FINLAND | Travel | Tourism

Facts & figures

Territory: 338.363 sq. km (source: Eurostat 2025)

Population: 5.635.971 (source: Eurostat 2025)

Capital: Helsinki

Official language: Finnish, Swedish

Currency: Euro (€)

Time zone: Eastern European Time (EET) during winter and Eastern European Summer Time (EEST) during summer

Nature and cities

The Finnish nature is extremely beautiful, clean and in some areas a real wilderness. We have in Finland over 180.000 lakes and the largest archipelago in Europe with 179.000 islands. A big part of Finland’s area is covered with forests. The Finns take good care of the forests because it is the main raw material source for the modern industry.

Over a million people are living in the Helsinki Metropolitan area. The largest cities in Finland are Helsinki (564.000), Espoo (235.000), and Tampere (206.000). 70% of all inhabitants live in cities or urban areas. That is why very few people live in the northern and eastern parts of Finland.

The climate in Finland

... is warmer than people usually think because of the Golf stream. The summers in Finland are warm and bright. In the northern part of Finland, there are even 70 days when the sun does not get down at all. On the other hand, in winter there are two months in Lapland without any sunrise. During winter time, there is a big difference between south and north in the climate and the snow. Sometimes in Lapland it can be minus 25C degree several weeks. In southern Finland, the cold period stays only for a short amount of time. Anyway, every winter we usually have snow at least from February to March.

How to dress yourself

In summer, you manage with light summer clothes, but in winter you need a thick wind proof jacket, a hat and gloves. Depending on the season, you may wear boots or sandals.

The Finns

... have very strong sense of national identity because of the country’s history, wartime, sport, and Finland’s high-tech expertise. On the other hand, the Finns are insecure about whether the rest of the world is aware of the achievements of this northern nation. There are two official languages in Finland – Finnish and Swedish. About 8.000 people in Lapland speak Saami (Lappish) as their mother tongue.

Finland is a country of equality. There are several women holding advanced positions like our president, politicians, doctors, scientists, and priests. The Finns are often considered to be reserved and quiet people. The principle is to “talk less and stay in facts”. The Finns are not at all good at small talk. On the other hand, the Finns are great listeners and they are not bothered about the silence between the sentences. The Finns very seldom start conversations with people they don’t know, but they are very helpful and friendly if you need any help at all. The Finns are hospitable and you may get a life time friend with a Finn when you know him/her better. The drinking habits in Finland are poor. You may meet a lot of young people drinking far too much.

Education

Finland has been at the top of the list in OECD’s PISA research since 2001. Especially the young Finns are very well educated. The Finnish child starts pre-school at the age of 6. The comprehensive school starts at the age of 7 and takes 9 years. The education is free of charge, so are the books, materials, and one hot meal a day. Every child in Finland must complete the curriculum of compulsory education by law. After the secondary school, the pupils can make a choice whether they go to the upper secondary school or the Vocational Training. The nation wide final assessment, matriculation exam, finishes the upper secondary school. From the Vocational Training you get a diploma or a certificate. The next step will be either university or polytechnics.

The Finns use a lot of the services of Adult Education too. Finland is one of the world’s leaders in reading of books and newspapers and the use of libraries. The average Finn is fairly well informed on what is happening in Finland and in the world. For more information on Finnsih education visit the Finnish National Agency for Education (EDUFI).

Food and drinks

The Finns eat a lot of potatoes and other vegetables on a daily basis. Nowadays, also pasta and rice are popular. The meat is often chicken, pork, or beef. Young people are very conscious about healthy food. Because of the Baltic Sea and many lakes, the Finns eat a lot of fish dishes. Sometimes during celebrations, the Finns serve traditional foods like Karelian pasties and Fish pie. In Lapland, Reindeer stew, Salmon, and Cloudberries are local delicacies. The drinks with lunch and dinner are usually milk, water, or sour milk. On Sundays, people may drink beer and wine. The Finns are coffee drinkers – where an Englishman takes a cup of tee, the Finn prefers coffee.