2008 Edition

Background

Finland was a province and then a grand duchy under Sweden from the 12th to the 19th centuries, and an autonomous grand duchy of Russia after 1809. It won its complete independence in 1917. During World War II, it was able to successfully defend its freedom and resist invasions by the Soviet Union - albeit with some loss of territory. In the subsequent half century, the Finns made a remarkable transformation from a farm/forest economy to a diversified modern industrial economy; per capita income is now among the highest in Western Europe. A member of the European Union since 1995, Finland was the only Nordic state to join the euro system at its initiation in January 1999.

Area

total: 338,145 sq km land: 304,473 sq km water: 33,672 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Montana

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

1,250 km

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m highest point: Haltiatunturi 1,328 m

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

Environment - international agreements

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

total: 2.33 cu km/yr (14%/84%/3%) per capita: 444 cu m/yr (1999)

Geographic coordinates

64 00 N, 26 00 E

Geography - note

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

Irrigated land

640 sq km (2003)

Land boundaries

total: 2,654 km border countries: Norway 727 km, Sweden 614 km, Russia 1,313 km

Land use

arable land: 6.54% permanent crops: 0.02% other: 93.44% (2005)

Location

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

Map references

Europe

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm (in the Gulf of Finland - 3 nm) contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm; extends to continental shelf boundary with Sweden continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Natural hazards

NA

Natural resources

timber, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, chromite, nickel, gold, silver, limestone

Terrain

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

Total renewable water resources

110 cu km (2005)

Age structure

0-14 years: 16.6% (male 443,738/female 427,875) 15-64 years: 66.8% (male 1,773,232/female 1,731,808) 65 years and over: 16.6% (male 349,826/female 518,270) (2008 est.)

Birth rate

10.39 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate

10 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Education expenditures

6.4% of GDP (2005)

Ethnic groups

Finn 93.4%, Swede 5.6%, Russian 0.5%, Estonian 0.3%, Roma (Gypsy) 0.1%, Sami 0.1% (2006)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

less than 0.1% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

fewer than 100 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

1,500 (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 3.5 deaths/1,000 live births male: 3.81 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Languages

Finnish 91.5% (official), Swedish 5.5% (official), other 3% (small Sami- and Russian-speaking minorities) (2006)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 78.82 years male: 75.31 years female: 82.46 years (2008 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100% (2000 est.)

Median age

total: 41.8 years male: 40.3 years female: 43.4 years (2008 est.)

Nationality

noun: Finn(s) adjective: Finnish

Net migration rate

0.73 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Population

5,244,749 (July 2008 est.)

Population growth rate

0.112% (2008 est.)

Religions

Lutheran Church of Finland 82.5%, Orthodox Church 1.1%, other Christian 1.1%, other 0.1%, none 15.1% (2006)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 17 years male: 17 years female: 18 years (2006)

Sex ratio

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: 0.68 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.73 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Administrative divisions

6 provinces (laanit, singular - laani); Aland, Etela-Suomen Laani (Southern Finland), Ita-Suomen Laani (Eastern Finland), Lansi-Suomen Laani (Western Finland), Lappi (Lapland), Oulun Laani

Capital

name: Helsinki geographic coordinates: 60 10 N, 24 56 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Constitution

1 March 2000

Country name

conventional long form: Republic of Finland conventional short form: Finland local long form: Suomen tasavalta/Republiken Finland local short form: Suomi/Finland

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Barbara BARRETT embassy: Itainen Puistotie 14B, 00140 Helsinki mailing address: APO AE 09723 telephone: [358] (9) 616250

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Pekka LINTU chancery: 3301 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 298-5800

