16 fun facts about Finland
Learn something new about Norway’s Nordic neighbors in Finland. Here are 16 facts from Finland to impress your family and friends.
We will continue our tour in Scandinavia and the Nordic countries, it’s time to look at Finland. The wooded Nordic country is located east of Norway and Sweden and has a long border with Russia.
I have visited Finland a couple of times. I am a fan of the big capital Helsinki, but I also enjoy Tampere, which had a great Trondheim atmosphere.
If and when the world of international tourism returns to normal, I look forward to getting to know Finland much more. Feel free to make recommendations for comments.
In the meantime, here are some of the best facts about Finland that you may or may not know about this fascinating Nordic country. Have!
1. Finland is the happiest country in the world
The Nordic countries are consistently at the top of the UN’s annual World Happiness Report. But in 2020, Finland jumped to the top.
Many factors are taken into account in the ranking. Life expectancy, freedom to make life choices, financial strength, generosity, social support from friends, detection of corruption, and views of respondents.
2. Finland’s population is only slightly larger than Norway’s
According to preliminary data, from Statistics Finland, the country had a population of 5,532,333 at the end of August 2020. At the end of July 2020, there were 5,374,807 inhabitants in Norway.
3. But Oslo is a little bigger than Helsinki
About 693,000 people live in the Norwegian capital, while 656,000 people live in Helsinki. Of course, much of this is due to somewhat arbitrary boundaries and definitions.
Measured in the entire metropolitan area, the Helsinki Metropolitan Area (1.26 million) exceeds the Oslo metropolitan area (1.02 million).
4. Almost half of Finland’s foreign population lives in Helsinki
We thank Statistics Finland once again for this fact! At the beginning of 2020, 423,494 people with a foreign background lived in Finland. Of these, 209,108 lived in the Helsinki metropolitan area. People with a Somali and Indian background are most concentrated in the metropolitan area.
5. The Finnish language is completely different from the Scandinavian languages
Although Finland is often assembled with Scandinavia, the language of the country has nothing in common with its Scandinavian friends. The Finnish language belongs to the Uralic language family, of which Hungarian is the closest relative.
6. All Finns learn Swedish in high school
Although Finnish is not a Scandinavian language, Swedish is an important language in Finland. So much so that it has the status of an official language together with Finnish.
Sweden is spoken mainly on the west and south coasts of the country, while as many as 5% of Finns speak Swedish as their mother tongue.
And of course Finns also learn English at school! So Norwegians or Danes who don’t get their message across in Swedish can always switch to English.
7. Finns are the world’s largest coffee drinkers
Most people would think that the European coffee capital would be Italy or France. But no, Finns drink more coffee per capita than any other country in Europe, but all over the world.
The average Finn consumes an amazing amount 12kg every year. Eight cups of coffee a day is not considered unusual in Finland.
8. There are 187,888 lakes in Finland
Finland is known as the land of thousands of lakes. In fact, however, the figure is more than 187 times higher!
Read more: Fun facts about Iceland
There are about 187,888 lakes of more than 500 square meters in Finland. About 57,000 of them cover an area of more than 10,000 square meters (110,000 square feet). They are listed here along with some of the smaller noteworthy lakes.
9. Finns do not fill in silence
Finnish citizens enjoy themselves in silence. When you meet an acquaintance, it is perfectly acceptable to say hello and continue your journey. Finns also naturally keep their distance from other people in public places.
10. Breakfast is savory
Sweet breakfasts are popular in some parts of Europe, but not in Finland. Breakfast here is a similar case where butter, cold cuts and / or cheese are eaten on top of the bread, in the same style as Norwegian pålegg.
Of the most Finnish breakfasts, the sweetest is a few berries mixed with porridge. However, it is a different story later in the day!
11. Moomins are Finnish
Fun Finnish facts continue! Swedish-speaking Finnish illustrator Tove Jansson created creatures like the hippopotamus known as Moomins. The creatures starred in nine books, five picture books and a long-running comic in addition to many of their TV appearances.
In Southwest Finland, on the island of Kailo, the Moomin World theme park is open daily from mid-June to mid-August. The blue-colored Moomin House, where guests can explore all five levels, is one of the park’s main attractions.
12. Most Finnish children have two birthday parties
Birthday parties are very important for Finnish children. Many have two: one for friends and one for family. On the other hand, most adults tend to celebrate only “big” birthdays, and even then they are typically informal events.
Read more: Fun facts about Norway
13. Finland is sauna crazy
It is estimated that there are about two million saunas in Finland. That is not a bad thing for a population of 5.3 million! They can be found in townhouses, forest cottages and even some big companies and government agencies!
14. 74% of the land is forest
Finland has more forests than any other European country. The forest covers 74% of the country – an area larger than Britain or Italy.
This, together with the lakes, gives Finland a distinctive look. Pine, spruce and birch are the most common species found in forests.
15. Angry Birds originated in Finland
The mobile game sensation Angry Birds began its life in Finland. Created by students in 2003, the creators of the game, Rovio Entertainment, were publicly listed in 2017 for $ 1 billion.
Angry Birds is not the only global smassh born in Finland. Nokian Snake – without a doubt the most influential mobile game of all time – and Clash of Clans are also Finnish.
16. Finland is Finnish to Finland
When a large part of the world calls Finland Finland, Finns call their country Finland. The origin of the name is uncertain and several hypotheses have been put forward. The earliest known Finnish use of the word Finland is on the Scandinavian runestone.
Have you ever visited the country? What is your favorite of these Finnish facts?