The Finland Portal
Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, opposite Estonia. Finland covers an area of 338,145 square kilometres (130,559 sq mi) and has a population of 5.6 million. Helsinki is the capital and largest city. The vast majority of the population are ethnic Finns. The official languages are Finnish and Swedish, of which 84.9 percent of the population speak the first as their mother tongue and 5.1 percent the latter. Finland's climate varies from humid continental in the south to boreal in the north. The land cover is predominantly boreal forest biome, with more than 180,000 recorded lakes.
Finland was first settled around 9000 BC after the last Ice Age. During the Stone Age, various cultures emerged, distinguished by different styles of ceramics. The Bronze Age and Iron Ages were marked by contacts with other cultures in Fennoscandia and the Baltic region. From the late 13th century, Finland became part of the Swedish Empire as a result of the Northern Crusades. In 1809, as a result of the Finnish War, Finland was captured from Sweden and became a Grand Duchy of Finland, an autonomous state ruled by the Russian Empire. During this period, Finnish art flourished and the idea of full independence began to take hold. In 1906, Finland became the first European state to grant universal suffrage, and the first in the world to give all adult citizens the right to run for public office. Following the Russian Revolution of 1917, Finland declared its full independence. In 1918 the young nation was divided by the Finnish Civil War. During World War II, Finland fought against the Soviet Union in the Winter War and the Continuation War, and later against Nazi Germany in the Lapland War. As a result, it lost parts of its territory but retained its independence. (Full article...)
Selected article -
Martti Oiva Kalevi Ahtisaari (Finnish: [ˈmɑrtːi ˈʔoi̯ʋɑ ˈkɑleʋi ˈʔɑhtisɑːri] ; 23 June 1937 – 16 October 2023) was a Finnish politician, the tenth president of Finland, from 1994 to 2000, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and a United Nations diplomat and mediator noted for his international peace work.
Ahtisaari was a United Nations special envoy for Kosovo, charged with organizing the Kosovo status process negotiations. These negotiations aimed to resolve a long-running dispute in Kosovo, which later declared its independence from Serbia in 2008. In October 2008, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize "for his important efforts, on several continents and over more than three decades, to resolve international conflicts". The Nobel statement said that Ahtisaari had played a prominent role in resolving serious and long-lasting conflicts, including ones in Namibia, Aceh (Indonesia), Kosovo and Serbia, and Iraq. (Full article...)Selected image -
Photograph credit: Joaquim Alves Gaspar
Helsinki Cathedral is an Evangelical Lutheran cathedral of the Diocese of Helsinki, located in the centre of Helsinki, Finland. Designed by Carl Ludvig Engel to form the focal point of Senate Square, it was built from 1830 to 1852 in the Neoclassical style. The church's plan forms a Greek cross (a square centre and four equilateral arms), symmetrical in each of the four cardinal directions. The cathedral is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Helsinki, with more than half a million visitors in 2018.
Did you know (auto-generated)
- ... that Finnish linguist Eeva Leinonen was one of four women to be inaugurated as heads of Irish universities in 2021, the others being Maggie Cusack, Linda Doyle and Kerstin Mey?
- ... that Turku remained the largest city in Finland after three quarters of it burned down?
- ... that politician Kalervo Kummola introduced karaoke to Finland?
- ... that Venla Luukkonen is the first Finnish person to win the World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship at black belt level?
- ... that Mika Kares returned to Finland to perform the title role of Boito's opera Mefistofele at the Savonlinna Opera Festival?
- ... that Charlotte Haining was an International Jury Member for the selection of Finland's 2020 Eurovision Song Contest entry?
WikiProjects
You are invited to participate in Finland WikiProject, a WikiProject dedicated to developing and improving articles about Finland.
More did you know -
- ...that the Finnish company YIT was responsible for the construction of the Finnish National Opera house, the Helsinki Fair Centre and Cirrus, the tallest high-rise building in Finland?
- ...that the paintings in the Espoo Cathedral were painted over in the 18th century, as they were thought to be "crude and superstitious'?
- ...that there are three unilingually Swedish municipalities in one province of mainland Finland?
- ...that Maria, the Finnish form of Mary, is the most popular Finnish name used during the modern era?
- ...that Finnish film director Valentin Vaala was reportedly so disappointed with his first film that he dumped the original camera negatives into the sea?
Good article -
This is a Good article, an article that meets a core set of high editorial standards.
The Kauhajoki school shooting occurred on 23 September 2008 at the Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences (SeAMK) in Kauhajoki, Finland. The gunman, 22-year-old student Matti Juhani Saari, shot and killed ten people with a Walther P22 Target semi-automatic pistol, before shooting himself in the head. He died a few hours later at Tampere University Hospital. One woman was injured but remained in stable condition.
