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A Frequently Answered Questions (FAQ) file for the newsgroup
S O C . C U L T U R E . N O R D I C
*** PART 4: FINLAND ***
Index
4.1
Fact Sheet
4.2
General information
4.2.1
Geography, climate, vegetation
4.2.2
Economy
4.2.3
Population
4.2.4
Who is a Finn?
4.2.5
The Finnish language
4.2.6
Culture
4.2.7
Government
4.2.8
School system
4.3
History
4.3.1
A chronology of important dates
4.3.2
A list of Grand Dukes and presidents of Finland
4.3.3
@ Viking times and before that
4.3.4
@ Finland in the Swedish realm
4.3.5
@ Finland as a Russian Grand Duchy
4.3.6
@ The independence of Finland
4.3.7
! Wars with the Soviet Union
4.3.8
! Finland after the wars
4.4
The Finnish parliament, government and political
parties
4.4.1
The political parties
4.4.2
The 1995 general elections
4.4.3
The present cabinet
4.5
Main tourist attractions
4.5.1
Helsinki
4.5.2
Turku
4.5.3
Tampere
4.5.4
Jyväskylä
4.5.5
Porvoo
4.5.6
Other places of interest
4.6
The Finnish sauna
4.7
Finnish literature
4.8
Books for learning Finnish
4.8.1
Grammars, Primers, Phrase Books.
4.8.2
Dictionaries
4.8.3
Readers
4.8.4
Materials for Teaching Finnish
4.8.5
Miscellaneous
4.8.6
Course Details
4.8.7
Acknowledgements
_________________________________________________________________
Subject: 4.1 Fact Sheet
Name: Suomen Tasavalta / Republiken Finland [ Fi / Sw ]
Telephone country code: 358
Area: 338,127 km² / 130,125 sq mi
Terrain: mostly low, flat to rolling plains interspersed with lakes and
low hills; fjells and some mountains in the extreme northwest
Highest mountain: Haltiatunturi (1,328 m).
Natural resources: timber, copper, zinc, iron ore, silver
Land boundaries: Russia, Sweden, Norway
Population: 5,147,000 [year-end 1997]
Population density: 15.1 persons per km²
Distribution: 65% in urban, 35% in rural municipalities. [1996]
Life expectancy: women 80, men 72. [1992]
Infant mortality: 6 per 1,000 live births. [1992]
Capital: Helsinki/Helsingfors (pop. 532,053), metropolitan area ca 1 mill.
Other major towns: Tampere/Tammerfors (186,026),
Turku/Åbo (166,929)
Espoo/Esbo (196,260)[a suburb to Helsinki]
Vantaa/Vanda (168,778) [a suburb to Helsinki]
Oulu/Uleåborg (111,556) [year-end, 1996]
(note: many places in Finland have
two names, Finnish and Swedish)
Flag: a blue Nordic cross on white background.
Type: Republic
Head of state: President Martti Ahtisaari
Languages: Finnish (92.7 %),
Swedish (5.7 %) (both official),
small Sámi and Romani minorities.
Currency: markka (Finnish mark, FIM).
for the current exchange rate,
see the URL
Climate: cold temperate. Gulf stream warms up parts of the country,
Lapland is sub-arctic. Average temp. in Helsinki:
-9°C - -4°C in Feb., 12°C - 22°C in July.
Religion: Evangelic-Lutheran (84%),
Greek Orthodox (1%) (both churches are official state-churches)
Exports: paper, metal, machinery, ships, timber, textiles, chemicals, electron
ics, furniture
------------------------------
Subject: 4.2 General information
4.2.1 Geography, climate, vegetation
Finland (Finnish: Suomi) is the fifth largest country in Europe,
excluding the Russian federation. Roughly 1/3 of the country lies
north of the Arctic Circle. Finland shares a common border in the
north with Norway, in the east a long border (1,269 km) with Russia,
on the south it is bordered by the Gulf of Finland, and on the west by
the Gulf of Bothnia and Sweden. Most of Finland is lowland, but in the
far northwest (the "arm" of Finland) some mountains rise to over
1000m. Most of Finland is made of ancient granite bedrock, which has
been shaped and fractured by numerous ice ages, the marks of which can
be seen e.g in the complex lake system, the equally complex
archipelagos and the huge boulders scattered all over the country.
