The Åland Islands make up Ahvenanmaa, a province of Finland at the
north end of the Baltic Sea..
Shown here is the medieval Kastelholm Castle.
Government...
Names:
conventional long form: Republic of Finland; conventional
short form: Finland.
local long form: Suomen Tasavalta; local short form:
Suomi.
Capital: Helsinki.
Administrative divisions:
12 provinces (laanit, singular - laani); Ahvenanmaa, Hame, Keski-Suomi,
Kuopio,
Kymi, Lappi, Mikkeli, Oulu, Pohjois-Karjala, Turku ja Pori, Uusimaa, Vaasa
Independence: 6 December 1917 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday: Independence Day, 6 December ; (1917) Constitution:
17 July 1919
Legal system:
civil law system based on Swedish law;
Supreme Court may request legislation interpreting or modifying
laws; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President
head of government: Prime Minister
Deputy Prime Minister
cabinet: Council of State (Valtioneuvosto); appointed by the president,
responsible to Parliament
Legislative branch: ... unicameral
Parliament (Eduskunta):
elections last held 19 March 1995 (next
to be held March 1999); results - Social Democratic Party 28.3%, Center
Party 19.9%, National Coalition (Conservative) Party
17.9%, Leftist Alliance (Communist) 11.2%, Swedish People's Party
5.1%, Green League 6.5%, Ecology Party 0.3%, Rural 1.3%, Finnish
Christian League 3.0%, Liberal People's Party 0.6%, Young Finns 2.8%;
seats -(200 total) Social Democratic Party 63, Center Party 44, National
Coalition (Conservative) Party 39, Leftist Alliance (Communist) 22, Swedish
People's Party 11, Green League 9, Ecology Party 1, Rural 1, Finnish
Christian League 7, Young Finns 2, Aaland Islands 1
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Korkein Oikeus) The local court system of Finland is divided into municipal courts in towns and district courts in rural areas. Appellate courts are located in Åbo, Vaasa, Kuopio, Kuovila, Rovaniemi, and Helsinki. The supreme court, which sits at Helsinki, is the final court of appeal for all civil and criminal cases.
Political parties and leaders:
government coalition:
Social Democratic Party, Paavo LIPPONEN; National,
Coalition (conservative) Party, Sauli NIINISTO; Leftist Alliance
(Communist) People's Democratic League and Democratic Alternative,
Claes ANDERSON; Swedish People's Party, (Johan) Ole NORRBACK;
Green League, Pekka HAAVISTO
other:
Center Party, Esko AHO; Finnish Christian League,
Toimi KANKAANNIEMI; Rural Party, Tina MAKELA; Liberal People's Party,
Tuulikki UKKOLA; Greens Ecological Party (EPV); Young Finns
Other political or pressure groups:
Finnish Communist Party-Unity, Yrjo HAKANEN;
Constitutional Rightist Party; Finnish Pensioners Party; Communist
Workers Party, Timo LAHDENMAKI
Recent Events
In elections in March 1999 the ruling coalition
headed by Lipponen and the Social Democrats was returned to power, despite
a poor showing by the SDP that substantially
reduced the coalition's majority in parliament. In February 2000
Social
Democrat Tarja Halonen was elected Finland's
first female president. In a close election that was decided in a runoff,
Halonen defeated former premier Esko
Aho of the Center Party. Halonen replaced Martti Ahtisaari, who did
not
seek reelection.
Flag:
white with a blue cross that extends to the edges
of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist
side in the style of the DANNEBROG (Danish flag)
Economy ...Overview:
Finland has a highly industrialized, largely
free market economy, with per capita output two thirds of the US figure.
Its key economic sector is manufacturing - principally the wood, metals,
and engineering industries. Trade is important, with the export of
goods representing about 30% of GDP. Except for timber and several
minerals, Finland depends on imports of raw materials, energy, and some
components for manufactured goods. Because of the climate, agricultural
development is limited to maintaining self sufficiency in basic products.
Forestry, an important export earner, provides a secondary occupation for
the rural population. The economy, which experienced an average of 4.9%
annual growth between 1987 and 1989, sank into deep recession in
1991 as GDP contracted by 6.5%. The recession - which continued in
1992 with GDP contracting by 4.1% - has been caused by economic overheating,
depressed foreign markets, and the dismantling of the barter system between
Finland and the former Soviet Union under which Soviet oil and gas had
been exchanged for Finnish manufactured goods. The Finnish
Government has proposed efforts to increase industrial competitiveness
and efficiency by an increase in exports to Western markets, cuts
in public expenditures, partial privatization of state enterprises, and
changes in monetary policy. In June 1991 Helsinki had tied the markka
to the European Union's (EU) European Currency Unit (ECU) to promote
stability. Ongoing speculation resulting from a lack of confidence
in the government's policies forced Helsinki to devalue the markka
by about 12% in November 1991 and to indefinitely break the link
in September 1992. The devaluations have boosted the competitiveness
of Finnish exports. The recession bottomed out in 1993, and Finland
participated in the general European upturn of 1994. Unemployment
probably will remain a serious problem during the next few
years; the majority of Finnish firms face a weak domestic market
and the troubled German and Swedish export markets. The Finns voted
in an October 1994 referendum to enter the EU, and Finland officially
joined the Union on 1 January 1995. Increasing integration with Western
Europe will dominate the economic picture over the next few years.
Industries:
metal products, shipbuilding, forestry
and wood processing (pulp, paper), copper refining, foodstuffs, chemicals,
textiles, clothing
Agriculture:
accounts for 7% of GDP (including forestry);
livestock production, especially dairy cattle, predominates; main
crops - cereals, sugar beets, potatoes; 85% self sufficient, but short
food grains and fodder grains; annual fish catch about 160,000 metric
ton
Soils
Gray mountain soils predominate in inland regions.
The northern third of Finland is covered by peat bogs. The most fertile
soils are on the southern coastal plains, which are composed of marine
clay.
Natural Resources
Productive forest land is the most valuable natural
resource of Finland. Spruce, pine, and silver birch are the principal trees.
The only natural fuels in the country are wood and peat. Finland also has
some rich deposits of metallic ores from which copper, zinc, iron, and
nickel are extracted. Lead, vanadium, silver, and gold are also mined commercially.
Granite and limestone are the most abundant nonmetallic minerals.
Plants and Animals
Some 66 percent of Finland is forested. Except
in the extreme south, where aspen, alder, maple, and elm trees are found,
the forests are chiefly coniferous, dominated by spruce and pine trees.
Finland has nearly 1,200 species of plants and ferns and some 1,000 varieties
of lichens. Wildlife includes bear, wolf, lynx, and arctic fox, all found
mainly in the less populated northern regions. Reindeer, domesticated by
the Saami, are becoming extinct in the wild. Wild goose, swan, ptarmigan,
snow bunting, and golden plover nest throughout northern Finland. Freshwater
fish include perch, salmon, trout, and pike. The leading saltwater
fish are cod, herring, and haddock. Seals are found along the coast.
Currency
1 markka (FMk) or Finmark = 100 pennia ( pre
2002)
January 2002, Finland and 11 other countries adoped the Euro as their monetary system of choice.
Defense ...Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Frontier Guard (includes Sea Guard)
National Antham;
FINLAND. “Maamme” (“Our Land”). Music by Fredrik
Pacius, 1848. Words by Johan Ludvig Runeberg, 1846.
Adopted 1848.