Finland

Republic of FinlandSuomen Tasavalta

republicIndependence 6 December 1917 (from Russia)

Finland as the 2003 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 121 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

Position64 00 N, 26 00 E

Area337,030 sq km

LocationNorthern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, and Gulf of Finland, between Sweden and Russia

Populationas each edition published it

5.19 million July 2003 est. · 4.98m in 1990

Population growth% a year

0.14% 2003 est. · 0.37% in 1993

Median ageyears

40.3 years 2002 · 44 yrs in 2025

Life expectancyyears at birth

77.92 years 2003 est. · 75.65 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

1.7 children per woman 2003 est. · 1.7 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

3.73 deaths per 1,000 live births 2003 est. · 6 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$25,800 2002 est. · $15,900 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

1.6% 2002 est. · -3.5% in 1993

Introduction

1 field

Background

Finland was a province and then a grand duchy under Sweden from the 12th to the 19th centuries and an autonomous grand duchy of Russia after 1809. It finally won its complete independence in 1917. During World War II, it was able to successfully defend its freedom and resist invasions by the Soviet Union - albeit with some loss of territory. In the subsequent half century, the Finns made a remarkable transformation from a farm/forest economy to a diversified modern industrial economy; per capita income is now on par with Western Europe. As a member of the European Union, Finland was the only Nordic state to join the euro system at its initiation in January 1999.

Geography

Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, and Gulf of Finland, between Sweden and Russia

18 fields

Land useshare of 337,030 sq km

arable land 6.98%permanent crops 0.01%other 93.01% (1998 est.)irrigated 640 sq km (1998 est.)

Area

337,030sq km

water: 31,560 sq kmland: 305,470 sq kmslightly smaller than Montana

Coastline

1,126km

(excludes islands and coastal indentations)continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitationexclusive fishing zone: 12 NM; extends to continental shelf boundary with Swedenterritorial sea: 12 NM (in the Gulf of Finland - 3 NM)

Highest point

1,328m

Haltilowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m

Land boundaries

2,628km

border countries: Norway 729 km, Sweden 586 km, Russia 1,313 km

Location

Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, and Gulf of Finland, between Sweden and Russia

Geographic coordinates

64 00 N, 26 00 E

Map references

Europe

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

Natural hazards

Environment - current issues

air pollution from manufacturing and power plants contributing to acid rain;
water pollution from industrial wastes, agricultural chemicals;
habitat loss threatens wildlife populations

Environment - international agreements

party to:: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified:: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Geography - note

long boundary with Russia;
Helsinki is northernmost national capital on European continent;
population concentrated on small southwestern coastal plain

People

19 fields

Population

5,190,785

(July 2003 est.)growth rate: 0.14% (2003 est.)

Per 1,000 population(2003 est.)

Birth

10.54Death

9.82Net migration

0.63

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (2003 est.)77.92

74.28 · 81.68Infant mortality deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)3.73

4.21 · 3.23

TotalMale · femaleMedian age years (2002)40.3

38.8 · 41.8

MaleFemale

Ethnic groups

Finn 93%Swede 6%Sami 0.11%Roma 0.12%Tatar 0.02%

Religions

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

Age structure

0-14 years:: 17.7% (male 468,077; female 450,785)
15-64 years:: 66.9% (male 1,753,760; female 1,719,253)
65 years and over:: 15.4% (male 312,883; female 486,027) (2003 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth:: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years:: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years:: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over:: 0.64 male(s)/female
total population:: 0.95 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.7 children born/woman (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

1,200 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

less than 100 (2001 est.)

Nationality

noun:: Finn(s)
adjective:: Finnish

Languages

Finnish 93.4% (official), Swedish 5.9% (official), small Sami- and Russian-speaking minorities

Literacy

definition:: age 15 and over can read and write
total population:: 100% (1980 est.)
male:: NA%
female:: NA%

Government

Republic; President Tarja HALONEN (since 1 March 2000); Prime Minister Matti VANHANEN (since 24 June 2003) and Deputy Prime Minister Antti KALLIOMAKI (since 17 April 2003)

17 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

51.6%

Tarja HALONEN (SDP) 51.6%Esko AHO (Kesk) 48.4%election last held 16 January 2000 and 6 February 2000 (next to be held NA February 2006)

Parliament or Eduskunta, 200 seats, elected 16 March 2003one dot, one seat

Kesk 55SDP 53Kok 40VAS 19VIHR 14KD 7SFP 8others 4

Percent of vote

Kesk 24.7%SDP 24.5%Kok 18.5%VAS 9.9%VIHR 8%KD 5.3%SFP 4.6%

Country name

conventional long form:: Republic of Finland
conventional short form:: Finland
local short form:: Suomi
local long form:: Suomen Tasavalta

Government type

republic

Capital

Helsinki

Administrative divisions

6 provinces (laanit, singular - laani); Aland, Etela-Suomen Laani, Ita-Suomen Laani, Lansi-Suomen Laani, Lappi, Oulun Laani

Independence

6 December 1917 (from Russia)

National holiday

Independence Day, 6 December (1917)

