Chief
of State: President Tarja HALONEN (since 1 March
2000)
Head of Government: Prime Minister
Matti VANHANEN (since 24 June 2003) and Deputy Prime Minister
Eero HEINALUOMA (since 24 September 2005)
Government Type: republic |
Population:
5,231,372 (July 2006 est.)
Languages: Finnish 92% (official),
Swedish 5.6% (official), other 2.4% (small Sami- and Russian-speaking
minorities) (2003)
Religion: Lutheran National Church
84.2%, Greek Orthodox in Finland 1.1%, other Christian
1.1%, other 0.1%, none 13.5% (2003)
Life Expectancy: 78.5 |
Currency:
euro (EUR)
GDP(per capita): $30,900 (2005
est.)
Overview: Finland has a highly
industrialized, largely free-market economy with per
capita output roughly that of the UK, France, Germany,
and Italy. Its key economic sector is manufacturing
- principally the wood, metals, engineering, telecommunications,
and electronics industries. Trade is important; exports
equal two-fifths of GDP. Finland excels in high-tech
exports, e.g., mobile phones. 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. Rapidly
increasing integration with Western Europe - Finland
was one of the 12 countries joining the European Economic
and Monetary Union (EMU) - will dominate the economic
picture over the next several years. High unemployment
remains a persistent problem.
Exports: machinery and equipment,
chemicals, metals; timber, paper, pulp (1999)
Import: foodstuffs, petroleum
and petroleum products, chemicals, transport equipment,
iron and steel, machinery, textile yarn and fabrics,
grains |
|
|
Location:
Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia,
and Gulf of Finland, between Sweden and Russia
Area: total: 338,145 sq km
land: 304,473 sq km
water: 33,672 sq km |
Background:
Finland was a province and then a grand duchy under
Sweden from the 12th to the 19th centuries and an autonomous
grand duchy of Russia after 1809. It won its complete
independence in 1917. During World War II, it was able
to successfully defend its freedom and resist invasions
by the Soviet Union - albeit with some loss of territory.
In the subsequent half century, the Finns made a remarkable
transformation from a farm/forest economy to a diversified
modern industrial economy; per capita income is now
on par with Western Europe. As a member of the European
Union, Finland was the only Nordic state to join the
euro system at its initiation in January 1999.
Independence Day: 6 December
1917 (from Russia)
Capital City: Helsinki
Administrative divisions: 6
provinces (laanit, singular - laani); Aland, Etela-Suomen
Laani, Ita-Suomen Laani, Lansi-Suomen Laani, Lappi,
Oulun Laani |
|
