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COUNTRY INFORMATION - FINLAND

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Location Of Finland
Finland is located in the far north of Europe. Bounded to the west by Sweden and the Gulf of Bothnia, to the north by Norway, to the east by the Russian Federation and to the south by the Gulf of Finland. Finland is the fifth largest country in Europe. With over 30,000 islands off its coast which are mainly in the south and southwest, and inland lakes containing a further 98,000 islands. Over 10 per cent of the country is underwater. 65 per cent is forest, the country being situated almost entirely in the northern coniferous zone. In the south and southwest, the forest is mainly pine, fir and birch. In Lapland, in the far north, trees become sparser and are mainly dwarf birch. 8 per cent of the land is cultivated.

Airports
Helsinki is Finland’s principal international airport and is 11 miles north of the city. The travel time is about 25 minutes and bus, taxi and other services operate to the city regularly. Some Helsinki hotels run courtesy coaches. The other international airports are: Turku - 5 miles north of the city; Tampere - 9 miles from the city; and Rovaniemi 6 miles from the city.

Language
The two official languages of Finland are Finnish, spoken by 93.6 per cent of the population, and Swedish, spoken by 6 per cent of the population. English is taught as the first foreign language.

Climate
There are marked differences in the climate and landscape, with corresponding regional variations in traditions, culture and food. In the north you can see seasonal variations. In Lapland for instance, the winter sports season lasts all the way up to May, and the midnight sun shines night and day for the whole of June and July. Autumn is also worth seeing, for in September the first frosts produce the vivid colours of "Ruska". In southern Finland, spring comes earlier and summer is longer. At midsummer, daylight lasts for 19 hours and there are generally many hours of warm sun.

Embassy of Finland
38 Chesham Place
London
SW1X 8HW
UK
Tel: (020) 7838 6200 or 7259 5602 (Press)
Fax: (020) 7235 3680 (Consular Section).
E-mail: sanomat.lon@formin.fi
Website: www.finemb.org.uk

British Embassy
Itäinen Puistotie 17
00140 Helsinki
Finland
Tel: (9) 2286 5100
Fax: (9) 2286 5262.
E-mail: mailbox@ukembassy.fi
Website: www.britishembassy.fi

CIA World Factbook - Finland
Finland Tourist Board

YOUR LINK HERE