Finland

republicIndependence 6 December 1917 (from Soviet Union)

Finland as the 1991 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 68 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

Populationas each edition published it

4.99 million July 1991 · 4.98m in 1990

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 1991 · 1.7 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

6 deaths per 1,000 live births 1991 · 6 in 1990

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

10 fields

Total area

337,030km2

land area: 305,470 km2Comparative area: slightly smaller than Montana

Land boundaries

2,628km total

Norway 729 km, Sweden 586 km, USSR 1,313 km

Coastline

1,126 km excluding islands and coastal indentations Contiguous zone: 6 nm;
Continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation;
Exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm;
Territorial sea: 4 nm

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

Land use

arable land 8%;
permanent crops 0%;
meadows and pastures NEGL%;
forest and woodland 76%;
other 16%;
includes irrigated NEGL%

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

4,991,131

(July 1991), growth rate 0.3% (1991)

Per 1,000 population(1991)

Birth

12Death

Religion

Evangelical Lutheran 89%Greek Orthodox 1%none 9%other 1%

Literacy

100%

(male NA%, female NA%) age 15 and over can read and write (1980 est.)

Language

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

Labor force

2,470,000; services 38.2%, mining and manufacturing 22.7%, commerce 14.9%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing 8.8%, construction 8.0%, transportation and communications 7.2% (1989)

Government

Republic

16 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)

Eduskunta, 200 seats, elected 17 March 1991one dot, one seat

Center Party 55Social Democratic Party 48Leftist Alliance (Communist) 19Swedish People's Party 12Green League 10Finnish Christian League 8Rural 7Liberal People's Party 1

Administrative divisions

12 provinces (laanit, singular--laani); Ahvenanmaa, Hame, Keski-Suomi, Kuopio, Kymi, Lappi, Mikkeli, Oulu, Pohjois-Karjala, Turku ja Pori, Uusimaa, Vaasa

Legal system

civil law system based on Swedish law;
Supreme Court may request legislation interpreting or modifying laws;
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Executive branch

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

Judicial branch

Supreme Court (Korkein Oikeus) Chief of State--President Mauno KOIVISTO (since 27 January 1982);
Head of Government--Prime Minister Esko AHO (since 26 April 1991);
Deputy Prime Minister Ilkka KANERVA (since 26 April 1991) government coalition--Center Party, Esko AHO;
National Coalition (Conservative) Party, Ilkka SUOMINEN;
and Swedish People's Party, (Johan) Ole NORRBACK;
other parties--Social Democratic Party, Pertti PAASIO;
Leftist Alliance (Communist) consisting of People's Democratic League and Democratic Alternative, Claes ANDERSSON;
Green League, Heidi HAUTALA;
Rural Party, Heikki RIIHIJAERVI;
Finnish Christian League, Esko ALMGREN;
Liberal People's Party, Kyosti LALLUKKA

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%;
Eduskunta--last held 17 March 1991 (next to be held March 1995);
results--Center Party 24.8%, Social Democratic Party 22.1%, National Coalition (Conservative) Party 19.3%, Leftist Alliance (Communist) 10.1%, Green League 6.8%, Swedish People's Party 5.5%, Rural 4.8%, Finnish Christian League 3.1%, Liberal People's Party 0.8%;
seats--(200 total) Center Party 55, Social Democratic Party 48, National Coalition (Conservative) Party 40, Leftist Alliance (Communist) 19, Swedish People's Party 12, Green League 10, Finnish Christian League 8, Rural 7, Liberal People's Party 1

Communists

28,000 registered members;
an additional 45,000 persons belong to People's Democratic League Finnish Communist Party-Unity, Esko-Juhani TENNILA;
Constitutional Rightist Party;
Finnish Pensioners Party;
Communist Workers Party, Timo LAHDENMAKI

AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, BIS, CCC, CE, CSCE, EBRD, ECE, EFTA, ESA (associate), FAO, G-9, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM (guest), NC, NEA, NIB, OAS (observer), OECD, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIIMOG, UNMOGIP, UNTSO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

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 14A, SF-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

$77.3billion

per capita $15,500; real growth rate - 0.1% (1990)

Inflation, consumer prices

5.0%

(1991 est.)

Unemployment rate

5.7%

(1991 est.)

External debt

$5.3billion

(1989)

Budget

Revenues

$35.1 billionExpenditures

$33.1 billion

expenditures, including capital expenditures of $1.4 billion (1990)

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 30% of GDP. 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. The economy, which experienced an average of 4.9% annual growth between 1987 and 1989, leveled off in 1990 and is now in a recession facing negative growth in 1991. The clearing account system between Finland and the Soviet Union in the postwar period--mainly Soviet oil and gas for Finnish manufactured goods--had kept Finland isolated from world recessions;

the system, however, was dismantled on 1 January 1991 in favor of hard currency trade. As a result, Finland must increase its competitiveness in certain sectors, for example, textiles, foodstuffs, paper, and metals, and has already begun to shift trade westward. Finland, as a member of EFTA, is negotiating a European Economic Area arrangement with the EC which would allow for free movement of capital, goods, services, and labor within the organization.

Exports

$23.3 billion (f.o.b., 1989);
commodities--timber, paper and pulp, ships, machinery, clothing and footwear;
partners--EC 44.0% (UK 12.0%, FRG 10.8%), USSR 14.5%, Sweden 14.3%, US 6.4%

Imports

$24.4 billion (c.i.f., 1989);
commodities--foodstuffs, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, transport equipment, iron and steel, machinery, textile yarn and fabrics, fodder grains;
partners--EC 44.5% (FRG 17.3%, UK 6.6%), Sweden 13.6%, USSR 11.5%, US 6.3%

Industrial production

growth rate - 3.0% (1991 est.); accounts for 28% of GDP

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, chemicals, 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

Economic aid

donor--ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $2.7 billion

Currency

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

Exchange rates

markkaa (FMk) per US$1--3.6421 (January 1991), 3.8235 (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, 83 ships by typeone square, one ship

passenger 3short-sea passenger 10cargo 16refrigerated cargo 1roll-on/roll-off cargo 23petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker 14chemical tanker 6liquefied gas 2bulk 883 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 807,020 GRT/831,774 DWT

Airports, 160 total, 157 usable

permanent-surface runways

57runways over 3,659 m

nonerunways 2,440-3,659 m

23runways 1,220-2,439 m

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