Welcome to Finland – the home country of Santa, sauna and moomins! Unbelievable wonderful nature, the midnight sun (between May 15th and July 28th), the northern lights (Aurora borealis), snow land, amazing islands and numerous beautiful lakes, add to this a plethora of winter sports for adventure lovers, are what make Finland a holiday maker’s paradise and the best European country to travel. Here are some amazing facts on Finland that will surely interest not only Finland fans but all people who love to see amazing things.
Located in the northern part of the European continent, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia and Gulf of Finland, Finland is the fifth largest country in Europe (excluding Russia), with the capital city of Helsinki, which, after Reykyavik and Iceland is the world’s northernmost capital city.
Most of Finland is lowland and approximately 68% of the country is covered with forests. Finland is blessed with thousands of rocky islands with the main group being the Aland, as well as more than 187,000 majestic lakes, many of them connected by short rivers. Only 6% of the land is under cultivation with barley and oats the main crops.
Finland enjoys two amazing natural phenomena: White Nights and Polar Nights. At midsummer, the far north section of Finland experiences the lightest time of the year – white nights, when the sun does not set for 73 days. In winter, between the months of November and January, the sun does not rise for about 51 days in the Finnish Lapland. The dark northern wintertime is known as the Polar Night (‘kaamos’ in Finnish) and this is when the Northern Lights look more magical and stunning. If you happen to visit Finland during this time, make sure to visit Lapland, as according to an old Asian belief, whoever sees the Northern Lights will live happily forever!
Finland is also where visitors will find over 1.8 million saunas, of which nearly 500 are traditional smoke saunas. Compared to the population of 5 million, it is certainly a world record. Saunas are found everywhere, but it is in Finland that they have become entwined in the national culture. Almost every family had their own sauna, and the Finns even made them a part of their Christmas traditions, which symbolizes both physical and emotional cleansing. Plan 60-90 minute for your Finnish Sauna and enjoy the truly unique experience of a lifetime.
Did you know that…
• Finland was the first country in the world to allow all women to vote.
• The world-famous Nokia is a Finnish company.
• Finland probably holds the world record for hosting world championships.
• Finland was one of the last regions in Europe to adopt Christianity.
• Finland has two official languages, Finnish and Swedish, however, English is widely spoken in the country. An interesting fact about the Finish language is that has 15 cases and no prepositions.
• Avantouinti, literally known as ‘ice hole swimming’ is one of the national hobbies of Finland, when people for a few minutes swim in the large opening cut through the ice of a frozen lake or sea.
• The most popular Finn in the world is Santa Clause, whose office is waiting for you in the North of Finland on the Arctic Circle.
• One and two cent coins are not used in Finland and the price is rounded.
• The amount you are fined for speeding on the Finland roads depends on the amount you earn. Recently, a man, who earned 7 million Euros in Finland, was charged 116,000 Euros.