The Finns call their own country Suomi, which can be translated as swampland. The Finnish lake district was formed by large amounts of melt and rainwater that formed a large lake about 400 km long about 6,000 years ago. The country's cold temperate climate provides ideal conditions for many animals, and in addition to bears, lynxes and wolves, rare bird species are also at home here at the many lakes. There are 41 national parks, which offer observers ideal conditions all year round, and white-tailed eagles and great grey owls are among the species that are protected here.
Other interesting facts about Finland
- Finland is located in the north of Europe and borders Norway, Sweden, the Baltic Sea, and Russia.
- In the land of a thousand lakes, there are actually more than 180,000 lakes and 178,888 islands.
- Wild camping is generally permitted in Finland, as in many Nordic countries, and this naturally attracts hiking tourists from all over the world.
- Fishing or collecting fresh cranberries is also a popular leisure activity for the locals.
- Finns love coffee so much that they are the undisputed leaders in terms of global per capita consumption.
- In total, only about 5 million people live in Finland and yet several world-famous inventions originate from this small country. The Internet browser is actually a Finnish invention and Angry Birds, SMS, the Linux operating system, skates, and the sauna were invented in Finland.
- The winters in the country are very dismal and dark and so it is not surprising that this is the home of most heavy metal bands per capita.
- But the land of the midnight sun also has a brighter side, because between June and July the sun never disappears completely behind the horizon. It is not known whether this fact has also contributed to the invention of one of the strangest sports on earth, The Wife Carrying World Championships. It takes place every year in July and couples from all over the world travel to take part in this competition.
The Finnish language and the use of the letter i
The Finnish language consists of 15 cases and belongs to the Finno-Ugric languages, which has only really developed in modern times. Before that there were three main tribes that had big cultural differences.
One notable difference to other Finno-Ugric languages is that Finnish only has gender-neutral pronouns and completely lacks grammatical gender. The word hän is gender-neutral and means both "she" and "he".
Another special feature is the use of the letter "i" as an ending. International terms such as kiosk, helicopter, hotel, or alcohol are directly transferred into the Finnish language with an i appended at the end.
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FAQ on facts about Finland and the Finnish language
Besides coffee, Finns also love ice cream and have been leading the list in per capita consumption in Europe for decades. Finland also celebrates a very special holiday… Happy Failure Day has been celebrated every year since 2010 on 13 October and shows how humorous the Finns are about their mistakes and failures.
In addition to Finnish, Swedish is also recognised as an official language in Finland. However, more than 80 per cent of the inhabitants speak Finnish and only about 5 per cent speak Swedish. Nevertheless, both languages enjoy equal rights. Russian is also spoken in Finland and, although only just under one per cent of the population has Russian citizenship, Russians make up the largest group of foreign residents in the country. English is an important language in terms of education in the country, and some schools also teach in German, French or even Spanish.
The Finns import almost two-thirds of the goods they need from EU member states. Germany and Sweden are the largest suppliers here. Car parts in particular are increasingly imported from Germany. At the same time, Finland exports many goods to Germany, which is its most important trading partner. Oil products and metal products, and paper and cardboard are important trade goods. Trade with China is also increasing particularly the sale of wood products.