Finland has three main physical regions: the coastal lowlands, the
inland lake system, and the northern uplands. The coastal lowlands
extend along coasts of the Gulfs of Finland and Bothnia, off which lie
thousands of rocky islands; the principal archipelagos are the Åland
(in Finnish: Ahvenanmaa) Islands and the archipelago of Turku. The
lake district is an interior plateau of southern central, heavily
forested and studded with lakes, swamps and bogs. The northern upland,
much of which lies north of the Arctic Circle, has rather poor soils
and is the most sparsely populated region of Finland. In the far
north, arctic forests and swamps eventually change to tundra.
Finland's climate shows both maritime and continental influences.
Surrounding seas cool the climate on the coast in spring but on the
other hand warm it up in the autumn.The climate becomes more
continental, i.e more extreme, the further east and north one goes.
The furtherst north, however, has a rather marine climate because of
the influence of the Arctic Ocean. The summer lasts two to four
months, the growing season four to six.
The tourist cliche of Finland as "the country of thousands of lakes"
has some basis; in one count, a number of 187,880 islands was reached
(but it all depends on what counts as a lake). They are often
connected by rivers and canals to form large lake-systems. Finland's
largest lake, Saimaa, is in fact a system of more than a hundred
interconnected smaller lakes. Finland's rivers are short and shallow,
the longest being located in the north. Finland has about 30,000
coastal islands, of which the especially the southwestern archipelago
is known for its beauty.
The country is situated entirely within the northern zone of
coniferous forests. Forests cover about 65% of the total area (45%
pines, 37% spruces, 15%). Oaks, lindens, elms, and ashes appear mostly
in the southwest corner. Among the large wild animals are e.g ear,
elk, deer, lynx, wolverine and wolf.
4.2.2 Economy
Forests are Finland's most important natural resource, and paper,
timber, etc. are a major source of national income. The granite
bedrock contains a diversity of minor mineral deposits, including
copper, nickel, iron, zinc, chromium, lead, and iron pyrites. In
recent years, diamonds have been found in eastern Finland, but they
aren't mined yet. In addition, limestone, granite and sand are
quarried for building materials.
Wood processing has traditionally been the most important economy. The
metal and engineering industries have developed rapidly and today are
the largest source of industrial employment. Since the 1950s
large-scale swamp drainage, fertilizing, and reforestation have
improved woord production. The state owns 20% of the forests; the rest
are privately controlled. The chemical, graphics, and food industries
are also significant to the economy, followed by textile and
electrochemical enterprises. Mining activity has decreased in
importance, although Finland still produces one-half of the copper and
nickel needed for the domestic market. In 1960, 30% of Finland's work
force was engaged in farming; by 1990 the figure was less than 10%,
and only 7% of the total land area was cultivated. Nevertheless, the
agricultural sector produces a surplus of dairy products, meat, and
eggs. Wheat and rye are the most important bread grains; other major
crops include hay, potatoes, oats, and barley. Finland's climate and
small farms favor dairy and livestock production, which account for
most of the farm income. The problems created by overproduction have
led to soil banking (a policy of purposely leaving farmland
uncultivated) and reforestation.
[ the sections above are available at the www-page
http://www.lysator.liu.se/nordic/scn/faq41.html ]
4.2.3 Population
Finland is a bilingual country (with a Swedish-speaking minority
living mostly in the coastal areas).
The autonomous island-province of Åland is an exception: the province
is monolingually Swedish-speaking.
Åland Islands, with approximately 25,000 inhabitants, is a
demilitarized area with its own flag (a red Nordic cross outlined in
yellow, on blue background) and a separate local legislation. Its
autonomy is based on international treaties.
The Swedish-speaking minority of Finland descends chiefly from the
settlers that arrived with the Christian missionaries and crusaders in
the early middle ages. They speak a variety called "finlandssvenska"
that differs slightly from Swedish spoken in Sweden ("rikssvenska"),
most notably for its Finnish intonation and some archaic vocabulary.
