Finland Travel | Finland Country Profile (2024)

Finland is the part of Scandinavia. Northern Europe is known as Scandinavia. The land of peninsula that forms northern Europe is surrounded by sea. The countries that form Scandinavia are Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark. Finland is the northern most part of the Europe. The southern section of Finland is warmer by 5 to 100 C during summer and winter. The capital town Helsinki lies on southernmost part of Finland. The outdoor activities are restricted during winter because of extreme cold. Finland shares the border with Sweden, Norway and Russia.

Population of Finland is 5.5 million.

Geography of Finland

Finland is a peninsula and connected to Baltic Sea. The 65% of the country is covered by dense forest. The border of Finland is shared in north with Norway, on the east with Russia, on the west with Sweden and on the south border is the coastal area spreads along the Baltic Sea. There are 56,000 small and large lakes spread mostly in southern Finland. Several rivers flow into Baltic Sea from middle of country through southern part of Finland. The coast along the Baltic Sea stretches to 2,700 mile (4,345 km).

Geography of Finland Image Source

History of Finland

Part of Sweden- from 12th Century until 1809.

Controlled by Russia- from 18th century until December 6, 1917.

History of Finland Image Source

World Politics and Finland

Finland join and become member of following world organization-

United Nation since 1955
Member of Nordic Council 1955
Member of European Union since 1995.

Well Known Finnish Citizens

Alvar Aalto- Architect,
Albert Edelfelt- Painter,
Akseli Gallen-Kallela- Painter,
Juha Ilmari Leiviskä- Architect and designer and
Eero Saarinen- Architect.
Jean Sibelius- Composer,
Väinö Linna- Author,
Juhani Aho- Writer,
Zacharis Topelius- Author and
Eino Leino- Poet

Climate of Finland

There are two types of climate in Finland. Harsh winter and mild summer.

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Winter- Winter begins in September and runs until march end. The temperature fluctuates between 00 C to – 350 C. Winter is prolonged and lasts for 7 to 8 months.

Summer- Summer begins in April and ends in August. The temperature fluctuates between 100 and 29.50 C( 500 and 850 F). The temperature of southern (coastal) part of Finland is 5 to 100 C (-15 and 12.50 F) higher than northern part of Finland.

Plant and Animal Life in Finland

Trees & Forest- Alder, Aspen, birch, elm, linden, maple and pine trees are common in Finland..

Wild Animals in Finland- Bear, Fox, Wolverine, Mink, Wolf and Deer.

Finland Travel-Plant and Animal Life in Finland Image Source

Traveling Within Finland

Finland is the major tourist attraction in the world. Every year over 6.8 million visitors come to Finland. Majority of tourist come from Europe and United State. Tourism has created over 140,000 jobs in Finland.

Airports in Finland

Flights – Helsinki is the only International airport in Finland. The flight arrives and depart from Helsinki to almost all major European Country. Passenger may not find direct flight to several cities in the continents of Asia, Africa, Australia and America. But passenger can get connecting flights from other cities in Europe. Finland has several domestic airports. These cities are connected to all other cities that host domestic flights. One can take a flight to northern province to see the northern light and return next day.

Finland Travel-Airports in Finland Image Source

List of Domestic Airport in Finland

Helsinki
Joensuu
Kaiaanj
Jyyaskyia
Kokkola
Kuoplo
Mariehamn
Oulu
Pori
Savonlinna
Tampere
Turku
Vaasa
Halli
Utti

Sea Port in Finland

The major port in Finland is Port of Helsinki. The large cargo ships and Cruise ships brings cargo as well as tourist to Helsinki. Several cruise lines stop at port of Helsinki every week.

Finland Travel-Sea Port in Finland Image Source

Helsinki
Jussaro Port
Kemio Port
Kuopio Port
Langnas Port
Pappohia Port
Port of Turku
Port of Ajos
Port of Akinnemi
Port of Brahestad
Port of Ekenas
Port of Haaloninlahti
Port of Hanko and
Port of Haamina

Traveling by Trains (Railway) in Finland

The domestic and international trains arrive and depart from various railway stations in Finland. The neighboring Europeans prefer to come to Helsinki by trains. The speedway train provide luxury accommodations during the period of traveling. Traveling by train is cheaper and safer. The domestic trains connect almost all major and smaller cities. The people of Finland in most cases feel comfortable to travel by train with family and children. Traveling by train can be hectic during winter. The train map below shows the various train lines connecting cities in Finland.

Finland Travel-Traveling by Trains (Railway) in Finland Image Source

Traveling by Road in Finland

When in Finland, most European tourist prefer to rent a car and drive around Finland. The Global Positioning System (GPS) helps to navigate the cars in almost all part of Finland. The car rental fee is reasonable. Most car rental fees are either same or lesser than western Europe. The speed limits for driving on smaller road in Finland is 50 KM / hour, speed limit around dual carriageway is 80 KM/hour and if one is driving on highway then speed limit is 120 Km / hour. Driving can be difficult during winter months. Rare wheel drive cars spins during winter and often results in accident. Thus during winter most driver prefer to use snow tires. Most cities in Finland are connected by several highways that is running south- north and east-west.

Finland Travel-Traveling by Road in Finland Image Source

Cost of Living in Finland

Cost of living in Finland is lower compared to most Western European countries like Germany, France and United Kingdom. While cost of living is higher compare to eastern European countries like Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.