Republic of Finland – The Land of Thousand Lakes

Country name: Finland

Official Country name: Republic of Finland

Continent: Europe

Independence: 6th December 1917 from Soviet Russia

Area: 338,424 square kilometers

Capital: Helsinki

Share borders with: Sweden Russia and Norway. Also shares border with Estonia through sea.

Other major cities: Espoo, Tampere and Vantaa

Population: 5,421,827 (Estimated in 2012)

Currency: Euro

Official Language: Finnish and Swedish

Other major language: Sami

Religions: Lutheranism 76.4%, Atheism 20.1% and other religions 3.5%

Amazing and interesting facts about Finland:

• In terms of area, Finland is a Nordic and the seventh largest country in Europe. It is one of the most beautiful countries in the world. It has thousands of lakes and islands therefore it is also called The Land of Thousand Lakes.

• Finland is not only famous for its natural beauty, lakes and islands but is also known for one of the leading mobile phone manufacturers Nokia. Nokia is still a leader in mobile phone manufacturing because of its reliability.

• Finnish educational system is one of the best educational systems in the world. The teachers must have a Masters degree and they are selected from the top 10% of graduates. Their status is equal to doctors and lawyers. There is no homework for students if their age is under teen.

• Finland is the home to an international celebration day i.e. Day for Failure. This day was first celebrated on October 13th 2010 in Finland. The aim was to gather in a place to share everyone’s failures and learn from them. This amazing day is now celebrated in 17 countries.

• Finland has a very amazing law for over-speeding. If you caught over-speeding, you’ll be fined according to your gross income per year. Once the director of Nokia Anssi Vanjoki was caught for over-speeding and he was fined 116,000 Euros.