Finland

republicIndependence 6 December 1917 (from Soviet Union)

Finland as the 1990 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 74 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalHelsinki
Area337,030 km2
1990

Every edition of Finland

Populationas each edition published it
4.98 million July 1990 · 5.55m in 2025
Population growth% a year
Not in this edition 0.37% in 1993
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 40.3 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
Not in this edition 75.65 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
1.7 children per woman 1990 · 1.28 in 2025
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
6 deaths per 1,000 live births 1990 · 1.9 in 2025
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
Not in this edition $15,900 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
Not in this edition -3.5% in 1993

Geography

14 fields

Land useshare of 337,030 km2

arable land 8%permanent crops 0%forest and woodland 76%other 16%NEGL% meadows and pastures; includes NEGL% irrigated
Total area
337,030km2
land area: 305,470 km2Comparative area: slightly smaller than Montana
Land boundaries
2,578km total
Norway 729 km, Sweden 536 km, USSR 1,313 km

Coastline

1,126 km excluding islands and coastal indentations

Continental shelf

200 meters or to depth of exploitation;

Climate

cold temperate; potentially subarctic, but comparatively mild because of moderating influence of the North Atlantic Current, Baltic Sea, and more than 60,000 lakes

Terrain

mostly low, flat to rolling plains interspersed with lakes and low hills

Natural resources

timber, copper, zinc, iron ore, silver

Environment

permanently wet ground covers about 30% of land; population concentrated on small southwestern coastal plain

Note

long boundary with USSR; Helsinki is northernmost national capital on European continent

People

14 fields
Population
4,977,325
(July 1990), growth rate 0.3% (1990)

Per 1,000 population(1990)

Birth
13Death
10

Religion

Evangelical Lutheran 97%Eastern Orthodox 1.2%other 1.8%
Literacy
100%
almost

Net migration rate

NEGL migrants/1,000 population (1990)

Infant mortality rate

6 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)

Life expectancy at birth

71 years male, 80 years female (1990)

Total fertility rate

1.7 children born/woman (1990)

Nationality

noun--Finn(s); adjective--Finnish

Ethnic divisions

Finn, Swede, Lapp, Gypsy, Tatar

Language

93.5% Finnish, 6.3% Swedish (both official); small Lapp- and Russian-speaking minorities

Labor force

2,556,000; 33.1% services, 22.9% mining and manufacturing, 13.8% commerce, 10.3% agriculture, forestry, and fishing, 7.2% construction, 7.1% transportation and communications (1989 est.)

Organized labor

80% of labor force

Government

Republic

18 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

48%
Mauno Koivisto 48%Paavo Vayrynen 20%Harri Holkeri 18%31 January-1 February and 15 February 1988 (next to be held January 1994)

Parliament, 200 seats, elected 15-16 March 1987one dot, one seat

Social Democratic 56Center-Liberal People's 40People's Democratic League 16Swedish People's 13Rural 9Finnish Christian League 5

Long-form name

Republic of Finland

Type

republic

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)

Constitution

17 July 1919

National holiday

Independence Day, 6 December (1917)

Executive branch

president, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Council of State (Valtioneuvosto)

Legislative branch

unicameral Parliament (Eduskunta)

Judicial branch

  • Supreme Court (Korkein Oikeus) Chief of State--President Mauno KOIVISTO (since 27 January 1982);
  • Head of Government--Prime Minister Harri HOLKERI (since 30 April 1987);
  • Deputy Prime Minister Pertti PAASIO (since NA January 1989)

Political parties and leaders

  • Social Democratic Party, Pertti Paasio;
  • Center Party, Paavo Vayrynen;
  • People's Democratic League (majority Communist front), Reijo Kakela;
  • National Coalition (Conservative) Party, Ilkka Suominen;
  • Liberal People's Party, Kyosti Lallukka;
  • Swedish People's Party, Christoffer Taxell;
  • Rural Party, leader NA

Suffrage

  • universal at age 18 President--last held 31 January-1 February and 15 February 1988 (next to be held January 1994);
  • results--Mauno Koivisto 48%, Paavo Vayrynen 20%, Harri Holkeri 18%;
  • Parliament--last held 15-16 March 1987 (next to be held March 1991);
  • results--Social Democratic 24.3%, National Coalition (Conservative) 23.9%, Center-Liberal People's 18.6%, People's Democratic League 9.4%, Rural 6.3%, Swedish People's 5.3%, Democratic Alternative 4.3%, Green League 4.0%, Finnish Christian League 2.6%, Finnish Pensioners 1.2%, Constitutional Rightist 0.1%;
  • seats--(200 total) Social Democratic 56, National Coalition (Conservative) 53, Center-Liberal People's 40, People's Democratic League 16, Swedish People's 13, Rural 9, Finnish Christian League 5;
  • Democratic Alternative 4, Green League 4

Communists

28,000 registered members; an additional 45,000 persons belong to People's Democratic League

Other political or pressure groups

  • Finnish Communist Party (majority Communist faction), Jarmo Wahlstrom;
  • Finnish Communist Party-Unity (minority faction), Esko-Juhani Tennila;
  • Democratic Alternative (minority Communist front), Kristiina Halkola;
  • Finnish Christian League, Esko Almgren;
  • Constitutional Rightist Party;
  • Finnish Pensioners Party;
  • Green League, Heidi Hautala;
  • Communist Workers Party, Timo Lahdenmaki

