1992 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1992 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
cold temperate; potentially subarctic, but comparatively mild because of moderating influence of the North Atlantic Current, Baltic Sea, and more than 60,000 lakes
Coastline
1,126 km; excludes islands and coastal indentations
Comparative area
slightly smaller than Montana
Contiguous zone
6 nm
Continental shelf
200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation
Disputes
none
Environment
permanently wet ground covers about 30% of land; population concentrated on small southwestern coastal plain
Exclusive fishing zone
12 nm
Land area
305,470 km2
Land boundaries
2,628 km; Norway 729 km, Sweden 586 km, Russia 1,313 km
Land use
arable land 8%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures NEGL%; forest and woodland 76%; other 16%; includes irrigated NEGL%
Natural resources
timber, copper, zinc, iron ore, silver
Note
long boundary with Russia; Helsinki is northernmost national capital on European continent
Terrain
mostly low, flat to rolling plains interspersed with lakes and low hills
Territorial sea
4 nm
Total area
337,030 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
12 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate
10 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Ethnic divisions
Finn, Swede, Lapp, Gypsy, Tatar
Infant mortality rate
6 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Labor force
2,533,000; public services 30.4%; industry 20.9%; commerce 15.0%; finance, insurance, and business services 10.2%; agriculture and forestry 8.6%; transport and communications 7.7%; construction 7.2%
Languages
Finnish 93.5%, Swedish (both official) 6.3%; small Lapp- and Russian-speaking minorities
Life expectancy at birth
72 years male, 80 years female (1992)
Literacy
100% (male NA%, female NA%) age 15 and over can read and write (1980 est.)
Nationality
noun - Finn(s); adjective - Finnish
Net migration rate
NEGL migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Organized labor
80% of labor force
Population
5,004,273 (July 1992), growth rate 0.3% (1992)
Religions
Evangelical Lutheran 89%, Greek Orthodox 1%, none 9%, other 1%
Total fertility rate
1.7 children born/woman (1992)
Government
Administrative divisions
12 provinces (laanit, singular - laani); Ahvenanmaa, Hame, Keski-Suomi, Kuopio, Kymi, Lappi, Mikkeli, Oulu, Pohjois-Karjala, Turku ja Pori, Uusimaa, Vaasa
Capital
Helsinki
Chief of State
President Mauno KOIVISTO (since 27 January 1982)
Communists
28,000 registered members; an additional 45,000 persons belong to People's Democratic League
Constitution
17 July 1919
Diplomatic representation
Ambassador Jukka VALTASAARI; Chancery at 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016; telephone (202) 363-2430; there are Finnish Consulates General in Los Angeles and New York, and Consulates in Chicago and Houston US: Ambassador John H. KELLY (as of December 1991); Embassy at Itainen Puistotie 14A, SF-00140, Helsinki (mailing address is APO AE 09723); telephone [358] (0) 171931; FAX [358] (0) 174681
Executive branch
president, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Council of State (Valtioneuvosto)
Flag
white with a blue cross that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the DANNEBROG (Danish flag)
Head of Government
Prime Minister Esko AHO (since 26 April 1991); Deputy Prime Minister Ilkka KANERVA (since 26 April 1991)
Independence
6 December 1917 (from Soviet Union)
Judicial branch
Supreme Court (Korkein Oikeus)
Legal system
civil law system based on Swedish law; Supreme Court may request legislation interpreting or modifying laws; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Legislative branch
unicameral Parliament (Eduskunta)
Long-form name
Republic of Finland
Member of
AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, CSCE, EBRD, ECE, EFTA, ESA (associate), FAO, G-9, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LORCS, MTCR, NAM (guest), NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIIMOG, UNMOGIP, UNTSO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
National holiday
Independence Day, 6 December (1917)
Other political or pressure groups
Finnish Communist Party-Unity, Yrjo HAKANEN; Constitutional Rightist Party; Finnish Pensioners Party; Communist Workers Party, Timo LAHDENMAKI
Parliament
last held 17 March 1991 (next to be held March 1995); results - Center Party 24.8%, Social Democratic Party 22.1%, National Coalition (Conservative) Party 19.3%, Leftist Alliance (Communist) 10.1%, Green League 6.8%, Swedish People's Party 5.5%, Rural 4.8%, Finnish Christian League 3.1%, Liberal People's Party 0.8%; seats - (200 total) Center Party 55, Social Democratic Party 48, National Coalition (Conservative) Party 40, Leftist Alliance (Communist) 19, Swedish People's Party 12, Green League 10, Finnish Christian League 8, Rural 7, Liberal People's Party 1
President
last held 31 January - 1 February and 15 February 1988 (next to be held January 1994); results - Mauno KOIVISTO 48%, Paavo VAYRYNEN 20%, Harri HOLKERI 18%
Suffrage
universal at age 18
Type
republic
