1996 Edition

Description

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)

Location

64 00 N, 26 00 E -- Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, and Gulf of Finland, between Sweden and Russia Flag ----

Area

comparative area

slightly smaller than Montana

land area

305,470 sq km

total area

337,030 sq km

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)

Environment

current issues

air pollution from manufacturing and power plants contributing to acid rain; water pollution from industrial wastes, agricultural chemicals; habitat loss threatens wildlife populations

international agreements

party to - Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not ratified - Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea

natural hazards

NA

Geographic coordinates

64 00 N, 26 00 E

Geographic note

long boundary with Russia; Helsinki is northernmost national capital on European continent; population concentrated on small southwestern coastal plain

International disputes

none

Irrigated land

620 sq km (1989 est.)

Land boundaries

border countries

Norway 729 km, Sweden 586 km, Russia 1,313 km

total

2,628 km

Land use

arable land

8%

forest and woodland

76%

meadows and pastures

0%

other

16%

permanent crops

0%

Location

Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, and Gulf of Finland, between Sweden and Russia

Map references

Europe

Maritime claims

contiguous zone

6 nm

continental shelf

200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

exclusive fishing zone

12 nm

territorial sea

4 nm

Natural resources

timber, copper, zinc, iron ore, silver

Terrain

mostly low, flat to rolling plains interspersed with lakes and low hills

highest point

Haltiatunturi 1,328 m

lowest point

Baltic Sea 0 m

Age structure

0-14 years: 19% (male 492,616; female 471,736) 15-64 years: 67% (male 1,725,113; female 1,687,974) 65 years and over: 14% (male 275,927; female 451,864) (July 1996 est.)

Birth rate

11.32 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate

10.92 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Ethnic divisions

Finn, Swede, Lapp, Gypsy, Tatar

Infant mortality rate

4.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Languages

Finnish 93.5% (official), Swedish 6.3% (official), small Lapp- and Russian-speaking minorities

Life expectancy at birth

female

77.18 years (1996 est.)

male

73.82 years

total population

75.47 years

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write (1980 est.)

female

NA%

male

NA%

total population

100%

Nationality

adjective

Finnish

noun

Finn(s)

Net migration rate

0.58 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Population

5,105,230 (July 1996 est.)

Population growth rate

0.1% (1996 est.)

Religions

Evangelical Lutheran 89%, Greek Orthodox 1%, none 9%, other 1%

Sex ratio

all ages

0.96 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

at birth

1.04 male(s)/female

under 15 years

1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.61 male(s)/female

Total fertility rate

1.68 children born/woman (1996 est.)

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

Constitution

17 July 1919

Data code

FI

Diplomatic representation in US

chancery

3301 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador Jaakko LAAJAVA

telephone

[1] (202) 298-5800

Executive branch

cabinet

Council of State (Valtioneuvosto) was appointed by the president, responsible to Parliament

chief of state

President Martti AHTISAARI (since 1 March 1994) was elected for a six-year term by popular vote; election last held 31 January-6 February 1994 (next to be held NA January 2000); results - Martti AHTISAARI 54%, Elisabeth REHN 46%

head of government

Prime Minister Paavo LIPPONEN (since 13 April 1995) and Deputy Prime Minister Sauli NIINISTO (since 13 April 1995) were appointed by the president

FAX

[1] (202) 298-6030

[358] (0) 174681

consulate(s) general

Los Angeles and New York

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)

Independence

6 December 1917 (from Soviet Union)

International organization participation

AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CCC, CE, CERN, EBRD, ECE, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MTCR, NACC, NAM (guest), NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCRO, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNMOGIP, UNPREDEP, UNPROFOR, UNTSO, UPU, WEU (observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

Judicial branch

Supreme Court (Korkein Oikeus), judges appointed by the president

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

Name of country

conventional long form

Republic of Finland

conventional short form

Finland

local long form

Suomen Tasavalta

local short form

Suomi

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 (Eduskunta)

elections last held 19 March 1995 (next to be held NA March 1999); results - Social Democratic Party 28.3%, Center Party 19.9%, National Coalition (Conservative) Party 17.9%, Leftist Alliance (Communist) 11.2%, Swedish People's Party 5.1%, Green League 6.5%, Ecology Party 0.3%, Rural 1.3%, Finnish Christian League 3.0%, Liberal People's Party 0.6%, Young Finns 2.8%; seats - (200 total) Social Democratic Party 63, Center Party 44, National Coalition (Conservative) Party 39, Leftist Alliance (Communist) 22, Swedish People's Party 11, Green League 9, Ecology Party 1, Rural 1, Finnish Christian League 7, Young Finns 2, Aaland Islands 1

Political parties and leaders

government coalition

Social Democratic Party, Paavo LIPPONEN; National Coalition (conservative) Party, Sauli NIINISTO; Leftist Alliance (Communist) People's Democratic League and Democratic Alternative, Claes ANDERSSON; Swedish People's Party, (Johan) Ole NORRBACK; Green League, Pekka HAAVISTO

other

Center Party, Esko AHO; Finnish Christian League, Toimi KANKAANNIEMI; Rural Party, Raimo VISTBACKA; Liberal People's Party, Tuulikki UKKOLA; Greens Ecological Party (EPV); Young Finns, Risto PENTTILAE

