PORTAL:FINLAND

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Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, opposite Estonia. Finland covers an area of 338,145 square kilometres (130,559 sq mi) and has a population of 5.6 million. Helsinki is the capital and largest city. The vast majority of the population are ethnic Finns. Finnish and Swedish are the official languages, with Swedish being the native language of 5.2% of the population. Finland's climate varies from humid continental in the south to boreal in the north. The land cover is predominantly boreal forest biome, with more than 180,000 recorded lakes.

Finland was first settled around 9000 BC after the last Ice Age. During the Stone Age, various cultures emerged, distinguished by different styles of ceramics. The Bronze Age and Iron Ages were marked by contacts with other cultures in Fennoscandia and the Baltic region. From the late 13th century, Finland became part of the Swedish Empire as a result of the Northern Crusades. In 1809, as a result of the Finnish War, Finland was captured from Sweden and became a Grand Duchy of Finland, an autonomous state ruled by the Russian Empire. During this period, Finnish art flourished and the idea of full independence began to take hold. In 1906, Finland became the first European state to grant universal suffrage, and the first in the world to give all adult citizens the right to run for public office. Following the Russian Revolution of 1917, Finland declared its full independence. In 1918 the young nation was divided by the Finnish Civil War. During World War II, Finland fought against the Soviet Union in the Winter War and the Continuation War, and later against Nazi Germany in the Lapland War. As a result, it lost parts of its territory but retained its independence. ( Full article...)

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The composer ( c. 1915)

The Oceanides (in Finnish: Aallottaret; literal English translation: Nymphs of the Waves or Spirits of the Waves; original working title: Rondeau der Wellen; in English: Rondo of the Waves), Op. 73, is a single- movement tone poem for orchestra written from 1913 to 1914 by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. The piece, which refers to the nymphs in Greek mythology who inhabited the Mediterranean Sea, premiered on 4 June 1914 at the Norfolk Music Festival in Connecticut with Sibelius conducting. Praised upon its premiere as "the finest evocation of the sea ... ever ... produced in music", the tone poem, in D major, consists of two subjects, said to represent the playful activity of the nymphs and the majesty of the ocean, respectively. Sibelius gradually develops this material over three informal stages: first, a placid ocean; second, a gathering storm; and third, a thunderous wave-crash climax. As the tempest subsides, a final chord sounds, symbolizing the mighty power and limitless expanse of the sea.

Stylistically, many commentators have described The Oceanides as an example of Impressionism. Others have countered that Sibelius's active development of the two subjects, his sparing use of scales favored by Impressionists, and his prioritization of action and structure over ephemeral, atmospheric background distinguish the piece from quintessential examples, such as Debussy's La mer. ( Full article...)

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Photo credit: Johannes Jansson/norden.org
Prime Minister of Finland Matti Vanhanen

Did you know (auto-generated)

... that Pirjo Ala-Kapee-Hakulinen was the first and only governor of the Eastern Finland Province from its creation in 1997 to its abolition in 2010?
... that Vieno Simonen was first elected to the Finnish parliament in 1948, ten years after she was widowed with seven children?
... that the United States severed diplomatic ties with Finland in 1944 because of a personal letter sent to Hitler?
... that a song about an esports team went viral in Finland?
... that Alli Lahtinen, the first woman to lead a central government agency in Finland, helped establish the country's national child care system?
... that Kaija Saariaho's 2021 opera Innocence includes traditional Finnish cow-herding calls?

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You are invited to participate in Finland WikiProject, a WikiProject dedicated to developing and improving articles about Finland.

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...that the prototypes for the WW II German U-boat fleet ( Type II pictured) were designed by a Dutch company and built in Finland at the Crichton-Vulcan shipyard?
...that while repelling Soviet advances across the frozen Lake Suvanto, Finland managed to capture 12 anti-tank guns, 140 machine guns, 200 light machine guns and 1500 rifles in the Battle of Kelja in 1939?
...that Major Carl Mothander, the leader of Swedish volunteers in the Estonian War of Independence, later wrote books on Estonian politics that were banned in Finland?
...that the Korpela movement was a short-lived cult during the 1930s in Northern Sweden and Finland whose controversial sexual rituals eventually led to the arrest of 60 followers?
...that in 1745, Daniel Juslenius, a Finnish Fennoman, finished the first formal Finnish dictionary?