The shooting took place at the Kauhajoki School of Hospitality, owned by the Seinäjoki Municipal Federation of Education. The facilities and campus were shared between SeAMK and the Seinäjoki Vocational Education Centre – Sedu. Saari was a second-year student in a Hospitality Management undergraduate degree programme. The incident was the second school shooting in less than a year in Finland, the other being the Jokela school shooting in November 2007, in which nine people including the gunman died. The first similar incident in the country's history was the Raumanmeri school shooting in Rauma in 1989, leaving two people dead. (Full article...)General images
The following are images from various Finland-related articles on Wikipedia.
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Portrait of Finnish poet Elias Lönnrot who wrote "the Kalevala" (1802 - 1884) (from History of Finland) -
S/S Urania in Hanko harbor in 1893, with 509 emigrants on board on their way to America (from History of Finland) -
Turku Cathedral and its surroundings from 1814 (from History of Finland) -
Identification document and tag of a Finnish war child (from History of Finland) -
People gathered in the Senate Square for a demonstration against the February Manifesto in March 1899. (from History of Finland) -
Finnish folk dancers in a 1907 postcard sent from Mustamäki, Finland (from Culture of Finland) -
Mikael Agricola hands over the Finnish Translation of the New Testament to King Gustav Wasa. (from History of Finland) -
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The Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (1865–1957), a significant figure in the history of classical music (from Culture of Finland) -
President K. J. Ståhlberg in his office in 1919 (from History of Finland) -
A group of Finnish soldiers operating a Bofors gun during the Continuation War in 1943 (from History of Finland) -
Pieces of the Antrea Net (8,300 BC), the oldest-known fishing net in the world. (from History of Finland) -
An old drawing of the city of Turku in the 18th century (from History of Finland) -
Imagery collage of Birger Jarl conquering Häme and the construction of Häme Castle (from History of Finland) -
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Marshal of Finland Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim visit in Germany, 1942 (from History of Finland) -
Students on Helsinki's Esplanadi wearing their caps on Vappu (from Culture of Finland) -
Kreeta Haapasalo Playing the Kantele in a Peasant Cottage (1868), by Robert Wilhelm Ekman (from History of Finland) -
Wehrmacht soldiers with a local Sámi reindeer herder, Lappland, Sodankylä, Finland 1942 (from History of Finland) -
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Kalmar Union in 1400s (from History of Finland) -
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Finland Ostrobothnia regiment uniforms in 1705 (from History of Finland) -
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A triptych by Akseli Gallen-Kallela, depicting the Aino Story of Kalevala on three panes (from Culture of Finland) -
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Finnish Guards' Rifle Battalion, 1850s (from History of Finland) -
Badge of the Finnish White/Civil Guard (from History of Finland) -
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Memorial of the Mannerheim Cross Knights of Parikkala, Finland (from History of Finland) -
![Image 31Kastelli Giant's Church in Pattijoki by Pöljä culture [fi] (from History of Finland)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/60/Kastelli_giant%27s_church_1.JPG/120px-Kastelli_giant%27s_church_1.JPG)
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Stone Age dwelling named Kierikki 5000–3000 BC (from History of Finland) -
Women in sauna with Vihtas -
A summer cottage (mökki) on a lake island (from Culture of Finland) -
Battle of Gangut (Hanko) was part of the Great Northern War during 1700–1721. (from History of Finland) -
Pekka Halonen's painting "against persecutors" from 1896 depicts the warfare of the ancient Finns. (from History of Finland) -
Eero Järnefelt, Burning the Brushwood, 1893 (from History of Finland) -
The decision of the Soviet of the People's Comissars' to recognise Finnish independence, signed by Vladimir Lenin, Leon Trotsky, Grigory Petrovsky, Joseph Stalin, Isaac Steinberg, Vladimir Karelin, and Alexander Schlichter (from History of Finland) -
Linus Torvalds, a famous Fennoswede software engineer, best known for initiating the development of the Linux kernel (from Culture of Finland) -
(1809 Diet of Porvoo) The sovereign's pledge, printed in Finnish (from History of Finland) -
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In 2011 figure skater Kiira Korpi was ranked 4th in the world. (from Culture of Finland) -
Prehistoric red ochre painted rock art of moose, human figures, and boats in Astuvansalmi, Finland, from ca. 3800–2200 BC (from Culture of Finland) -
Jussipaita (transl. Jussi sweater); a traditional sweater from the Finnish region of Southern Ostrobothnia (from Culture of Finland) -