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Type of government

republic

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission

Ambassador Derek N. SHEARER

embassy

Itainen Puistotie 14A, FIN-00140, Helsinki

mailing address

APO AE 09723

telephone

[358] (0) 171931

Agriculture

cereals, sugar beets, potatoes; dairy cattle; annual fish catch about 160,000 metric tons

Budget

expenditures

$31.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1993 est.)

revenues

$21.7 billion

Currency

1 markka (FMk) or Finmark = 100 pennia

Economic aid

donor

ODA, $355 million (1993)

Economic overview

Finland has a highly industrialized, largely free-market economy, with per capita output equaling that of the UK, France and Italy. Its key economic sector is manufacturing - 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 imports of raw materials, energy, and some components for manufactured goods. Because of the climate, agricultural development is limited to maintaining self-sufficiency in basic products. Forestry, an important export earner, provides a secondary occupation for the rural population. The economy, which experienced an average of 4.9% annual growth between 1987 and 1989, sank into deep recession in 1991 as GDP contracted by 6.5%. The recession - which continued in 1992 with GDP contracting by 4.1% - has been caused by economic overheating, depressed foreign markets, and the dismantling of the barter system between Finland and the former Soviet Union under 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 changes in monetary policy. In June 1991 Helsinki had tied the markka to the European Union's (EU) European Currency Unit (ECU) to promote stability. Ongoing speculation resulting from a lack of confidence in the government's policies forced Helsinki to devalue the markka by about 12% in November 1991 and to indefinitely break the link in September 1992. The devaluations have boosted the competitiveness of Finnish exports. The recession bottomed out in 1993, and Finland participated in the general European upturn of 1994. Unemployment probably will remain a serious problem during the next few years; the majority of Finnish firms face a weak domestic market and the troubled German and Swedish export markets. The Finns voted in an October 1994 referendum to enter the EU, and Finland officially joined the Union on 1 January 1995. Increasing integration with Western Europe will dominate the economic picture over the next few years.

Electricity

capacity

13,360,000 kW

consumption per capita

12,196 kWh (1993)

production

58 billion kWh

Exchange rates

markkaa (FMk) per US$1 - 4.4425 (January 1996), 4.3667 (1995), 5.2235 (1994), 5.7123 (1993), 4.4794 (1992), 4.0440 (1991)

Exports

$29.7 billion (f.o.b., 1994)

commodities

paper and pulp, machinery, chemicals, metals, timber

partners

EU 46.5% (Germany 13.4%, UK 10.3%), Sweden 11%, US 7.2%, Japan 2.1%, FSU 8.6% (1994)

External debt

$30 billion (December 1993)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $92.4 billion (1995 est.)

GDP composition by sector

agriculture

4.6%

industry

28%

services

67.4% (1994)

GDP per capita

$18,200 (1995 est.)

GDP real growth rate

5% (1995 est.)

Illicit drugs

transshipment point for Latin American cocaine for the West European market

Imports

$23.2 billion (c.i.f., 1994)

commodities

foodstuffs, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, transport equipment, iron and steel, machinery, textile yarn and fabrics, fodder grains

partners

EU 44% (Germany 15%, UK 8.3%), Sweden 10.4%, US 7.6%, Japan 6.5%, FSU 10.3 (1994)

Industrial production growth rate

5% (1993 est.)

Industries

metal products, shipbuilding, pulp and paper, copper refining, foodstuffs, chemicals, textiles, clothing

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

2% (1995 est.)

Labor force

2.533 million

by occupation

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%

Unemployment rate

17% (1995)

Branches

Army, Navy, Air Force, Frontier Guard (includes Sea Guard)

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $1.9 billion, 1.6% of GDP (1995)

Manpower availability

males age 15-49

1,307,128

males fit for military service

1,074,540

males reach military age (17) annually

32,760 (1996 est.)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 6, FM 105, shortwave 0

Radios

4.98 million (1991 est.)

Telephone system

good service from cable and microwave radio relay network

domestic

cable and microwave radio relay

international

1 submarine cable; satellite earth stations - access to Intelsat transmission service via a Swedish satellite earth station, 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean Regions); note - Finland shares the Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic countries (Denmark, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden)

Telephones

2.78 million (1986 est.)

Television broadcast stations

235

Televisions

2.1 million (1983 est.) Defense

Airports

total

157

with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m

13

with paved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m

23

with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m

21

with paved runways over 3 047 m

3

with paved runways under 914 m

92

with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m

5 (1995 est.)

Highways

paved

47,588 km (including 318 km of expressways)

total

76,755 km

unpaved

29,167 km (1992 est.)

Merchant marine

ships by type

bulk 8, cargo 20, chemical tanker 5, oil tanker 12, passenger 2, refrigerated cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 31, short-sea passenger 12, vehicle carrier 1 (1995 est.)

total

92 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,051,231 GRT/1,075,397 DWT

Pipelines

natural gas 580 km

Ports

Hamina, Helsinki, Kokkola, Kotka, Loviisa, Oulu, Pori, Rauma, Turku, Uusikaupunki, Varkaus

Railways

broad gauge

5,895 km 1.524-m gauge (1,993 km electrified; 480 km double- or more-track) (1995)

total

5,895 km

Waterways

6,675 km total (including Saimaa Canal); 3,700 km suitable for steamers