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This is a Good article, an article that meets a core set of high editorial standards.

Finnish soldiers at the VT-line of fortifications during the Soviet Vyborg–Petrozavodsk Offensive in June 1944

The Continuation War, also known as the Second Soviet-Finnish War, was a conflict fought by Finland and Nazi Germany against the Soviet Union during World War II. It began with a Finnish declaration of war and invasion on 25 June 1941 and ended on 19 September 1944 with the Moscow Armistice. The Soviet Union and Finland had previously fought the Winter War from 1939 to 1940, which ended with the Soviet failure to conquer Finland and the Moscow Peace Treaty. Numerous reasons have been proposed for the Finnish decision to invade, with regaining territory lost during the Winter War regarded as the most common. Other justifications for the conflict include Finnish President Risto Ryti's vision of a Greater Finland and Commander-in-Chief Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim's desire to annex East Karelia.

On 22 June 1941, the Axis invaded the Soviet Union. Three days later, the Soviet Union conducted an air raid on Finnish cities which prompted Finland to declare war and allow German troops in Finland to begin offensive warfare. By September 1941, Finland had regained its post–Winter War concessions to the Soviet Union in Karelia. The Finnish Army continued its offensive past the 1939 border during the invasion of East Karelia and halted it only around 30–32 km (19–20 mi) from the centre of Leningrad. It participated in besieging the city by cutting the northern supply routes and by digging in until 1944. In Lapland, joint German-Finnish forces failed to capture Murmansk or to cut the Kirov (Murmansk) Railway. The Soviet Vyborg–Petrozavodsk Offensive in June and August 1944 drove the Finns from most of the territories that they had gained during the war, but the Finnish Army halted the offensive in August 1944. ( Full article...)

