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Period: 1200 to
Religion
Finland's main religion is Christianity. It was first spread to Finland during the 13th century and has know made Finland have the highest percentage of church membership in Scandinavia. The most recognized congregation in Finland is the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. -
Finnish War
1809- Finland cedes to Russia after a year of war. The Finns retain most of their independence and keep their own legal system, religion, and are exempt from Russian Military Service. The political system of the Russians was respected by the Finns so long as their was a balance kept with their Self-Governing body. -
Founding of Finland and Geography
Finland was founded after the Finnish war. It's geography was also recorded and consists of 338,145 sq km of total area. The country borders Russia, Norway, and Sweden. The climate of is cold temperate. Finland's natural resources are predominantly timber, iron ore, copper, and lead. Most of Finland is covered by forest which accounts for 72.9 percent of the land. -
Plants and Animals
Most of Finland's plant life is conifers, but in some southern parts of it's vast forests, their are pine, birch, aspen, maple, and elm trees. Animal life is immense with Seabirds located on the coastline and bear, elk, wolf, wolverine, and lynx found in woodland areas. Fishing is a large part of Finland with species ranging from salmon, trout, and the much esteemed siika. -
1918 Civil War
From the end of the Finnish war, Finland thrived under Russia having their own language being taught at schools and an enlisted army. However, in the early 20th century, Russia tried to integrate their army with the Finnish units and impose Russian as the official language. This leads to Finland reaching out to the German army during World War One to help fight against Russia for independence. As a result, a bitter war broke out between the "whites" and the "reds" leaving 30,000 dead. -
Constitution and Republic
Finland first created a republican constitution after their civil war in 1918. The constitution stayed stable until the 1990's when their was a direct election for the Presidency for the first time. This improved the image of the presidency because it allowed the people to have more say in government relations. In 1999, Finland restructured their constitution to provide limited reform without intervening with the foundations of their political system. -
Language
Finland has two national languages, Finnish and Swedish. Finland mostly speaks Finnish because of the country's strong ties to nationalism. It can be shown in their language that Russia failed to successfully establish their own culture and language onto the Finnish. Furthermore, the Finnish language is a symbol of pride as it conveys the strength and resilience of the country to be independent. -
Post World War Two Economy
After World War Two, Finland's economy remained similar to the past with a large engagement in the primary sector- including agriculture, mining, and forestry. However, these primary productions gave way to an industrial revolution, which created a strong presence in the secondary and tertiary sectors. In 1948, an economic boom was prevalent because of Finland's involvement in the Benton Woods agreement and the GATT. -
The Great Outdoors
Finnish culture is largely based on their wilderness. People find the forest as a place of retreat from the pressures of everyday life. It is popular in Finland to have a summer house in the wilderness for vacations. Moreover, Finland's history revolves around the forest and surviving on hunting and gathering. This tradition is still seen today with outdoor hobbies and recreation. -
Manufacturing
In the mid-1960's, manufacturing overtook farming and forestry together as an employer. At this time, new industries such as chemical plants, oil refineries and plastics factories emerged with the help of government subsidies. The country started to see a steady rise in GDP with their high quality products and increasing amount of exports. -
1990's Economic Depression
In the 1990's, Finland experienced an economic crash that, at its worst, lead to a 14 percent decrease in GDP and an unemployment rate of 20 percent. This crash was the result of the collapse of trade with the Soviet Union in 1991, poorly designed financial regulation, and mistaken reactions about the crisis. -
Joining the EU
In 1995, Finland joined the EU. The country switched from its previous Finnish mark to the euro for currency. The Finnish Parliament is informed of all developments and it takes part in reviewing EU issues. Finland has a Permanent Representation to the EU in Brussels which prepares issues for decision making. -
Expansion of Technology
Before the 1990's, Finland relied heavily on it's forestry industry for economic prosperity. Now it's leading industry is electronics. The country holds one of the largest electronic companies in the world-Nokia. Finland is keen on keeping and improving it's position in the electronics industry. This can be shown through the country's huge investments into research and development for the growth of the electronics industry.