Today 5.7 % of Finland's population is registered as Finland-Swedish.
The proportion has been steadily diminishing since the 18th century
when 20% of the population had Swedish as mother tongue.
The Romani, or Gypsies, who arrived to Finland in late 16th century
have long had to experience the prejudices of the majority population,
but in recent years their situation has been improving, and Romani
language is now taught at schools. They number approximately 5.500.
Different from the situation in Scandinavia the Gypsies of Finland
have usually not preserved their own language, but have Finnish as
their mother tongue. On the other hand, they have preserved their
dress customs a lot more.
In Lapland (the northernmost province of Finland), a small Sámi (Lapp)
minority still survives. Their number is only around 5,000, with even
fewer reporting Sami as their native language, but nowadays there are
schools for Sámi-speakers and the language is considered official in
municipalities with at least 7% of the population speaking Sámi. For
more information about the Sámi, see section 2.3.
4.2.4 Who is a Finn?
Believe it or not, but this question does raise heated discussions in
the news group now and then. The disputes have their base in the
inability, general among Nordeners, to distinguish between ethnicity,
nationality and citizenship.
In the news group you can find citizens of Finland who declare that he
or she "is certainly no Finn even if I am born in Finland (and my
ancestors some 600 years back at least). If some bullshit Fascists
think they can call everyone living in this country a Finn they are
mistaken."
On the other hand ethnic Finns can be studied, who get insulted by any
word referring to Finland's multi-ethnicity, arguing along the slogan
In Finland we speak Finnish. They might claim that the distinction
between Swedish-speaking and Finnish-speaking inhabitants of Finland
is based on racism and the minority's need to feel superior.
Be warned!
This is a sensitive topic.
The origin of Finns is still subject to a lot of discussion; the
traditional theory is that Finns emigrated from the Urals to Finland
some 2,000 years ago, but the current view seems to be that the
Finnish people have evolved into what they are in Finland as a result
of numerous successive waves of immigration coming from east, south
and west.
As Roman writers described the Fenni it is unclear whether they
referred to nomadic Lapps exclusively, or if also the Finnish speaking
farmers and sea-farers were included.
In any case: Written medieval sources exhibit great confusion on this
point. When the king of Norway (who for long was the king of Denmark),
or the Norse Sagas, refer to "Finns" they mostly mean Sámis or Lapps.
The Swedish administration wasn't much better in making the
distinctions we today put such a great importance to.
Still today "a Finn" is a Sámi or Lapp for many speakers of Norwegian.
Until the national awakening of the 19th century Swedish speakers
meant people from Finland, or with ancestry from Finland, when talking
about "Finns" (finne, plural: finnar). Then the Finnish nationalistic
movement led to the majority language (Finnish) being given equal
status to the old administrative language (Swedish). It became
fashionable for the educated class to learn Finnish, to start using
Finnish as much as possible, and to make Finnish the mother tongue of
their children.
Then the remaining parts of the Swedish speaking minority in Finland
started to stress their "Swedishness" - in reaction to the Finnish
nationalistic movement from the mid-1800's on with its expectation
that all inhabitants of Finland should switch from Swedish to Finnish.
The Swedish speakers began to label themselves as "Finland-Swedes"
defending their language's position in Finland as much as they could.
The battle was long and hard between proponents for Finnish as the
national language of Finland and the proponents for Swedish as the
language linking Finland to Germanic nations of Western Europe. And "a
Finn" became a term which for the Swedish speaking minority referred
to members of the Finnish speaking majority.
By the time of Finland's liberation from Russia the language-battle
was almost won by the proponents for Finnish, but the Swedish speakers
were still well represented in the government and among State
officials. The independent Finland became officially bilingual, and
during the Second World War (if not before) a consensus was
established that both "Finns" and "Swedes" of Finland belonged to the
same nation, a nation which thus in conflict with the 19th century
Nationalism's dogma comprised two very different languages: Finnish
and Swedish.
