Physical
geography:
Finland, 338,435
km² (half the area of France), is the northernmost country in
the EU. It is bordered by Sweden to the west, Norway to the north and Russia to
the east. It is also bordered by the Gulf of Bothnia and the Gulf of Finland.
There are about 188,000 lakes (the Laimaa is the 5th biggest
in Europe). There are 179,584 islands! 68% of the country is covered in boreal forests. There is some arable land. The Finnish landscape is mostly
flat with a few hills; its highest point is the Haltitunturi at 1,328m, in the extreme north of Lapland. The weather in
Finland varies widely by season. Summer usually lasts from May to early September,
and temperatures can reach up to +35 °C. Autumns are dark and rainy. Winter
snow usually begins to fall in Helsinki in early December and in the winter the
temperature can drop to -30 °C. It’s a subarctic climate in Lapland.
Santa Claus at home
An iconic place:
The region called Lapland (capital: Rovaniemi)
is in the extreme north. Santa Claus lives there, near the Korvatunturi,
a mountain within the Arctic Circle. When the endless sunshine of summer
gives way to the non-stop dark winter, the aurora borealis “Northern Lights”
appear like magic and lighten up the sky. In Finnish Lapland they can appear on
200 nights a year. Suomenlina, a UNESCO World
Heritage site, is also an iconic place; it is an 18th century inhabited sea fortress built on six islands at the entrance of Helsinki harbour.
Reindeer
An iconic object:
The reindeer lives in coniferous forest in Arctic
conditions. Nokia phones are also iconic objects of Finland.
Northern Lights
Something the
country has done for the world:
One of the Finnish
inventions is the sauna. It has existed for over 2000 years. The sauna is
a very important part of Finnish culture. It is estimated that there are over
two million saunas in Finland. Dipping in icy lakes and rolling in the snow
after a sauna are said to be good for blood circulation!
Paavo Nurmi
Famous historical
figure:
A prominent figure
in Finland was Urho KebKonen, president from 1956 to 1981. Paavo
Nurmi (1897-1973) was an athlete who beat 22 world athletics records.
He also won 9 gold medals and 3 silver medals at the Olympic Games.
Tarja Halonen
Important living
person:
Tarja Halonen was the first woman president of Finland (2000
to 2012). Jari Litmanen is a footballer nicknamed “God” in his
country (UEFA Champion in 1995). Mika Pauli Häkkinen, born in
1968, is a professional racing driver. He was the 1998 and 1999 Formula
One World Champion, driving for McLaren.
History before
2000:
Northern Finland
has been inhabited since prehistoric times by the Sami. In the Middle Ages,
Finland was a part of Sweden. It became rich thanks to the Viking. Then Finland
became part of Russia. In 1917, Finland became independent. Finland
was at war with the USSR during the Second World War. The Olympic Games were
organized in Helsinki in 1952. Finland became a member of the UN and the Nordic
Council in 1955. In 1995, Finland became a member of the European Union.
History after 2000:
Human geography
(demography, wealth distribution, social problems, etc.):
The lakes are many
and the people are few… 5.3 million people live in Finland It is one of the
most sparsely populated countries in the EU. 66,97% of the population is aged
between 15 and 64. It’s an ageing population (1,8 children on average per
couple).
Suomenlina
Language(s) and
culture(s):
Finnish and Swedish are the official languages of Finland. Most people in Finland speak Finnish, but about six percent of Finland's people speak Swedish.The national anthem is called Maamme which
means “Our country”. The flag of Finland dates back to 1918. On a white
background, it features a blue Nordic cross, which represents Christianity. The state flag has a coat of arms in the centre. The
blue represent all the lakes of the country, and the white may represents the
snow and the summer nights… The principal religion is Protestantism. Sport is
an important part of the culture (fishing, ice skating, baseball, hockey, car
racing, football, etc.). The national dish is salmon. Finnish culture has been
influenced by Swedish, German and Russia cultures.
Finnish cinema (paragraph by Naïs BATISSE):
Finnish cinema (paragraph by Naïs BATISSE):
Finnish cinema began at the same time as in
other countries. One year after the first cinema projection in France, the
Finns also saw movies, imported into Finland by K.E. Ståhlberg, who also
founded the first movie production society in Finland. In 1970, the first
Finnish film “The Moonshiners” came out. Ståhlberg's firm subsequently focused on
the production of documentaries. A decade later, the first “home” of movie
production was created, the huge film studios in Helsinki called “Lyyra Filmi”.
Thanks to Erkki Karu, “Suomi Filmi”, a major company, comes in to produce
movies regularly. The first movies had similar themes as in other countries: daily drama, the joys of the countryside, etc. Nowadays, Finnish cinema
produces movies in genres such as Horror (“Evil Spells” for example).
Politics, place in
the EU, economy:
The capital of
Finland is Helsinki, in the south. The harbour of Helsinki is on the Gulf of
Finland. Finland is divided into six regions and nineteen provinces. Each
province has its own local governments. Finland is a parliamentary republic and
the prime minister is the country's most powerful politician. The
legislative power is detained by the finish parliament composed of 200 deputies
who are elected for 4 years. According to the Constitution, the President of
Finland is the head of state. The president is elected for 6 years and he can be re-elected just once.
The president of Finland is Sauli Niinistö (elected in 2012). Finland has been a member of
the EU since the 1st January of 1995. In 2001, it became part
of the Schengen area. It adopted the euro in 2002. There are 13 Members of
the European Parliament for Finland. Finland is a neutral country. Finland has a
highly industrialised, largely free-market, economy. Wood is the country’s
principal natural resource. Forestry is an important export earner, providing a secondary occupation for
the rural population. Industry, agriculture, livestock and fishing are
important sectors of the economy. Because of the climate, agricultural development is limited to maintaining self-sufficiency in basic
products.
Youth:
In Finland, there
are a lot of activities for young people like snowshoeing, ice fishing, husky
dog sled, reindeer rides, snowmobiling, skiing, etc. There are 75 ski resorts
in Finland. School is compulsory from 7 to 16. Two languages are taught:
Finnish and Swedish. Pupils work from 8am to 2pm; the afternoon is for sport.
No comments:
Post a Comment