The area controlled by Finland at its largest, in 1942 (from History of Finland) -
A smoke sauna (savusauna) in Enonkoski (from Culture of Finland) -
In the middle is the patron saint of Finland, Saint Henry, on the right side of him is Bishop Konrad Bitz and on the left is Dean Magnus Stjernkors; from Missale Aboense (1488) (from History of Finland) -
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A peasant girl and a woman in traditional dress from Ruokolahti, eastern Finland, as depicted by Severin Falkman in 1882 (from Culture of Finland) -
Grand Duchy of Finland, 75 kopek assignat (1824) (from History of Finland) -
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Midsummer bonfire (kokko) in Mäntsälä (from Culture of Finland) -
The Swedish empire at its largest. Most of present-day Finland was part of Sweden proper, rike, shown in dark green. (from History of Finland) -
Homann's map of the Scandinavian Peninsula and Fennoscandia with their surrounding territories: northern Germany, northern Poland, the Baltic region, Livonia, Belarus, and parts of Northwest Russia. Johann Baptist Homann (1664–1724) was a German geographer and cartographer; map dated around 1730. (from History of Finland) -
Erkki Karu, one of the pioneers of the Finnish cinema, with cinematographer Eino Kari in 1927 (from Culture of Finland) -
The part of Finland controlled by the Reds at its largest in February–March 1918 (from History of Finland) -
2007 Formula One World Champion Kimi Räikkönen celebrating victory at the 2007 Brazilian Grand Prix (from Culture of Finland) -
Ancylus Lake covered major part of Finland (7,500–6,000 BC) (from History of Finland) -
Sámi / Laplander family in traditional costumes from Finland. (from Culture of Finland) -
Signing the Helsinki Accords are the West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt, East Germany's leader Erich Honecker, US president Gerald Ford and the Austrian chancellor Bruno Kreisky (from History of Finland) -
The area of Finland in the years 1920–1940. The 1935 county and municipality division on the map. (from History of Finland) -
A reconstruction of a 12th-century Perniö costume (from History of Finland) -
Janne Ahonen is considered one of the best and most successful currently active ski jumpers. (from Culture of Finland) -
The first government of independent Finland. P. E. Svinhufvud, the first Prime Minister of Finland, sitting at the head of the table. (from History of Finland) -
Northern Europe in 814 (from History of Finland) -
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President Urho Kekkonen's funeral procession in 1986 (from History of Finland) -
This 1825 map of the Grand Duchy of Finland is from a larger work, geographical atlas of the Russian Empire. (from History of Finland) -
Women dressed in Finnish folk costumes (from Culture of Finland) -
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Karjalanpiirakka, a traditional Finnish pastry (from Culture of Finland) -
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Jean Sibelius at work in his study (from History of Finland) -
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Lapua Movement supporters beating the "red officer" Eino Nieminen in front of the Vaasa courthouse during the 4 June 1930 riot. (from History of Finland) -
Helsinki Accords Treaty (from History of Finland) -
Map of Finnish areas ceded to the Soviet Union in 1944, after the Continuation War (from History of Finland) -
The public education system founded during earlier Swedish rule turned Finland and Estonia into the two most literate areas of Russian Empire (map of 1897 census literacy data) (from History of Finland)
![Image 31Kastelli Giant's Church in Pattijoki by Pöljä culture [fi] (from History of Finland)](https://thcscience.wiki/term/terpene/?rdp_we_resource=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FFile%3AKastelli_giant%2527s_church_1.JPG){kind=small}
In the news
- 22 May 2024 – Russia–NATO relations
- The Russian Ministry of Defence proposes to unilaterally adjust Russia's maritime border in the Baltic Sea, prompting comments of concern made by Baltic members of NATO, including Finland and Lithuania. The Ministry of Defense later retracts the proposal. (Reuters) (BBC News)
- 2 April 2024 – Viertola school shooting
- A student is killed and two others are injured in a shooting at a school in Vantaa, Uusimaa, Finland. A 12-year-old student is detained. (AP) (Yle)
- 1 March 2024 – 2024 Finnish presidential election
- Alexander Stubb is sworn in as the 13th President of Finland. (Reuters)
- 11 February 2024 – 2024 Finnish presidential election
- Alexander Stubb is elected President of Finland with 51.6% of the vote.(Yle)
- 27 January 2024 – Israel–Hamas war
- The United Kingdom, United States, Australia, Italy, Canada, Finland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Germany suspend humanitarian aid to UNRWA over allegations that some UNRWA staff members were involved in the Hamas-led attack on Israel. (BBC News) (CBS News)
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