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General images

The following are images from various Finland-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1This 1825 map of the Grand Duchy of Finland is from a larger work, geographical atlas of the Russian Empire. (from History of Finland)
Image 2 Sámi / Laplander family in traditional costumes from Finland. (from Culture of Finland)
Image 3Jussipaita (transl. Jussi sweater); a traditional sweater from the Finnish region of Southern Ostrobothnia (from Culture of Finland)
Image 4Three Finnish Romani women in Helsinki, Finland, in 1930s (from Culture of Finland)
Image 5 Alvar Aalto, Viipuri Library (1927–35) (from Culture of Finland)
Image 6In 2011 figure skater Kiira Korpi was ranked 4th in the world. (from Culture of Finland)
Image 7Stone Age dwelling named Kierikki 5000–3000 BC (from History of Finland)
Image 8 Karjalanpiirakka, a traditional Finnish pastry (from Culture of Finland)
Image 9Map of Finnish areas ceded to the Soviet Union in 1944, after the Continuation War (from History of Finland)
Image 10President K. J. Ståhlberg in his office in 1919 (from History of Finland)
Image 11 Pekka Halonen's painting "against persecutors" from 1896 depicts the warfare of the ancient Finns. (from History of Finland)
Image 12Painting of Lalli killing Henry. Painting by C. A. Ekman. (from History of Finland)
Image 13Eero Järnefelt, Burning the Brushwood, 1893 (from History of Finland)
Image 14 2007 Formula One World Champion Kimi Räikkönen celebrating victory at the 2007 Brazilian Grand Prix (from Culture of Finland)
Image 15A reconstruction of a 12th-century Perniö costume (from History of Finland)
Image 16A triptych by Akseli Gallen-Kallela, depicting the Aino Story of Kalevala on three panes (from Culture of Finland)
Image 17The Swedish empire at its largest. Most of present-day Finland was part of Sweden proper, rike, shown in dark green. (from History of Finland)
Image 18A view of Pohjoisesplanadi in the center of Helsinki in 1891 (from History of Finland)
Image 19 Janne Ahonen is considered one of the best and most successful currently active ski jumpers. (from Culture of Finland)
Image 20 Helsinki Accords Treaty (from History of Finland)
Image 21 Apocalyptica's Perttu Kivilaakso playing metal music live (from Culture of Finland)
Image 22A summer cottage (mökki) on a lake island (from Culture of Finland)
Image 23A smoke sauna (savusauna) in Enonkoski (from Culture of Finland)
Image 24Imagery collage of Birger Jarl conquering Häme and the construction of Häme Castle (from History of Finland)
Image 25Memorial of the Mannerheim Cross Knights of Parikkala, Finland (from History of Finland)
Image 26Signing the Helsinki Accords are the West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt, East Germany's leader Erich Honecker, US president Gerald Ford and the Austrian chancellor Bruno Kreisky (from History of Finland)
Image 27 Battle of Valkeala was part of the Russo-Swedish War (1788–1790). (from History of Finland)
Image 28Prehistoric red ochre painted rock art of moose, human figures, and boats in Astuvansalmi, Finland, from ca. 3800–2200 BC (from Culture of Finland)
Image 29In the sauna, by Pekka Halonen, 1925 (from Culture of Finland)
Image 30An old drawing of the city of Turku in the 18th century (from History of Finland)
Image 31 Kreeta Haapasalo Playing the Kantele in a Peasant Cottage (1868), by Robert Wilhelm Ekman (from History of Finland)
Image 32President Urho Kekkonen's funeral procession in 1986 (from History of Finland)
Image 33 Ancylus Lake covered major part of Finland (7,500–6,000 BC) (from History of Finland)
Image 34The decision of the Soviet of the People's Comissars' to recognise Finnish independence, signed by Vladimir Lenin, Leon Trotsky, Grigory Petrovsky, Joseph Stalin, Isaac Steinberg, Vladimir Karelin, and Alexander Schlichter (from History of Finland)
Image 35Homann's map of the Scandinavian Peninsula and Fennoscandia with their surrounding territories: northern Germany, northern Poland, the Baltic region, Livonia, Belarus, and parts of Northwest Russia. Johann Baptist Homann (1664–1724) was a German geographer and cartographer; map dated around 1730. (from History of Finland)
Image 36S/S Urania in Hanko harbor in 1893, with 509 emigrants on board on their way to America (from History of Finland)
Image 37 Kalmar Union in 1400s (from History of Finland)
Image 38Grand Duchy of Finland, 75 kopek assignat (1824) (from History of Finland)
Image 39The ruins of Vammala burned by the Reds, during the Civil war (from History of Finland)
Image 40 Stone Age stone axe engraved with human face found from Kiuruvesi. (from History of Finland)
Image 41 Lapua Movement supporters beating the "red officer" Eino Nieminen in front of the Vaasa courthouse during the 4 June 1930 riot. (from History of Finland)
Image 42Women in sauna with Vihtas
Image 43The area of Finland in the years 1920–1940. The 1935 county and municipality division on the map. (from History of Finland)
Image 44Marshal of Finland Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim visit in Germany, 1942 (from History of Finland)
Image 45People gathered in the Senate Square for a demonstration against the February Manifesto in March 1899. (from History of Finland)
Image 46 Kastelli Giant's Church in Pattijoki by Pöljä culture [ fi] (from History of Finland)
Image 47Students on Helsinki's Esplanadi wearing their caps on Vappu (from Culture of Finland)
Image 48 Battle of Gangut ( Hanko) was part of the Great Northern War during 1700–1721. (from History of Finland)
Image 49Northern Europe in 814 (from History of Finland)
Image 50The first government of independent Finland. P. E. Svinhufvud, the first Prime Minister of Finland, sitting at the head of the table. (from History of Finland)
Image 51 Erkki Karu, one of the pioneers of the Finnish cinema, with cinematographer Eino Kari in 1927 (from Culture of Finland)
Image 52Midsummer bonfire (kokko) in Mäntsälä (from Culture of Finland)
Image 53Finland Ostrobothnia regiment uniforms in 1705 (from History of Finland)
Image 54 Uspenski Cathedral in Helsinki (from Culture of Finland)
Image 55A peasant girl and a woman in traditional dress from Ruokolahti, eastern Finland, as depicted by Severin Falkman in 1882 (from Culture of Finland)
Image 56Pieces of the Antrea Net (8,300 BC), the oldest-known fishing net in the world. (from History of Finland)
Image 57 The Finno-Soviet Treaty (from History of Finland)
Image 58(1809 Diet of Porvoo) The sovereign's pledge, printed in Finnish (from History of Finland)
Image 59Identification document and tag of a Finnish war child (from History of Finland)
Image 60The area controlled by Finland at its largest, in 1942 (from History of Finland)
Image 61Winter War Monument in Suomussalmi, Kainuu, Finland (from History of Finland)
Image 62Women dressed in Finnish folk costumes (from Culture of Finland)
Image 63 Turku Cathedral and its surroundings from 1814 (from History of Finland)
Image 64 Linus Torvalds, a famous Fennoswede software engineer, best known for initiating the development of the Linux kernel (from Culture of Finland)
Image 65Captain Aarne Juutilainen at the front at Kollaa during the Winter War (from History of Finland)
Image 66The part of Finland controlled by the Reds at its largest in February–March 1918 (from History of Finland)
Image 67 Wehrmacht soldiers with a local Sámi reindeer herder, Lappland, Sodankylä, Finland 1942 (from History of Finland)
Image 68 Mikael Agricola hands over the Finnish Translation of the New Testament to King Gustav Wasa. (from History of Finland)
Image 69 Paavo Nurmi at the 1920 Summer Olympics (from Culture of Finland)
Image 70A group of Finnish soldiers operating a Bofors gun during the Continuation War in 1943 (from History of Finland)
Image 71The Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (1865–1957), a significant figure in the history of classical music (from Culture of Finland)
Image 72Finnish folk dancers in a 1907 postcard sent from Mustamäki, Finland (from Culture of Finland)
Image 73In the middle is the patron saint of Finland, Saint Henry, on the right side of him is Bishop Konrad Bitz and on the left is Dean Magnus Stjernkors; from Missale Aboense (1488) (from History of Finland)
Image 74 Jean Sibelius at work in his study (from History of Finland)
Image 75Badge of the Finnish White/Civil Guard (from History of Finland)
Image 76 Finnish Guards' Rifle Battalion, 1850s (from History of Finland)

