LocationScandinavia, Europe.
Area338,145 sq km (130,559 sq miles).
Population5.2 million (UN, 2005).
Population Density15.37 per sq km.
CapitalHelsinki.
Population: 560,000 (FCO).
GovernmentRepublic.
LanguageThere are two official languages: Finnish, spoken by 93.4% of the population, and Swedish, spoken by 5.9% of the population. There are small Lapp and Russian speaking minorities. English is taught as the first foreign language.
Religion86% Evangelical
Lutheran, 1% Finnish Orthodox; there are also Baptists, Methodists, Free Church, Roman Catholic, Jews and Muslims.
TimeGMT + 2 (GMT + 3 from last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October).
Electricity220 (230) volts AC, 50Hz. Continental two-pin plugs are standard.
Head of GovernmentPrime Minister Matti Vanhanen since 2003.
Head of StatePresident Tarja Halonen since 2000.
TelephoneCountry code: 358. Local and international calls can be made from booths, hotels and post offices. Many public telephones operate using a pre-paid card purchased from R-kiosks, Sonera shops and some post offices.
Mobile TelephoneRoaming agreements exist with some international mobile phone companies. Coverage is intermittently good.
InternetPublic access is available in Internet cafes. There are also many Internet booths in Helsinki.
MediaFinland has embarked on a comprehensive digitization program. Analogue TV transmissions are expected to cease in 2007. Public service
YLE provides national radio and TV programming. Newspapers are privately owned and reflect a broad spectrum of political views.
PostLetters and postcards sent by airmail usually take about three days to reach destinations within the rest of Europe. Stamps are available from post offices, bookshops and newspaper shops, stations and hotels. The central post office at Mannerheimintie 11, 00100 Helsinki, is open Mon-Fri 0800-2100, Sat 0900-1800, Sun 1100-2100.
Post office hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1800; closed Saturday, with regional variations.
Press• There are over 200 daily newspapers, with the most popular including:
Aamulehti,
Helsingin Sanomat (contains English-language pages),
Ilta-Sanomat and
Iltalehti.
• Apu and
Seura are weekly illustrated news magazines.
• Kauppalehti is one of the leading daily business newspapers.
• There are no English-language newspapers published in Finland, but most UK and USA daily newspapers are available, as well as international papers in many different languages.
Radio• Yleisradio Oy (YLE) is a public service broadcaster that operates radio channels in Finnish, Swedish and Sa’mi (Lappish).
• Radio Finland is another public, external broadcaster.
• Commercial stations include
Kiss FM,
Classic FM and
Radio Nova.
Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2007-December 2008 period.
2007 1 Jan New Year’s Day.
6 Jan Epiphany.
6-9 Apr Easter.
1 May May Day.
17 May Ascension.
27 May Whit Sunday.
23 Jun Midsummer.
3 Nov All Saints’ Day.
6 Dec Independence Day.
25 Dec Christmas Day.
26 Dec St Stephen’s Day.
20081 Jan New Year’s Day.
6 Jan Epiphany.
21-24 Mar Easter.
1 May May Day.
1 May Ascension.
11 May Whit Sunday.
21 Jun Midsummer.
1 Nov All Saints’ Day.
6 Dec Independence Day.
25 Dec Christmas Day.
26 Dec St Stephen’s Day.
Contact Information:Embassy of Finland in the UK38 Chesham Place, London SW1X 8HW, UK
Tel: (020) 7838 6200.
Website:
www.finemb.org.ukOpening hours: Mon-Fri 0830-1230, 1330-1630; 0900-1200 (consular affairs in person); Mon-Thurs 1400-1600, Fri 1400-1500 (consular telephone enquiries).
Finnish Tourist Board in the UKPO Box 33213, London W6 8JX, UK
Tel: (020) 7365 2512.
Website:
www.visitfinland.com/ukEmbassy of Finland in the USA3301 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008, USA
Tel: (202) 298 5800.
Website:
www.finland.org Finnish Tourist Board in the USAc/o Aviareps mangum
1 Penn Plaza, Suite 1926, New York, NY 10119
Tel: (646) 467 9674.
Website:
www.visitfinland.com
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