sprung up since the war, and it will be some time before this new architecture finds its natural place in the Finnish landscape.

Just the same, there has still been room for bold innovation: witness Reima and Raili Pietilä’s Metso (Capercaillie), the public library in the city of Tampere.

Traditions are also being rekindled, and the conservation of historic buildings has gained strength since the sixties, with active efforts to preserve what remains of Finland’s architectural heritage.

On a high note…

Finland’s musical excellence is not confined to classical music, but its jazz, rock and pop are also heard beyond borders.

Finland’s standing in the world in musical terms is extraordinary, bearing in mind its population. Conductors Leif Segerstam, Osmo Vänskä (Musical America’s Conductor of the Year in 2004), Esa-Pekka Salonen and Jukka-Pekka Saraste, opera singers Matti Salminen, Martti Talvela, Jorma Hynninen, Monica Groop and Karita Mattila, cellist Arto Noras, and pianists Ralf Gothóni and Olli Mustonen are just a few of the names with international reputations in the classical field.

So what are the reasons for this musical proficiency? Firstly, music is an international language that can be expressed across linguistic borders – and the border that the Finnish language represents is particularly significant.

There are, of course, other more prosaic reasons, such as the high standard of musical education throughout the country. Musical talent is identified and nurtured at an early age.

An example was Pekka Kuusisto, who in 1995, at the age of 19, was the first Finn to win the international Sibelius violin competition. Naturally Sibelius’s D Minor Violin Concerto as interpreted by Kuusisto became a bestseller.

Nationalist themes

Internationally, Finnish music is identified closely with Jean Sibelius (1865-1957), the composer of Finlandia and Valse Triste, the Violin Concerto and seven symphonies.

In his day, his countrymen elevated him to a status even higher than that of a composer: he became the figurehead of a nation struggling for its independence. Nor did he fail them. The nationalist themes of his Kullervo, Karelia and Tapiola represent a heady and romantic expression of turn-of-the-century patriotism.

For a long time, the greatness of Sibelius thrust other talent into the shade. Only in recent years have works such as Aarre Merikanto’s (1893-1958) modernistic opera Juha from the 1920s, or Leevi Madetoja’s (1887-1947) 3rd Symphony (as played by the Radio Symphony Orchestra and conducted by Jukka-Pekka Saraste) received the appreciation they deserve.

But their peers do not intimidate young composers. Among those whose reputations have travelled beyond Finland’s borders are Kaija Saariaho and Magnus Lindberg, known for their experimentation in computer and electronic music.

The popularity of modern opera has taken many by surprise. Einojuhani Rautavaara, Joonas Kokkonen, Erik Bergman, and Aulis Sallinen have written operas, as well as other orchestral works, that have established themselves in the affections of Finnish audiences. A new favourite is Kullervo, Aulis Sallinen’s sombre composition based on the folk poem of the same name.

The continuing success of Savonlinna’s Opera Festival, held in the courtyard of the fabulous Lakeland Olavinlinna castle, is partly responsible for the popularity of opera, as is the new National Opera house in Helsinki.

Music festivals crowd the summer calendar, from the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival to the Naantali and Turku Music Festivals, all of them making the most of beautiful local church venues. Orchestras, such as the Lahti Symphony Orchestra, are esteemed abroad, and the range of venues has also improved: the 1,200-seat Sibelius Hall in Lahti which opened in 2000, is the world’s only all-wooden concert hall and has excellent acoustics.

Finland’s musical excellence is not confined to classical music. Finnish jazz, rock and pop – always thriving in Finland itself – are also being heard across Europe and the rest of the world.

The rock band HIM, fronted by the charismatic Ville Valo, is known internationally. The Rasmus have sold truckloads of music in the UK; and techno wizards such as Darude and hip-hoppers Bomfunk MCs are familiar to clubbers all over Europe.