1982 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1982 (Wikisource)
Geography
Area
336,700 km2; 8% arable, 58% forested, 34% other
Coastline
1,126 km (approx.) excludes islands and coastal indentations
Land boundaries
2,534 km WATER
Limits of territorial waters (claimed)
4 nm; fishing 12 nm; Aland Islands, 3 nm
People and Society
Ethnic divisions
homogeneous white population, small Lappish minority
Labor force
2.1 million; 11.7% agriculture, forestry, and fishing, 26.1% mining and manufacturing, 7.0% construction, 14.3% commerce, 7.8% transportation and communications, 5.6% banking and finance, 25.5% services; 4.6% unemployed (1979 average)
Language
Finnish 92%, Swedish 7%; small Lapp-and Russian-speaking minorities
Literacy
99%
Nationality
noun—Finn(s); adjective—Finnish
Organized labor
60% of labor force
Population
4,816,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 0.4%
Religion
93% Evangelical Lutheran, 1% Greek Orthodox, 1% other, 5% no affiliation
Government
Branches
legislative authority rests jointly with President and parliament (Eduskunta); executive power vested in President and exercised through coalition Cabinet responsible to parliament; Supreme Court, four superior courts, 193 lower courts
Capital
Helsinki
Communists
43,000; an additional 65,000 persons belong to Peoples Democratic League; a further number of sympathizers, as indicated by 517,198 votes cast for Peoples Democratic League in 1979 elections
Elections
parliamentary, every four years (last in 1979); presidential, every six years (President Koivisto elected to six-year term in January 1982) Political parties and leaders: Social Democratic, Kalevi Sorsa; Center, Paavo Vayrynen; Peoples Democratic League (Communist front), Kalevi Kivisto; Conservative, lllka Suominen; Liberal, Jaakko Itala; Swedish Peoples Party, Par Stenback; Rural, Pekka Vennamo; Finnish People's Unity Party, Anssi Keski-Vahala; Finnish Communist Party, Aarne Saarinen; Finnish Christian League, Raino Westerholm; Constitutional Right, Georg Ehrnrooth Voting strength (1979 parliamentary election): 23.9% Social Democratic, 21.6% Conservative, 17.8% Peoples Democratic League, 17.4% Center, 4.8% Christian League, 4.6% Finnish Rural Party, 4.6% Swedish Peoples, 3.7% Liberal Peoples, 1.2% Constitutional Peoples, 0.3% Finnish Peoples Unity Party, 0.1% Socialist Workers Party
Government leaders
President Mauno KOIVISTO; Prime Minister Kalevi SORSA
Legal system
civil law system based on Swedish law; constitution adopted 1919; Supreme Court may request legislation interpreting or modifying laws; legal education at Universities of Helsinki and Turku; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Member of
ADB, CEMA (special cooperation agreement), DAC, EC (free trade agreement), EFTA (associate), FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, ICES, ICO, IDA, IFAD,IFC, IHO, ILO, International Lead and Zinc Study Group, IMCO, IMF, IPU, ITU, IWC—International Wheat Council, Nordic Council, OECD, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG
National holiday
Independence Day, 6 December
Official name
Republic of Finland
Political subdivisions
12 provinces; 443 communes, 78 towns
Suffrage
universal, 18 years and over; not compulsory
Type
republic
Economy
Agriculture
animal husbandry, especially dairying, predominates; forestry important secondary occupation for rural population; main crops — cereals, sugar beets, potatoes; 85% self-sufficient; shortages—food and fodder grains; caloric intake 2,940 calories per day per capita (1970-71)
Aid
donor—bilateral economic aid commitments (ODA), $290 million (1970-79)
Budget
(1979) expenditures $10.88 billion, revenues $9.61 billion
Crude steel
2.3 million metric tons produced (1978), 480 kg per capita
Electric power
11,100,000 kW capacity (1980); 38.5 billion kWh produced (1980), 8,050 kWh per capita
Exports
$14.1 billion (f.o.b., 1980); timber, paper and pulp, ships, machinery, iron and steel, clothing and footwear
Fiscal year
calendar year
GNP
$40.3 billion (1980), $8,476 per capita; 57% consumption, 24% investment, 19% government; 3% net exports of goods and services; 1978 growth rate 7.2% (constant prices)
Imports
$15.6 billion (c.i.f., 1980); foodstuffs, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, transport equipment, iron and steel, machinery, textile yarn and fabrics
Major industries
include metal manufacturing and ship-building, forestry and wood processing (pulp, paper), copper refining
Major trade partners
(1979) 38% EC-nine (12% West Germany, 11% UK); 17% USSR, 15% Sweden; 5% US
Monetary conversion rate
Finnmark (Fim) 3.7301=US$1 (1980 average, IMF)
Shortages
fossil fuels; industrial raw materials, except wood, and iron ore
Communications
Airfields
173 total, 173 usable; 43 with permanent-surface runways; 20 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 23 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
40 major transport
Highways
about 73,552 km total in national classified network, including 31,000 km paved (bituminous, concrete, bituminous-treated surface) and 42,552 km unpaved (stabilized gravel, gravel, earth); additional 29,440 km of private (state subsidized) roads
Inland waterways
6,597 km total (including Saimaa Canal); 3,700 km suitable for steamers
Pipelines
natural gas, 161 km
Ports
11 major, 14 minor
Railroads
6,038 km total; Finnish State Railways (VR) operate a total 6,010 km 1.524-meter gauge, 477 km multiple track, and 608 km electrified; 22 km 0.750-meter gauge and 6 km 1.524-meter gauge are privately owned
Telecommunications
good telecom service from cable and radio-relay network; 2.24 million telephones (47.0 per 100 popl.); 15 AM, 87 FM, and 143 TV stations; 3 submarine cables
Military and Security
Military budget
proposed for fiscal year ending 31 December 1982, $750 million; about 5.3% of proposed central government budget
Military manpower
males 15-49, 1,289,000; 1,092,000 fit for military service; 36,000 reach military age (17) annually