But still, for the Finland-Swedes the term en finne ("a Finn") denotes
an ethnic Finn, and the term finländare (literally: Finlandener) is
used to denote nationality or citizenship. The Finnish language has a
term (suomenruotsalainen) for the Finland-Swedes, of course, but uses
the same term (suomalainen) for ethnic Finns and citizens of Finland.
In Sweden people try to show the Finland-Swedes basal courtesy by
remembering to distinguish between en finne and en finländare. In
Norway people try to avoid the word finne perceived as derogatively as
the word "Lapp" when denoting the Sámis, and the word finlender (the
equivalent term to "Finlandener") is the recommended form, especially
by people interested in politicial correctness.
The problem usually arises when Swedes or Norwegians remember the
political correctness but forget the sensitive nature of this matter.
The word "a Finn" can be avoided in English, by exchanging it to
citizen of Finland, inhabitant of Finland, ethnic Finn, or
Finland-Swede.
Thereby, however, nothing is implicated for the question of Åland's
status as being a part of the country Finland or not, its population
belonging to the nation of ethnic Finns and Finland-Swedes or not, or
other disputable issues...
:->>>
4.2.5 The Finnish language
Whatever the roots of Finns are, a fact is that they speak a language
that isn't Indo-European like the other Nordic languages, but
Finno-Ugric; its closest major relative is Estonian (but even those
two languages aren't really mutually intelligible), and it is
distantly related to Hungarian, Sámi, and several minor languages
spoken in European Russia and Siberia.
Eugene Holman writes:
Even though Finnish is not related to the Scandinavian languages,
like Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish, it has its sister languages
which it is more or less mutually intelligible spoken by people of
essentially the same ethnic stock as the Finns. Many people know
that the difference between Finnish and Estonian is approximately
the same as the difference between Swedish and Danish. Fewer know
that the same holds for Finnish and the indigenous speech forms
behind the Russian border: Karelian (karjala), Olonetsian (aunus),
Lydian (lyydi) and Vepsian (Vepsä). These three speech forms are
essentially part of the eastern Finnish dialect continuum with an
increasingly strong Russian superstratum the further east one goes.
Twice in this century, specifically during the Finnish Civil War
1918-1920 and then again during the so-called Continuation War
(1941-1944), certain nationalist circles in Finland have aspired to
join these areas of Karelia to Finland.
Finnish military rule in White Sea Karelia during the Continuation
War meant the erection of concentration camps, and the internment
and eventual death of many Russians, communists, and other
"undesirables", a large number of them children. It also meant the
establishment of a school system teaching in local speech forms and
a serious effort to make the inhabitants literate in their local
"dialects" as a first step towards making them Finnish. The story,
although not without its positive aspects, is not one that official
Finland is particularly proud of.
4.2.6 Culture
Finnish culture could be characterized as a mixture of Swedish and
Finnish elements, with a touch of Russian influence especially in the
eastern provinces. Mikael Agricola (1510-57) established Finnish as a
written language. The national epic Kalevala, collected from Karelian
oral poetry by the scholar Elias Lönnrot, has had enormous effect on
the forming of the Finnish culture in the last century, as did the
poetry of Johan Ludvig Runeberg (1804-72) and the drama of the author
Aleksis Kivi (1834-72). The scholar H. G. Porthan (1739-1804) awakened
the public interest in Finnish mythology and folk poetry, and laid a
firm basis to humanist sciences. Tove Jansson (1914--) has won
popularity with her books about the Moomins.
Music has had a special place in Finnish culture, the best known and
loved composer being of course Jean Sibelius (1865-1957); others
include Fredrik Pacius (1809-91), Oskar Merikanto (1868-1924), and
Aarre Merikanto (1893-1958), Leevi Madetoja (1887-1947), and Uuno
Klami (1900-61). Aulis Sallinen, Joonas Kokkonen and Magnus Lindberg
are major contemporary composers. Hundreds of music festivals draw
large crowds in the summer; among the best known are Kaustinen Folk
Festival, Savonlinna Opera Festival which is held in a medieval
castle, and Ruisrock in Turku.
