Called “Suomi” by finnish people, the Republic of Finland is chated by Sauli Niinistö since 1 March 2012. Finland is a parliamentary democracy, and the prime minister is the country’s most powerful politician.
Finland numbers some 5.4 million people and has an average population density of 17 inhabitants per square kilometre. This makes it the third most sparsely populated country in Europe, after Iceland and Norway. About 85% live in towns and cities, and over 1.4 million people live in the Greater Helsinki metropolitan area. In Arctic Lapland, on the contrary, there are only 2 people to every square kilometre.
The official languages are Finnish and Swedish, but English language is important in Finnish education. Finland is a top performer in numerous metrics of national performance, including education, economic competitiveness, civil liberties, quality of life, and human development.
The Euro as their currency, but Finns don’t use the 1, 2 and 5 cents. They round off the amount in the upper euro for example if it’s 2,99€. As regards the cost of living, it’s rather expensive in comparison to France.
What can we make in Finland?
– There are 3 main sports practised in Finland : hockey, baseball and football. But people love outdoor activities range from Nordic skiing, golf, fishing, yachting, lake cruises, hiking, and kayaking, among many others.
– Hiking on national parks : Much of Finland virgin as it contains 37 national parks from the Southern shores of the Gulf of Finland to the high fells of Lapland. Finland is often called the Land of a Thousand Lakes. A modest name, considering that there are, in fact, 188 000 lakes in the country (bout 10% of the country) and a similar number of islands. As many of these lakes are very large in size, a great part of Finland is covered in water. In this nature, we can see lot of animals like reindeer or bows bear (the king of the finnish forest).
– The Real Santa Claus : Everyone knows that the only Santa comes from Finland. His official hometown is Rovaniemi, where he greets visitors all year round.
– See Nothern lights : One of the most remarkable features of Finland is light. When the endless sunshine of summer gives way to dark winter, the Northern Lights appear like magic and lighten up the sky.
– See Midnight Sun : The white summer nights are perhaps Finland’s most iconic natural phenomena. In the very northernmost parts you can experience a full Midnight Sun from May to August, and the sun stays above the horizon for over 70 consecutive days.
– Finnish Sauna : Sauna forms a great part of their country’s heritage and culture. It is estimated that there are over two million saunas in Finland, so approximately one per household. The sauna experience, is an important tradition which purifying both body and mind, and relax Finn.
Our exchange Erasmus takes place in the North of the finland, to Oulu. You will be able to follow our avantures in next articles. So, see you soon!