Member of

ADB, CCC, CEMA (special cooperation agreement), DAC, EC (free trade agreement), EFTA, ESA (associate), FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, ICES, ICO, IDA, IDB--Inter-American Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, ILZSG, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, ITU, IWC--International Wheat Council, Nordic Council, OECD, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG

Diplomatic representation

  • Ambassador Jukka VALTASAARI;
  • Chancery at 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington DC 20016;
  • telephone (202) 363-2430;
  • there are Finnish Consulates General in Los Angeles and New York, and Consulates in Chicago and Houston;
  • US--Ambassador John G. WEINMANN;
  • Embassy at Itainen Puistotie 14ASF-00140, Helsinki (mailing address is APO New York 09664);
  • telephone [358] (0) 171931

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

Finland has a highly industrialized, largely free market economy, with per capita output nearly three-fourths the US figure.

16 fields
GDP, purchasing power parity
$74.4billion
per capita $15,000; real growth rate 4.6% (1989 est.)
External debt
$5.3billion
(1989)

Budget

Revenues
$28.3 billionExpenditures
$28.1 billion
expenditures, including capital expenditures of $NA billion (1988 est.)

Overview

Finland has a highly industrialized, largely free market economy, with per capita output nearly three-fourths the US figure. Its main economic force is the manufacturing sector--principally the wood, metals, and engineering industries. Trade is important, with the export of goods representing about 25% of GNP. Except for timber and several minerals, Finland depends on imported raw materials, energy, and some components of manufactured goods.

Because of the climate, agricultural development is limited to maintaining self-sufficiency in basic commodities. Economic prospects are generally bright, the main shadow being the increasing pressures on wages and prices.

Exports

  • $22.2 billion (f.o.b., 1988);
  • commodities--timber, paper and pulp, ships, machinery, clothing and footwear;
  • partners--EC 44.2% (UK 13.0%, FRG 10.8%), USSR 14.9%, Sweden 14.1%, US 5.8%

Imports

  • $22.0 billion (c.i.f., 1988);
  • commodities--foodstuffs, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, transport equipment, iron and steel, machinery, textile yarn and fabrics, fodder grains;
  • partners--EC 43.5% (FRG 16.9%, UK 6.8%), Sweden 13.3%, USSR 12.1%, US 6.3%

Industrial production

growth rate 4.3% (1989)

Electricity

13,324,000 kW capacity; 49,330 million kWh produced, 9,940 kWh per capita (1989)

Industries

metal manufacturing and shipbuilding, forestry and wood processing (pulp, paper), copper refining, foodstuffs, textiles, clothing

Agriculture

  • accounts for 8% of GNP (including forestry);
  • livestock production, especially dairy cattle, predominates;
  • forestry is an important export earner and a secondary occupation for the rural population;
  • main crops--cereals, sugar beets, potatoes;
  • 85% self-sufficient, but short of food and fodder grains;
  • annual fish catch about 160,000 metric tons

Aid

donor--ODA and OOF commitments (1970-87), $1.7 billion

Currency

markka (plural--markkaa); 1 markka (FMk) or Finmark = 100 pennia

Exchange rates

markkaa (FMk) per US$1--4.0022 (January 1990), 4.2912 (1989), 4.1828 (1988), 4.3956 (1987), 5.0695 (1986), 6.1979 (1985)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

9 fields

Merchant marine, 82 ships by typeone square, one ship

passenger 1short-sea passenger 11cargo 18refrigerated cargo 1roll-on/roll-off cargo 24petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker 12chemical tanker 5liquefied gas 2bulk 7combination bulk 182 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 737,811 GRT/764,695 DWT

Airports, 160 total, 157 usable

permanent-surface runways
56runways over 3,659 m
nonerunways 2,440-3,659 m
23runways 1,220-2,439 m
22

Networkskm

Railroads
5,924Inland waterways
6,675
Railroads: ; Finnish State Railways (VR) operate a total of 5,863 km 1.524-meter gauge, of which 480 km are multiple track and 1,445 km are electrified · Inland waterways: (including Saimaa Canal); 3,700 km suitable for steamers

Railroads

5,924 km total; Finnish State Railways (VR) operate a total of 5,863 km 1.524-meter gauge, of which 480 km are multiple track and 1,445 km are electrified

Highways

  • about 103,000 km total, including 35,000 km paved (bituminous, concrete, bituminous-treated surface) and 38,000 km unpaved (stabilized gravel, gravel, earth);
  • additional 30,000 km of private (state-subsidized) roads

Inland waterways

6,675 km total (including Saimaa Canal); 3,700 km suitable for steamers

Pipelines

natural gas, 580 km

Ports

Helsinki, Oulu, Pori, Rauma, Turku; 6 secondary, numerous minor ports

Civil air

39 major transport

Telecommunications

  • good service from cable and radio relay network;
  • 3,140,000 telephones;
  • stations--4 AM, 42 (101 relays) FM, 79 (195 relays) TV;
  • 2 submarine cables;
  • satellite service via Swedish earth stations;
  • satellite earth stations--2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1 EUTELSAT

Defense Forces

Army, Navy, Air Force

3 fields

Military manpower

males 15-49
1,312,941fit for military service
1,091,416reach military age (17) annually
32,288
Defense expenditures
1.5%of GDP
(1989 est.)

Branches

Army, Navy, Air Force

Central Intelligence Agency. “Finland.” The World Factbook 1990. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/finland/1990.

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