Finland

Finland 


Geography                 Economy                 Defense Forces
 

People                    Transportation          Government



Communications            History      	          Travel

GEOGRAPHY

Location

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

Area

Land Boundaries

Total 2,628 km, Norway 729 km, Sweden 586 km, Russia 1,313 km

Coastline

1,126 km (excludes islands and coastal indentations)

Maritime Claims

International Disputes

None

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

Terrain

Mostly low, flat to rolling plains interspersed with lakes and low hills
lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m
highest point: Haltiatunturi 1,328 m

Natural Resources

Land Use

Irrigated Land

620 sq km (1989 est.)

Environment

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

PEOPLE

Population

5,105,230 (July 1996 est.)
5,085,206 (July 1995 est.)

Age Structure

0-14 Years

19% (male 492,616; female 471,736) (July 1996 est.)
19% (male 491,484; female 469,666) (July 1995 est.)

15-64 Years

67% (male 1,725,113; female 1,687,974) (July 1996 est.) 67% (male 1,716,307; female 1,683,371) (July 1995 est.)

65 Years and Over

14% (male 275,927; female 451,864) (July 1996 est.)
14% (male 267,317; female 457,061) (July 1995 est.)

Population Growth Rate

0.1% (1996 est.)
0.3% (1995 est.)

Birth Rate

11.32 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
12.22 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death Rate

10.92 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
9.77 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net Migration Rate

0.58 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
0.59 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

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: 0.61 male(s)/female
all ages: 0.96 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant Mortality Rate

4.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
5.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life Expectancy at Birth

Total Fertility Rate

1.68 children born/woman (1996 est.)
1.79 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality

Ethnic Divisions

Religions

Languages

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

Literacy

Age 15 and over that can read and write (1980 est.)

Labor Force

2.533 million

By occupation:

GOVERNMENT

Names

Digraph

FI

Type

Republic

Capital

Helsinki

Administrative Divisions

12 provinces (laanit, singular - laani); Ahvenanmaa, Hame, Keski-Suomi, Kuopio, Kymi, Lappi, Mikkeli, Oulu, Pohjois-Karjala, Turku ja Pori, Uusimaa, Vaasa

Independence

6 December 1917 (from Soviet Union)

National Holiday

Independence Day, 6 December (1917)

Constitution

17 July 1919

Legal System

Civil law system based on Swedish law; Supreme Court may request legislation interpreting or modifying laws; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive Branch

Legislative Branch

Unicameral

Parliament (Eduskunta)

Elections last held 19 March 1995 (next to be held 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

Judicial Branch

Supreme Court (Korkein Oikeus)

Political Parties and Leaders

Other Political or Pressure Groups

Finnish Communist Party-Unity, Yrjo HAKANEN; Constitutional Rightist Party; Finnish Pensioners Party; Communist Workers Party, Timo LAHDENMAKI

Member of

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

Anthem

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)

ECONOMY

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.

National Product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $92.4 billion (1995 est.), $81.8 billion (1994 est.)

National Product Real Growth Rate

5% (1995 est.)
3.5% (1994 est.)

National Product Per Capita

$18,200 (1995 est.)
$16,140 (1994 est.)

Inflation Rate (consumer Prices)

2% (1995 est.)
2.1% (1992)

Unemployment Rate

17% (1995)
22% (1993)

Budget

Exports

$29.7 billion (f.o.b., 1994)
$23.4 billion (f.o.b., 1993)

Commodities:

Partners:

Imports

$23.2 billion (c.i.f., 1994)
$18 billion (c.i.f., 1993)

Commodities:

Partners:

External Debt

$30 billion (December 1993)

Industrial Production

Growth rate 5% (1993 est.); accounts for 28% of GDP

Electricity

Industries

Agriculture

Accounts for 7% of GDP (including forestry); livestock production, especially dairy cattle, predominates; main crops - cereals, sugar beets, potatoes; 85% self-sufficient, but short of foodgrains and fodder grains; annual fish catch about 160,000 metric tons

Illicit Drugs

Transshipment point for Latin American cocaine for the West European market

Economic Aid

Currency

1 markkaa (FMk) or Finmark = 100 pennia

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), 3.8235 (1990)

Fiscal Year

Calendar year

TRANSPORTATION

Railroads

Highways

Inland Waterways

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

Pipelines

Natural gas 580 km

Ports

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

Merchant Marine

Airports

COMMUNICATIONS

Telephone System

2.78 million telephones (1986 est.); good service from cable and microwave radio relay network

Radio

Television

DEFENSE FORCES

Branches

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

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 (1995 est.)

Defense Expenditures

Exchange rate conversion - $1.9 billion, 1.6% of GDP (1995), $1.86 billion, about 1.9% of GDP (1994)

History
World Atlas