Executive branch

chief of state: President Tarja HALONEN (since 1 March 2000) head of government: Prime Minister Matti VANHANEN (since 24 June 2003); Deputy Prime Minister Jyrki KATAINEN (since 19 April 2007) cabinet: Council of State or Valtioneuvosto appointed by the president, responsible to parliament elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 15 January 2006 (next to be held in January 2012); the president appoints the prime minister and deputy prime minister from the majority party or the majority coalition after parliamentary elections and the parliament must approve the appointment; Prime Minister VANHANEN reelected 17 April 2007 election results: percent of vote - Tarja HALONEN (SDP) 46.3%, Sauli NIINISTO (Kok) 24.1%, Matti Vanhanen (Kesk) 18.6%, Heidi HAUTALA (VIHR) 3.5%; a runoff election between HALONEN and NIINISTO was held 29 January 2006 - HALONEN 51.8%, NIINISTO 48.2%; Matti VANHANEN reelected prime minister; election results 121-71 note: government coalition - Kesk, KOK, VIHR, and SFP

FAX

[1] (202) 298-6030 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York

[358] (9) 6162 5800

Flag description

white with a blue cross extending 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)

Government type

republic

Independence

6 December 1917 (from Russia)

International organization participation

ADB (nonregional members), AfDB (nonregional members), Arctic Council, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G-9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM (guest), NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, Schengen Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMOGIP, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WEU (observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Judicial branch

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

Legal system

civil law system based on Swedish law; the president may request the Supreme Court to review laws; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Legislative branch

unicameral Parliament or Eduskunta (200 seats; members are elected by popular vote on a proportional basis to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 18 March 2007 (next to be held March 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - Kesk 23.1%, Kok 22.3%, SDP 21.4%, VAS 8.8%, VIHR 8.5%, KD 4.9%, SFP 4.5%, True Finns 4.1%, other 3.4%; seats by party - Kesk 51, Kok 50, SDP 45, VAS 17, VIHR 15, SFP 9, KD 7, True Finns 5, other 1

National holiday

Independence Day, 6 December (1917)

Political parties and leaders

Center Party or Kesk [Matti VANHANEN]; Christian Democrats or KD [Paivi RASANEN]; Green Party or VIHR [Tarja CRONBERG]; Left Alliance or VAS [Martti KORHONEN] (composed of People's Democratic League and Democratic Alternative); National Coalition (conservative) Party or Kok [Jyrki KATAINEN]; Social Democratic Party or SDP [Eero HEINALUOMA]; Swedish People's Party or SFP [Stefan WALLIN]; True Finns [Timo SOINI]

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agriculture - products

barley, wheat, sugar beets, potatoes; dairy cattle; fish

Budget

revenues: $62.02 billion expenditures: $58.16 billion (2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate

5.62% (31 December 2007)

Currency (code)

euro (EUR)

Currency code

EUR

Current account balance

$11.4 billion (2007 est.)

Debt - external

$271.2 billion (30 June 2007)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

26 (2005)

Economic aid - donor

ODA, $1.023 billion (2007)

Economy - overview

Finland has a highly industrialized, largely free-market economy with per capita output roughly that of the UK, France, Germany, and Italy. Its key economic sector is manufacturing - principally the wood, metals, engineering, telecommunications, and electronics industries. Trade is important; exports equal nearly two-fifths of GDP. Finland excels in high-tech exports, e.g., mobile phones. 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. High unemployment remains a persistent problem. In 2007 Russia announced plans to impose high tariffs on raw timber exported to Finland. The Finnish pulp and paper industry will be threatened if these duties are put into place in 2008 and 2009, and the matter is now being handled by the European Union.

Electricity - consumption

86.04 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports

2.86 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports

15.42 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production

77.02 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel: 39% hydro: 18.7% nuclear: 30.4% other: 11.8% (2001)

Exchange rates

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)

Exports

$89.91 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities

machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals; timber, paper, pulp

Exports - partners

Germany 10.9%, Sweden 10.7%, Russia 10.3%, US 6.4%, UK 5.8%, Netherlands 5.6% (2007)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 3.1% industry: 32.6% services: 64.3% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$36,000 (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

4.5% (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$245 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$188.4 billion (2007 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 4% highest 10%: 22.6% (2000)

Imports

$78.05 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities

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

Imports - partners

Germany 15.8%, Russia 14%, Sweden 13.7%, Netherlands 6.8%, China 5.5%, UK 4.9% (2007)

Industrial production growth rate

8.1% (2007 est.)