In the news

2 April 2024 – Viertola school shooting: A student is killed and two others are injured in a shooting at a school in Vantaa, Uusimaa, Finland. A 12-year-old student is detained. (AP) (Yle)
1 March 2024 – 2024 Finnish presidential election: Alexander Stubb is sworn in as the 13th President of Finland. (Reuters)
11 February 2024 – 2024 Finnish presidential election: Alexander Stubb is elected President of Finland with 51.6% of the vote. (Yle)
27 January 2024 – Israel–Hamas war: The United Kingdom, United States, Australia, Italy, Canada, Finland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Germany suspend humanitarian aid to UNRWA over allegations that some UNRWA staff members were involved in the Hamas-led attack on Israel. (BBC News) (CBS News)
14 December 2023 – Finland–United States relations: Finland announces the creation of a defense cooperation agreement with the United States. The agreement will grant Finland access to American military resources for use in defensive operations, while the US will gain military access to Finland in the event of conflict. (Reuters)
29 November 2023 – Finland–Poland relations, Finland–Russia relations: National Security Bureau chief Jacek Siewiera announces that Poland will send "a team of military advisors" to the Finland–Russia border in response to an official request for allied support. Finland says it was unaware of the Polish offer. Russia warns against the move, viewing the concentration of troops on the border as a threat. (Reuters)

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Albert Edelfelt - Louis Pasteur - 1885
Anefo 932-2378 Keke Rosberg, Zandvoort, 03-07-1982 - Restoration
FIN-A36b-Finlands Bank-20 Markkaa (1862)
Hankopan
Helsinki July 2013-14
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Kaleva Church 4
Kolmen valtakunnan rajapyykki 27.4.1945
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Neste Oil Rally 2010 - Jari-Matti Latvala in shakedown
Nils Torvalds MEP, Strasbourg - Diliff
Peugeot 206 WRC
Rally Finland 2010 - shakedown - Nasser Al-Attiyah 1
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Silja Serenade in Stockholm
VR Sr1 3015 Kuopio Drawbridge
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