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Welcome to the euromost.info Finland directory
euromost.info's Finland Travel Guide with general info on: the national tourist board & local city tourist boards, EU status, currency & weather, European flights and International Airlines flying to Helsinki airport . Also details of the Finnish Rail Network and main coach services, sources of Consular advice and Travel Warnings where given. The Finland Country Profile includes details of its economy, history, population & religion. The Helsinki City Break Guide includes info on the main sightseeing places attractions, clubs, accommodation and hotels.
Finland Travel Information Guide
Ski & Snowboarding Resorts In Finland
Official National Finland Tourist Board Skiing In Finland & European Ski Resorts
Finland History Economy Language Religions
Helsinki City Break Travel & Tourist Guide
sightseeing, attractions, restaurants and hotel and apartment accommodation, nightlife clubs,and public transport in Helsinki with a Helsinki overview
The Helsinki Airport Info And Airline Guide listings of low cost airlines flying to and from Helsinki and offering cheap flights to Helsinki
The population of Finland is 5.3 million. The Capital is Helsinki with a population of .56 million with a similiar number of people live in the surrounding areas.
Languages In Finland
The offical national language is Finnish which is spoken by 93.5% of the population. 5.8 % of the poulation speak Swedish. There are also a few minorities who speak Russian dialects.
Religion in Finland
89% of the population are Lutheran and 1% Orthodox.
Political Structure In Finland
The Finnish have a Parlimentary System. There six main political parties each polling between 10 and 25% of the vote.
Finland Currency
The official currency in Finland is the euro
Currency Regulations
Visitors entering or leaving Finland with cash in any currency which exceeds 10,000€, must declare it to customs officials.
Finland Geographic Notes
Finland in the fifth largest country in Europe with a quarter of its land within the Artic Circle. Though much of the land is mountaineous it has the largest number of lakes in the world.
Finland Economic History
Post WW2 Finland economy was dependent on Agriculture. During the 1980s it economy expanded though Russia remained it largest trading partner. Finlands economy was severely impeded by the collaspe of Communism and between 1991 & 1993 unemployment rose from 5% to 20% whilst GDP fell by 10%.
In 1995 it became a member of the EU, but still maintained it policy of non alignment to any military power. In 1999 and 2006 Finland held the EU Presidency. Finland is committed to promoting a mature economic relationship with Russia especially in sensitive areas such as energy and dealing with holistically with issues such as energy, the enviroment and climate change with the support of its Scandinavian neighbours.
In the last decade it has recognised the need to strengthen its economy in more diverse areas such as research and devolopment by having a more versatile and flexible workforce. This has resulted in it becoming a leading exporter of technological products such as mobile phones to Western Europe and beyond. Many analysts cite Finland as one of the greatest success stories in economic reforms on mainland Europe.
Finland Present Economy & Business Stats
GDP: US$ 198 billion (2005) (=€157bn, source: Bank of Finland)
GDP per capita: US$ 31,208 (2005)
Annual growth: 2,9% (2005)
Inflation: 1.7% (June 2006)
Major Industries: Metals. engineering equipment, telecommunications also timber and paper products.
Major trading partners: EU (Germany, Sweden, UK), Russia, USA
Emergency Medical Care
Finland has a recoprical arrangement with the UK emergency medical treatment. The quality of treatment is excellent but in remote areas delivery imay be slow .
Finland Early History
According to archaeological discoveries the present terroritry of Finland had settlements during the Stone Age around 8500BC.The earliest people were probably hunters from the Baltic and Mainland Europe.
Pottery found which dates back to 5300BC is thought by some to indicate that some settlers who spoke the Finno Ugric language had populated the area. This dialect is historially associated primarily with Estonian and Hungarian. However Russian and Serbian also fall into this category. There are agricultural records suggesting that the eastern areas of the country were farmed in 300 BC. Some experts believe this was due to the visitors beginning settle in the country betweem 1500 BC and this time. The earliest written documentation of these settlements is dates back to the 13th century.
In 1155 The Swedish King 'Eric' conquered Finland but his country did conquer it completely until 1249. The imposition of Swedish rule introduced the 'Swedish Language' into the country and it was the official language of the middle class authorities. Finnish remained a dialect of rural and poorer areas.