Finnish architecture has won international fame; it is represented by
people such as Eliel Saarinen (and his son Eero Saarinen, who worked
chiefly in North America) Wivi Lönn (1872-1966), and Lars Sonck
(1870-1956) who were pioneers of the national romantic style.
Neoclassicism was introduced by J. S. Siren (1889-1961), and
functionalism by Alvar Aalto (1898-1976). Aalto is also well known as
an urban planner, interior designer, and industrial and furniture
designer. Reima and Raili Pietilä are contemporary architects well
known for their unconventional, expressionistic style.
Among painters, Albert Edelfelt (1854-1905) and Akseli Gallen-Kallela
(1865-1931) are the best known representatives of the golden era of
Finnish painting; their styles were naturalism, realism, and
symbolism, the themes often being taken from Finnish history or
mythology. Helene Schjerbeck (1862-1946) was a leader in the break
with realism, Hugo Simberg (1873-1917) was one of the foremost
symbolists, and Tyko Sallinen (1879-1955) was one of the first
expressionists.
[ the sections above are available at the www-page
http://www.lysator.liu.se/nordic/scn/faq423.html ]
4.2.7 Government
The Finnish constitution was adopted in 1919. Finland is a republic,
headed by a president elected for a 6-year term. The president is
chosen by the general electorate (all citizens over 18). Supreme
executive power is vested in the president, who heads the country's
foreign policy. Legislative power is shared by the president and the
one-chamber parliament of 200 members. The government which is headed
by a prime minister, is responsible for the country's general
administration. Judicial power is vested in independent courts of
justice. Finland has had an ombudsman (oikeusasiamies), an impartial
public officer whose duty is to handle public complaints against
actions of the government, since 1919.
The constitution of Finland guarantees a freedom of religion, but the
Evangelical Lutheran church is an official state church to which 84 %
of the population belongs to. The Orthodox church is also a state
church, 1.1 % of Finns are members (mainly in the east); those with no
religious affiliation constitute 12 % of the population.
See section 4.4 for more information about the current parliament,
cabinet and political parties. The virtual Embassy by the Finnish
Ministry for Foreign Affairs publishes on the web among a lot of
interesting documents also weekly newsletter on arts and sports.
4.2.8 The School system
Parents choose between placing their children in the Finnish-language
or the Swedish-language school. Education on either of the languages
is provided on all levels.
The compulsory education (Fi: peruskoulu, Sw: grundskolan) starts when
the child is 6 or 7 years old. The 9-year schooling is normally
completed when the pupil is 15 or 16.
High schools (Fi: lukio, Sw: gymnasium) are either academically or
vocationally oriented, with roughly half of the students attending
university-preparatory study programs, culminating with high school
diploma (Fi: ylioppilastutkinto, Sw: studentexamen) after rigorous
examination where grades are given on basis of the student's
achievement in relation to the nationwide graduating class. The more
vocationally oriented high schools (Fi: ammattikoulu, Sw: yrkesskola)
train their students in things such as auto mechanics, hairdressing,
etcetera.
Virtually all students attend public schools. Some private and
semi-private schools exist, in many cases offering education based on
a specific education philosophy or religious affiliation.
Åland
The teaching language in all schools in Åland is Swedish. The
nine-year comprehensive school, for which the local districts are
responsible, provides a general basic education. The English language
is a compulsory subject at comprehensive school, while the Finnish
language is optional. Pupils completing their schooling there may sit
for either the Finnish State Matriculation Examination, or else the
special Åland Leaving Examination in which Finnish is not a compulsory
subject.
[ the sections above are available at the www-page
http://www.lysator.liu.se/nordic/scn/faq428.html ]
------------------------------
Subject: 4.3 History
4.3.1 A chronology of important dates
(A brief chronicle is to find in the section 4.3.3.)
(for the period 1155-1809, see also the Swedish history section)
1155
The First Crusade to Finland, launched by Swedes and led by the
English bishop Henry and the Swedish king Erik (later canonized
and made Sweden's patron saint, St.Erik, and Finland's patron
saint, St.Henry, respectively ).
1156
According to the legend, bishop Henry is murdered by the
peasant Lalli on the frozen surface of lake Köyliö.
