Knowledge about Finland
Basic information about Finland:
• Independent republic in northern Europe, Head of the state is president Tarja Halonen, Official languages Finnish and Swedish, Member of the European Union since 1995, Population: 5,4 million, Capital: Helsinki, Currency: 1 euro = 100 cents, Time zone: GMT +2, Area: 338 424 km2
10 % covered by water systems 70 % forest – 8 % cultivated soil – 5 % wetlands (suo = swamp) – 3 % built land, In the south, Finland is bordered by the Gulf of Finland, and in the west by the Gulf of Bothnia, Greatest distance from north to south : Hanko-Utsjoki 1157 km (719 mi.), Greatest distance from east to west: The widest point Närpiö-Ilomantsi 542 km (337 mi.)
Geography
• Most of Finland is made of ancient granite bedrock
Shaped and fractured by numerous ice ages – The marks of ice ages can also be seen in : the complex lake system • the equally complex archipelagos • the huge boulders scattered all over the country
Topography • Most of Finland is lowland
– Fells in Lapland and largish hills in the eastern parts of the country
– The highest peaks in the Finnish landscape rise only a little over 1000 meters
• Highest mountain is Halti (a fell) : 1324 m
• The average altitude in Finland only 152 m
• On grounds of topography Finland can be divided into 6 physical regions:
1) The southern coastal region : The coasts of the Gulf of Finland and the Gulf of Bothnia, and the thousands of rocky islands along the coasts
2) The Lowlands of Ostrobothnia: Along the coast of the Gulf of Bothnia – A number of rivers flow across Ostrobothnia into the sea
3) The lake district – Interior plateau of southern central Finland – Heavily forested and scattered with lakes, swamps and bogs – Lowlands
4) The vaara Finland: The very eastern parts of Finland – Uplands – vaara = a gently sloping tree-covered hill which is typical for the Eastern parts of Finland
5) The fell Finland – Uplands: Has rather poor soils – The most sparsely populated
• Independent republic in northern Europe, Head of the state is president Tarja Halonen, Official languages Finnish and Swedish, Member of the European Union since 1995, Population: 5,4 million, Capital: Helsinki, Currency: 1 euro = 100 cents, Time zone: GMT +2, Area: 338 424 km2
10 % covered by water systems 70 % forest – 8 % cultivated soil – 5 % wetlands (suo = swamp) – 3 % built land, In the south, Finland is bordered by the Gulf of Finland, and in the west by the Gulf of Bothnia, Greatest distance from north to south : Hanko-Utsjoki 1157 km (719 mi.), Greatest distance from east to west: The widest point Närpiö-Ilomantsi 542 km (337 mi.)
Geography
• Most of Finland is made of ancient granite bedrock
Shaped and fractured by numerous ice ages – The marks of ice ages can also be seen in : the complex lake system • the equally complex archipelagos • the huge boulders scattered all over the country
Topography • Most of Finland is lowland
– Fells in Lapland and largish hills in the eastern parts of the country
– The highest peaks in the Finnish landscape rise only a little over 1000 meters
• Highest mountain is Halti (a fell) : 1324 m
• The average altitude in Finland only 152 m
• On grounds of topography Finland can be divided into 6 physical regions:
1) The southern coastal region : The coasts of the Gulf of Finland and the Gulf of Bothnia, and the thousands of rocky islands along the coasts
2) The Lowlands of Ostrobothnia: Along the coast of the Gulf of Bothnia – A number of rivers flow across Ostrobothnia into the sea
3) The lake district – Interior plateau of southern central Finland – Heavily forested and scattered with lakes, swamps and bogs – Lowlands
4) The vaara Finland: The very eastern parts of Finland – Uplands – vaara = a gently sloping tree-covered hill which is typical for the Eastern parts of Finland
5) The fell Finland – Uplands: Has rather poor soils – The most sparsely populated