Industries

metals and metal products, electronics, machinery and scientific instruments, shipbuilding, pulp and paper, foodstuffs, chemicals, textiles, clothing

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

2.5% (2007 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

20.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Labor force

2.675 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture and forestry 4.4%, industry 18.6%, construction 6%, commerce 16.3%, finance, insurance, and business services 13.9%, transport and communications 7.6%, public services 33.2% (2004)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$1.095 trillion (January 2008)

Natural gas - consumption

4.581 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports

4.576 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

0 cu m (1 January 2006)

Oil - consumption

228,200 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - exports

126,300 bbl/day (January-September 2007 est.)

Oil - imports

281,300 bbl/day (January-September 2007 est.)

Oil - production

8,951 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

NA bbl

Population below poverty line

NA%

Public debt

35.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$8.385 billion (2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad

$113 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$85.24 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of domestic credit

$240.7 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of money

NA note: see entry for the European Union for money supply in the Euro Area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for the 15 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money and quasi money circulating within their own borders

Stock of quasi money

NA

Unemployment rate

6.9% (2007 est.)

Internet country code

.fi; note - Aland Islands assigned .ax

Internet hosts

3.877 million (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

3 (2002)

Internet users

3.6 million (2007)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 2, FM 186, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios

7.7 million (1997)

Telephone system

general assessment: modern system with excellent service domestic: digital fiber-optic fixed-line network and an extensive cellular network provide domestic needs international: country code - 358; submarine cables provide links to Estonia and Sweden; 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 - main lines in use

1.74 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular

6.08 million (2007)

Television broadcast stations

120 (plus 431 repeaters) (1999); note - On 1 September 2007, Finland became one of the first countries in the world to broadcast all television signals digitally

Televisions

3.2 million (1997)

Airports

148 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 76 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 27 1,524 to 2,437 m: 10 914 to 1,523 m: 22 under 914 m: 15 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 72 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 68 (2007)

Merchant marine

total: 98 by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 28, carrier 1, chemical tanker 6, container 3, passenger 5, passenger/cargo 18, petroleum tanker 5, roll on/roll off 27, vehicle carrier 2 foreign-owned: 8 (Estonia 2, Germany 1, Norway 3, Sweden 2) registered in other countries: 47 (Bahamas 9, Germany 4, Gibraltar 3, Netherlands 14, Norway 1, Panama 2, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1, Sweden 12, UK 1) (2008)

Pipelines

gas 694 km (2007)

Ports and terminals

Hamina, Helsinki, Kokkola, Kotka, Naantali, Pori, Raahe, Rauma, Turku

Railways

total: 5,741 km broad gauge: 5,741 km 1.524-m gauge (2,619 km electrified) (2006)

Roadways

total: 78,821 km paved: 50,854 km (includes 700 km of expressways) unpaved: 27,967 km (2008)

Waterways

7,842 km note: includes Saimaa Canal system of 3,577 km; southern part leased from Russia (2006)

Finnish Defense Forces (FDF)

Army, Navy (includes Coastal Defense Forces), Air Force (Suomen Ilmavoimat) (2007)

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 1,169,910 females age 16-49: 1,121,187 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 965,131 females age 16-49: 923,224 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

male: 34,152 female: 32,870 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures

2% of GDP (2005 est.)

Military service age and obligation

18 years of age for male voluntary and compulsory national military and nonmilitary service; service obligation 6-12 months (2008)

Disputes - international

various groups in Finland advocate restoration of Karelia and other areas ceded to the Soviet Union, but the Finnish Government asserts no territorial demands This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008