1229
The bishop's seat is moved from Nousiainen to Koroinen in the
vicinity of modern Turku; the year is considered to be the
founding year of Turku, which becomes the capital of the
eastern half of the kingdom.
1249
After a pagan uprising, the Second Crusade to Tavastia (a
province of western/central Finland) is launched by Birger Jarl
and the pagans are defeated.
1293
The Third Crusade by Sweden's marsk Torgils Knutsson to
Karelia, a province of eastern Finland, establishes the
borderline between Catholic West and Orthodox East for the
centuries to come. The castle and town of Viipuri/Viborg are
founded to defend the border.
1323
The peace of Nöteburg (Pähkinäsaari) between Sweden and Russia.
Finland's eastern border is defined for the first time.
1350
The first Swedish national law replaced the local provincial
laws.
1362
Finns receive the right to participate in the election of the
king.
1387/97-1523
The era of the Kalmar Union, with Finland, Sweden, Denmark
Norway and Iceland united as a single kingdom.
1495-97
War against Russia. During a siege of Viipuri, just as the
Russians are about to get over the city walls, St. Andrew's
cross appears in the sky and the frightened Russians flee from
battle. In reality, what happened was probably the exploding of
a gunpowder tower.
1527
Reformation. Finland becomes Lutheran with the rest of Sweden.
1550
Helsinki founded by Gustav Vasa, but remains little more than a
fishing village for more than two centuries.
1551
Mikael Agricola, a bishop of Turku, publishes his translation
of the New Testament in Finnish.
1595
The peace of Täyssinä (Teusina); Finland's borders are moved
further east and north.
1596-97
The Cudgel War.
1617
Karelia joined into Finland in the peace treaty of Stolbova
ending a hundred years of almost continuous wars with Russia.
1630-48
Finns fight in the Thirty Years' War in the continent. The
Finnish cavalry, known as hakkapeliittas, spreads fear among
the Catholic troops who're used to more orderly warfare.
1637-40 and 1648-54
Count Per Brahe as the general governor of Finland. Many and
important reforms are made, towns are founded, etc. His period
is generally considered very beneficial to the development of
Finland.
1640
Finland's first university founded in Turku.
1642
The whole Bible is finally published on Finnish.
1714-21
Russia occupies Finland during the Great Northern War. The
period of the so called "Great Wrath".
1721
The peace of Uusikaupunki gives Karelia to Russia.
1741-43
The "War of the Hats". Adventurous politics by the "Hat" party
leads to a new disastrous war with Russia and a new occupation
of Finland, known as "The Lesser Wrath", which ends in the
peace treaty of Turku in 1743.
1757
Storskifte, first reform of Swedish farming decided.
1766
The liberty of Press and "Offentlighetsprincipen" was declared
as constitution.
1808-09
"The War of Finland". Russia attacks Finland in Feb. 1808
without a declaration of war; Finnish troops retreat all the
way to Oulu, which forces Russians to leave a large part of
their army as occupation forces, giving the Swedish general
Klingspor superiority in force. A reconquest starts in June and
Klingspor receives several victories; however, the baffling
surrender of the mighty Sveaborg / Suomenlinna fortress on May
3rd and the fresh Russian troops received in autumn of 1808
force the Swedish-Finnish troops to retreat all the way to
Härnösand in Sweden. Once again Russia occupies Finland.
1809
In the diet of Porvoo, while the war still goes on, the Finnish
estates swear an oath of loyalty to Emperor Alexander I, who
grants Finland a status of an autonomous Grand Duchy, retaining
its old constitution and religion. A few months later the peace
treaty of Hamina (Fredrikshamn) is signed and Finland becomes
under Russian rule.
1812
Helsinki, being closer to Russia than the Swedish-oriented
Turku, is made the new capital. Karelia is joined to the Grand
Duchy as an act of goodwill.
1809-99
Finland prospers under the extensive autonomy and more liberal
conditions than in the rest of Russian Empire. National
identity and nationalism awakens.
1827
The great fire of Turku destroys most of the former capital.
The university is moved to Helsinki.
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