1988 Edition

Climate

cold temperate; potentially subarctic, but comparatively mild because of moderating influence of Gulf Stream, Baltic Sea, more than 60,000 lakes

Coastline

1,126 km excluding islands and coastal indentations

Comparative area

slightly smaller than Montana

Contiguous zone

6 nm

Continental shelf

200 meters or to depth of exploitation

Environment

permanently wet ground covers about 30% of land; population concentrated on small southwestern coastal plain

Exclusive fishing zone

12 nm

Land boundaries

2,534 km total

Land use

8% arable land; 0% permanent crops; NEGL% meadows and pastures; 76% forest and woodland; 16% other; includes NEGL% irrigated

Special notes

long boundary with USSR; Helsinki is northernmost national capital on European continent

Terrain

mostly low, flat to rolling plains interspersed with low hills

Territorial sea

4 nm

Total area

337,030 km2; land area: 305,470 km2

Ethnic divisions

Finn, Swede, Lapp, Gypsy, Tatar

Infant mortality rate

6.2/1,000 (1983)

Labor force

2.437 million (1985); 24.5% mining and manufacturing; 27.9% services; 20.9% commerce; 11.5% agriculture, forestry, and fishing; 7.3% construction; 7.6% transportation and communications; 6.2% unemployed (1985 average)

Language

93.5% Finnish, 6.3% Swedish (both official); small Lappand Russianspeaking minorities

Life expectancy

men 70.1, women 78.1

Literacy

almost 100%

Nationality

noun — Finn(s); adjective — Finnish

Organized labor

80% of labor force

Population

4,939,880 (July 1987), average annual growth rate 0.36%

Religion

97% Evangelical Lutheran, 1.2% Greek Orthodox, 1.8% other

Administrative divisions

12 provinces, 377 communes, 84 towns

Branches

legislative authority rests jointly with President and unicameral legislature (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

28,000 registered members; an additional 45,000 persons belong to People's Democratic League

Elections

parliamentary, every four years (next in March, 1991); presidential, every six years (next in 1988) Political parties and leaders: Social Democratic Party, Kalevi Sorsa; Center Party, Paavo Vayrynen; People's Democratic League (majority Communist front), Esko Helle; National Coalition (Conservative) Party, Ilkka Suominen; Liberal People's Party, KyGsti Lallukka; Swedish People's Party, Christoffer Taxell; Rural Party, Pekka Vennamo; Finnish Communist Party (majority Communist faction), Arvo Aalto; Finnish Communist Party-Unity (minority faction), Taisto Sinisalo; Democratic Alternative (minority Communist front), Kristiina Halkola; Finnish Christian League, Esko Almgren; Constitutional Rightist Party, Georg Ehrnrooth; Finnish Pensioners Party; Greens

Government leaders

Dr. Mauno KOIVISTO, President (since January 1982); Kalevi SORSA, Prime Minister (since February 1982)

Legal system

civil law system based on Swedish law; constitution adopted 1919; Supreme Court may request legislation interpreting or modifying laws; 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, IDE— Inter-American Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, International Lead and Zinc Study Group, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, 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

Suffrage

universal, 18 years and over; not compulsory

Type

republic

Voting strength

(1987 parliamentary election) 24.3% Social Democratic (56 seats), 23.9% Conservative (53 seats), 18.6% Center-Liberal (40 seats), 9.4% People's Democratic League (16 seats), 6.3% Rural (9 seats), 5.3% Swedish Peoples (13 seats), 4.3% Democratic Alternative (4 seats), 4.0% Greens (4 seats), 2.6% Christian League (5 seats), 1.2% Pensioners (no seats), 0.1% Constitutional Rightist (no seats)

Agriculture

sugar, copra, ginger, rice; major, deficiency, grains

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

Aid

Western (non-US) countries (1980-84), $527 million

donor — ODA and OOF economic aid commitments (1970-84), $998 million

Budget

revenues, $323 million; expenditures, $402 million (1986 est.)

expenditures, $16.3 billion; revenues, $14.4 billion (1985)

Crude steel

2.5 million metric tons produced (1985), 530 kg per capita

Electric power

213,000 kW capacity; 220 million kWh produced, 310 kWh per capita (1986)

12,389,000 kW capacity; 45,590 million kWh produced, 9,250 kWh per capita (1986)

Exports

$240 million (f.o.b., 1985); 70% sugar; also copra

$13.54 billion (f.o.b., 1985); timber, paper and pulp, ships, machinery, clothing and footwear

Fiscal year

calendar year

calendar year

Fishing

catch 157,100 metric tons (1983)

GDP

$1.099 billion (1986 est), $1,254 per capita; annual growth rate, 2.5% (1986)

GNP

$54.4 billion (1985), $11,100 per capita; 55.6% private consumption, 23.4% gross fixed capital formation; 20.2% government consumption; 0.8% net exports of goods and services; 1985 growth rate 2.9% (1980 prices)

Imports

$447 million (c.i.f., 1985); 24% manufactured goods, 20.0% machinery, 16.3% foodstuffs, 16% fuels

$13.14 billion (c.i.f, 1985); foodstuffs, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, transport equipment, iron and steel, machinery, textile yarn and fabrics

Major industries

sugar refining, tourism, gold, lumber, small industries

metal manufacturing and shipbuilding, forestry and wood processing (pulp, paper), copper refining, foodstuffs, textiles, clothing

Major trade partners

Australia, New Zealand, Japan, UK, Singapore, US

(1985) exports — 35.2% EC (10.6% UK, 9.0% FRG), 21.4% USSR, 13.1% Sweden, 6.2% US; imports— 36.9% EC (14.9% FRG, 7.2% UK), 20.6% USSR, 11.7% Sweden, 5.4% US

Monetary conversion rate

1.16 Fiji dollars=US$l (November 1986)

6.206 Finnmarks (Fim)=US$l (30 December 1986)

Natural resources

timber, fish, gold, copper

forests, copper, zinc, iron, farmland

Shortages

fossil fuels; industrial raw materials (except wood, iron ore)

Airfields

27 total, 27 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways, 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 2 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Branches

integrated ground and naval forces

Civil air

1 DC-3 and 1 light aircraft

Highways

3,300 km total (1984)— 390 km paved; 1200 km bituminous surface treatment; 1,290 km gravel, crushed stone, or stabilized soil surface; 420 unimproved earth

about 103,000 km total, including 35,000 km paved (bituminous, concrete, bituminous-treated surface) and 38,000 km unpaved (stabilized gravel, gravel, earth); additional 30,000 km of private (state subsidized) roads

Inland waterways

203 km; 122 km navigable by motorized craft and 200metric-ton barges

Military manpower

males 15-49, 187,000; 104,000 fit for military service; 7,000 reach military age (18) annually 300km Sec refionil mip V HELSINKI

Ports

1 major, 6 minor

Railroads

644 km 0.610-meter narrow gauge, belonging to the government-owned Fiji Sugar Corporation

6,071 km total; Finnish State Railways (VR) operate a total of 6,010 km 1.524-meter gauge, of which 480 km are multiple track and 1,257 km are electrified

Telecommunications

modern local, interisland, and international (wire/radio integrated) public and special-purpose telephone, telegraph, and teleprinter facilities; regional radio center; important COMPAC cable link between US/Canada and New Zealand/ Australia; 49,540 telephones (6.9 per 100 popl.); 7 AM, 1 FM , no TV stations; 1 satellite ground station Defense Forces