Finland Travel Guide

Country Facts

Location

Northeastern Europe.

Language

There are two official languages: Finnish, mother tongue for 91.6% of the population, and Swedish, first language of 5.5% of the population. Swedish Finns have a distinct cultural identity and often speak English more fluently than they speak Finnish. The Finnish language is related to only Estonian and Hungarian. Around 2,000 people in Lapland speak one of the dialects of the Sámi language, while Karelian dialects still survive amongst older people in the east of the country. English is taught as the first foreign language.

Area

338,144 sq km (130,558 sq miles).

Time Zone

GMT + 2 (GMT + 3 from last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October).

Electricity

220 (230) volts AC, 50Hz. European two-pin plugs are standard.

Population

5.3 million (2009 estimate).

Population Density

17 per sq km.

Capital City

Helsinki. Population: 561,000 (census 2005).

Government

Republic. Before 1917, Finland was a Grand Duchy of the Russian Empire.

Head of Government

Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen since 2003.

Head of State

President Mari Johanna Kiviniemi since 2010.

Religion

86% Lutheran, 1% Finnish Orthodox; there are also Baptists, Methodists, Free Church, Roman Catholics, Jews and Muslims.

Recent History

Social Democrat Tarja Halonen became the first woman to hold the post of president in 2000, and was re-elected for a further six-year term in 2006. The prime minister is Matti Vanhanen, whose Center Party came to power in 2003 in a coalition with the Social Democrats and Swedish People's Party.

In the March 2007 elections, the Center Party triumphed by only one seat over the conservative National Coalition Party, with whom they formed a governing coalition, forcing the Social Democrats into opposition. This swing to the right mirrors trends in other north European countries in recent years. The Swedish People's Party, the Left Alliance, and the Green League also form part of the government, along with a number of minority parties. A single seat in the Finnish parliament is held by a minister elected by the 27,000 people of the autonomous district of Åland in the Åland Sea.

Communications

Telephone

Country Code: +358. Local and international calls can be made from street-side telephone booths and, in larger cities, telecenters. Most public telephones operate using a pre-paid card purchased from R-kiosks, shops and post offices. Shops also sell cards that can be used to make discounted international calls.

Mobile Telephone

Roaming agreements exist with most international mobile phone companies and GSM 900/1800 coverage is excellent - as you might expect from the home of Nokia. You may find it cheaper to buy a Finnish SIM card, available for about €15, which includes €10 of calling credit.

Internet

Free public access is widely available in tourist offices and libraries, and most large cities have commercial internet cafes. Most business hotels offer wireless Internet access and there are public hotspots in Helsinki and other large cities.

Media

Finland has a strong and independent media with privately-owned newspapers that reflect a broad spectrum of political views. Public communications network YLE provides national radio and TV programming. Freedom of the press is enshrined in Finnish law, and Finns read the newspapers avidly.

Post

Letters and postcards sent by airmail usually take about three days to reach European destinations, and around one week to reach the USA or Australia. Stamps are available from post offices, bookshops and newspaper shops, stations and hotels.Generally Mon-Fri 0900-1800, with regional variations. Helsinki's central post office at Mannerheiminaukio 1, 00100 Helsinki, is open Mon-Fri 0700-2100, Sat-Sun 1000-1800.

Press

• There are numerous daily newspapers, with the most respected being Aamulehti (www.aamulehti.fi) and Helsingin Sanomat (www.hs.fi).
• Ilta-Sanomat (www.iltasanomat.fi) and Iltalehti (www.iltalehti.fi) are tabloids with an unwavering focus on the sensational and lurid.
• News for Swedish-speakers is provided by the daily Hufvudstadsbladet (www.hbl.fi)
• Apu (www.apu.fi) and Seura (www.seura.fi) are weekly illustrated news magazines.
• Kauppalehti (www.kauppalehti.fi) is one of the leading daily business newspapers.
• Foreign newspapers and magazines are widely available, and The Helsinki Times (www.helsinkitimes.fi) is a good weekly newspaper published in English.

Radio

• Yleisradio Oy (YLE) is a public service broadcaster that operates radio channels in Finnish, Swedish and Sámi languages.
• Commercial stations include Groove FM, Classic FM, Radio Nova and The Voice.

Public Holidays

Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2011-December 2012 period.
2010
25 Dec Christmas Day

2011
1 Jan New Year’s Day
6 Jan Epiphany
22 Apr - 25 Apr Easter
1 May May Day
2 Jun Ascension
12 Jun Whit Sunday
25 Jun Midsummer
1 Nov All Saints’ Day
6 Dec Independence Day
25 Dec Christmas Day
26 Dec St Stephen’s Day (Tapaninpäivä)

2012
1 Jan New Year’s Day
6 Jan Epiphany
8 Apr - 9 Apr Easter
1 May May Day
27 May Whit Sunday
2 Jun Ascension
23 Jun Midsummer
1 Nov All Saints’ Day
6 Dec Independence Day
26 Dec St Stephen’s Day (Tapaninpäivä)

Contact Information

Embassy of Finland in the UK

38 Chesham Place, London SW1X 8HW, UK
Tel: (020) 7838 6200.
Website: www.finemb.org.uk
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1200.

Finnish Tourist Board in the UK

PO Box 33213, London W6 8JX, UK
Tel: (020) 7365 2512.
Website: www.visitfinland.com/uk

Embassy of Finland in the USA

3301 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008, USA
Tel: (202) 298 5800.
Website: www.finland.org

Finnish Tourist Board (Matkailan Edistämiskeskus)

Eteläesplanadi 4, 00100, Helsinki
Tel: (9) 4176 9300.
Website: www.mek.fi