Economy
Agriculture
accounts for 8% of GDP (including forestry); livestock production, especially dairy cattle, predominates; forestry is an important export earner and a secondary occupation for the rural population; main crops - cereals, sugar beets, potatoes; 85% self-sufficient, but short of foodgrains and fodder grains; annual fish catch about 160,000 metric tons
Budget
revenues $35.8 billion; expenditures $41.5 billion, including capital expenditures of NA billion (1991)
Currency
markka (plural - markkaa); 1 markka (FMk) or Finmark = 100 pennia
Economic aid
donor - ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $2.7 billion
Electricity
13,324,000 kW capacity; 49,330 million kWh produced, 9,857 kWh per capita (1991)
Exchange rates
markkaa (FMk) per US$1 - 4.2967 (January 1992), 4.0440 (1991), 3.8235 (1990), 4.2912 (1989), 4.1828 (1988), 4.3956 (1987)
Exports
$22.9 billion (f.o.b., 1991) commodities: timber, paper and pulp, ships, machinery, clothing and footwear partners: EC 50.25%, Germany 15.5%, UK 10.4%, EFTA 20.7%, Sweden 14%, US 6.1%, Japan 1.5%, USSR/EE 6.71% (1991)
External debt
$5.3 billion (1989)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP
purchasing power equivalent - $80.6 billion, per capita $16,200; real growth rate - 6.2% (1991)
Imports
$21.6 billion (c.i.f., 1991) commodities: foodstuffs, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, transport equipment, iron and steel, machinery, textile yarn and fabrics, fodder grains partners: EC 45.9% (Germany 16.9%), UK 7.7%, EFTA 19.9%, Sweden 12.3%, US 6.9%, Japan 6%, USSR/EE 10.7%
Industrial production
growth rate - 8.6% (1991 est.)
Industries
metal products, shipbuilding, forestry and wood processing (pulp, paper), copper refining, foodstuffs, chemicals, textiles, clothing
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
2.9% (1991)
Overview
Finland has a highly industrialized, largely free market economy, with per capita output nearly three-fourths the US figure. Its main economic force is the manufacturing sector - principally the wood, metals, and engineering industries. Trade is important, with the export of goods representing about 30% of GDP. Except for timber and several minerals, Finland depends on imported raw materials, energy, and some components of manufactured goods. Because of the climate, agricultural development is limited to maintaining self-sufficiency in basic commodities. The economy, which experienced an average of 4.9% annual growth between 1987 and 1989, sank into a deep recession in 1991 as growth contracted by 6.2%. The recession - which is expected to bottom out in late 1992 - has been caused by economic overheating, depressed foreign markets, and the dismantling of the barter system between Finland and the former Soviet Union in which Soviet oil and gas had been exchanged for Finnish manufactured goods. The Finnish Government has proposed efforts to increase industrial competitiveness and efficiency by an increase in exports to Western markets, cuts in public expenditures, partial privatization of state enterprises, and foreign investment and exchange liberalization. Helsinki tied the markkaa to the EC's European Currency Unit to promote stability but was forced to devalue the markkaa by about 12% in November 1991. The devaluation should improve industrial competitiveness and business confidence in 1992. Finland, as a member of EFTA, negotiated a European Economic Area arrangement with the EC that allows for free movement of capital, goods, services, and labor within the organization as of January 1993. Finland applied for full EC membership in March 1992.
Unemployment rate
7.6% (1991)
Communications
Airports
159 total, 156 usable; 58 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 23 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 22 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
42 major transport
Highways
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
6,675 km total (including Saimaa Canal); 3,700 km suitable for steamers
Merchant marine
80 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 794,094 GRT/732,585 DWT; includes 1 passenger, 9 short-sea passenger, 16 cargo, 1 refrigerated cargo, 26 roll-on/roll-off, 12 petroleum tanker, 6 chemical tanker, 2 liquefied gas, 7 bulk
Pipelines
natural gas 580 km
Ports
Helsinki, Oulu, Pori, Rauma, Turku; 6 secondary, numerous minor ports
Railroads
5,924 km total; Finnish State Railways (VR) operate a total of 5,863 km 1.524-meter gauge, of which 480 km are multiple track and 1,445 km are electrified
Telecommunications
good service from cable and radio relay network; 3,140,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 6 AM, 105 FM, 235 TV; 1 submarine cable; INTELSAT satellite transmission service via Swedish earth station and a receive-only INTELSAT earth station near Helsinki
Military and Security
Branches
Army, Navy, Air Force, Frontier Guard (including Coast Guard)
Defense expenditures
exchange rate conversion - $1.8 billion, 1.6% of GDP (1989 est.)
Manpower availability
males 15-49, 1,314,305; 1,087,286 fit for military service; 33,053 reach military age (17) annually