Finland like its Swedish rulers became a Lutheran State during the 16th century. This modernisation led to the establihment of a legal system, the principal of education for all citizens and the Swedish development of several towns into cities.
During the next two centries the Swedish Empire endeavoured to move its borders eastward it became embroiled in battles with Russian armies, who twice ion the first half of the 18th century occupied Finland.
Travelling In Finland
Road Travel In Finland
Roads in Finland are well maintained and the trraffic bery light but in the winter months weather conditions can be very severe. Consequently icy road are common place day and night.
Between December 1st and March 31st cars must be fitted with winter snow tyre. These tyres can be studded or not. However, Finland can suffer from severe weather in November and April and visitors travelling at these times are advised to fit the winter tyres at these times.
Motorists travelling in Finland during the winter are advised to check the weather forecast and road conditions before setting out. They are also advised to carry mobile phones for use in an emergency along with emergency supplies of food and warm drinks especially if they are going on a long journey.
In Finland there is zero tolerance of drink driving. Drivers must drive if they have more than 50 milligrams of Alcohol per 100 millimetres of blood. Anyone found guilty of driving whilst over the sentence receives a prison sentence.
Rail Travel In Finland
Rail travel in Finland is dependable, comfortable and a pereferred mode of transports for many people especially in winter. Rail services are rarely blighted by the weather. See the rail page for links.
Air Travel
Finland has good Air services both internally to The Baltic and other Scandinavian cities.
Vaccination Consideration
Finland Recent History
In 1809 Finland was occupied by the Russians and declared as an automonous state under Russian rule. The new state promoted traditional Finnish culture, especially the Finnish language - which in 1892 becam equal in status to the previously official language of Swedish. In 1906 it became the second country in the world to give all citizens the vote. This is thought by some to have provoked the Russian Authorities to try and excercise more control over Finnish affairs - a policy which damaged the relationship between the two countries and fuelled Finnish Nationalism.
Following the 1917 October Revolution in Russia, Finland declared itself an independent country. The declaration was recognised by the Russian Government but the upheavel resulted in a short civil war as pro-russian factions protested unsuccesfully at their lack of political power.
In 1919 Finland elected its first president and 1920 agreed its land border with Russia. During the next two decades right wing politics influenced the Finnish way of life and relations with socialist Russia became difficult.
Finland was used as a spring board by Germany to attack Russia during WW2 before in 1944 the Fin fought a year long war to expel German forces from its Lapland region.
After the end of WW2 Finland signed Treaties with Soviet Union which gave 10% of it territory to Moscow. It continued to trade with Russia but rapidly developed political and economic ties with Western European countries. These ties helped faciltate its economy transformation to one of the worlds most advanced economies in in technological terms. Though, postwar, it was openly 'neutral' in it attitudes to issues involving the West and Russia it joined the EU in 1995. see also economic history
In 1809 Finland was occupied by the Russians and declared as an automonous state under Russian rule. The new state promoted traditional Finnish culture, especially the Finnish language - which in 1892 becam equal in status to the previously official language of Swedish. In 1906 it became the second country in the world to give all citizens the vote. This is thought by some to have provoked the Russian Authorities to try and excercise more control over Finnish affairs - a policy which damaged the relationship between the two countries and fuelled Finnish Nationalism.
Following the 1917 October Revolution in Russia, Finland declared itself an independent country. The declaration was recognised by the Russian Government but the upheavel resulted in a short civil war as pro-russian factions unsuccesfully protested at their loss of political power.
In 1919 Finland elected its first president and 1920 agreed its land border with Russia. During the next two decades right wing politics influenced the Finnish way of life and relations with socialist Russia became difficult.
Finland was used as a spring board by Germany to attack Russia during WW2 before in 1944 the Fin fought a year long war to expel German forces from its Lapland region.
After the end of WW2 Finland signed Treaties with Soviet Union which gave 10% of it territory to Moscow. It continued to trade with Russia but rapidly developed political and economic ties with Western European countries. These ties helped faciltate its economy transformation to one of the worlds most advanced economies in in technological terms. Though, postwar, it was openly 'neutral' in it attitudes to issues involving the West and Russia it joined the EU in 1995. see also economic history
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