Finland. Information.
Finland (Suomen tasavalta) Republic of Finland - a country in northeastern Europe, bordered by the Baltic Sea to the southwest, the Gulf of Finland to the south and the Gulf of Bothnia to the west. Square - 338,145 sq.km. Population - 5,244,858 (2003). Сapital - Helsinki. Finland has land frontiers with Sweden on West with, Norway on North and with Russia on East. Conclusive archaeological evidence exists indicating that the area now comprising Finland was settled around 8500 BC. Currently it is considered probable that the speakers of the Finno-Ugric language arrived in Finland during the Stone Age. There is not much written information of Finnish history before the 13th century AD. The beginning of Finland's nearly 700-year association with the Kingdom of Sweden is traditionally connected with the year 1154 and the alleged introduction of Christianity by Sweden's King Erik. During the 18th century, virtually the whole of Finland was twice occupied by Russian forces (1714–1721 and 1742–1743). In 1808, Finland was conquered by the armies of Russian Emperor Alexander I and thereafter remained an autonomous Grand Duchy in personal union with the Russian Empire until the end of 1917. On December 6, 1917, shortly after the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, Finland declared its independence. The independence was approved by Bolshevist Russia. The Finnish–Russian border was agreed on only with the Treaty of Tartu in 1920 including Petsamo to the borders in Grand Duchy. In 1918, the country experienced a brief but bitter Civil War. The Civil War was chiefly fought between "the whites", supported by Imperial Germany, and "the reds", supported by Bolshevist Russia. The reds consisted mostly of propertyless rural and industrial workers who despite universal suffrage in 1906 had found themselves without political influence. During World War II, Finland fought the Soviet Union twice: in the Winter War of 1939–1940 and participated in Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union, known in Finland as the Continuation War of 1941–1944. This was followed by the Lapland War of 1944–1945, when Finland forced the Germans out of northern Finland. After the Second World War, Finland was in the grey zone between western countries and Soviet Union. The post-war era was a period of rapid economic growth and increasing wealth and stability for Finland. Currency : 1 Euro = 100 cents (Prior to 1999: Finnish markka).
See also:
Alands islands
Alands islands
Alands islands