Constitution

1 March 2000

Legal system

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

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

chief of state:: President Tarja HALONEN (since 1 March 2000)
head of government:: Prime Minister Matti VANHANEN (since 24 June 2003) and Deputy Prime Minister Antti KALLIOMAKI (since 17 April 2003);
note - former Prime Minister Anneli JAATTEENMAKI resigned
cabinet:: Council of State or Valtioneuvosto appointed by the president, responsible to Parliament
elections:: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term;
election last held 16 January 2000 and 6 February 2000 (next to be held NA February 2006);
prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed from the majority party by the president after parliamentary elections

note: government coalition - KESK, SDP, and SFP

election results:: Tarja HALONEN elected president; percent of vote - Tarja HALONEN (SDP) 51.6%, Esko AHO (Kesk) 48.4%

Legislative branch

unicameral Parliament or Eduskunta (200 seats; members are elected by popular vote on a proportional basis to serve four-year terms)

election results:: percent of vote by party - Kesk 24.7%, SDP 24.5%, Kok 18.5%, VAS 9.9%, VIHR 8%, KD 5.3%, SFP 4.6%;
seats by party - Kesk 55, SDP 53, Kok 40, VAS 19, VIHR 14, KD 7, SFP 8, others 4
elections:: last held 16 March 2003 (next to be held NA March 2007)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court or Korkein Oikeus (judges appointed by the president)

Political parties and leaders

Center Party or Kesk [Matti VANHANEN];
Christian Democrats or KD [Bjarne KALLIS];
Green League or VIHR [Osmo SOININVAARA];
Left Alliance or VAS (Communist) composed of People's Democratic League and Democratic Alternative [Suvi-Anne SIIMES];
National Coalition (conservative) Party or Kok [Ville ITALA];
Social Democratic Party or SDP [Paavo LIPPONEN];
Swedish People's Party or SFP [Jan-Erik ENESTAM]

International organization participation

AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM (guest), NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOGIP, UNMOP, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WEU (observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission:: Ambassador Jukka Robert VALTASAARI
consulate(s) general:: Los Angeles and New York
FAX:: [1] (202) 298-6030
telephone:: [1] (202) 298-5800
chancery:: 3301 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission:: Ambassador Bonnie McELVEEN-HUNTER
embassy:: Itainen Puistotie 14A, FIN-00140, Helsinki
mailing address:: APO AE 09723
telephone:: [358] (9) 616250
FAX:: [358] (9) 174681

Flag description

white with a blue cross extending 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 roughly that of the UK, France, Germany, and Italy.

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Real growth rate

1.6%

(2002 est.)industrial production growth: 5% (2002 est.)

Inflation, consumer prices

1.9%

(2002 est.)

Unemployment rate

8.5%

(2002 est.)

Labor force

2.6million

(2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector(2002 est.)

agriculture 4%industry 34%services 62% (2002 est.)

Trading partnersexports left, imports right

11.8%

Germany

14.5%

8.5%

Sweden

10.9%

6.6%

Russia

9.9%

9.6%

5.7%

4.6%

Netherlands

4.5%

France

4.3%

Denmark

4.2%

Exports $40.1 billion f.o.b. (2002)Imports $31.8 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)(2002)

Budget

Revenues

$36.1 billionExpenditures

$31 billion (2000 est.)

expenditures including capital expenditures of $NA

Electricity

fossil fuel 39%hydro 18.7%other 11.8% (2001)nuclear 30.4%

Electricity production

71.2 billion (2001)Electricity consumption

76.18 billion (2001)Electricity exports

1.81 billion (2001)Electricity imports

11.77 billion (2001)

Economy - overview

Finland has a highly industrialized, largely free-market economy, with per capita output roughly that of the UK, France, Germany, and Italy. Its key economic sector is manufacturing - principally the wood, metals, engineering, telecommunications, and electronics industries. Trade is important, with exports equaling almost one-third of GDP. Except for timber and several minerals, Finland depends on imports of raw materials, energy, and some components for manufactured goods.

Because of the climate, agricultural development is limited to maintaining self-sufficiency in basic products. Forestry, an important export earner, provides a secondary occupation for the rural population. Rapidly increasing integration with Western Europe - Finland was one of the 11 countries joining the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) on 1 January 1999 - will dominate the economic picture over the next several years. Growth in 2003 was held back by the global slowdown but will pick up in 2004 provided the world economy suffers no further blows.

GDP

purchasing power parity - $133.8 billion (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $25,800 (2002 est.)

Population below poverty line

NA%

Distribution of family income - Gini index

25.6 (1991)

Labor force - by occupation

public services 32%, industry 22%, commerce 14%, finance, insurance, and business services 10%, agriculture and forestry 8%, transport and communications 8%, construction 6%

Industries

metal products, electronics, shipbuilding, pulp and paper, copper refining, foodstuffs, chemicals, textiles, clothing

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption

211,400 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports

101,000 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports

318,300 bbl/day (2001)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - consumption

4.557 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports

4.567 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Agriculture - products

barley, wheat, sugar beets, potatoes;
dairy cattle;
fish

Exports

$40.1 billion f.o.b. (2002)

Exports - commodities

machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals; timber, paper, pulp (1999)

Imports

$31.8 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Imports - commodities

foodstuffs, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, transport equipment, iron and steel, machinery, textile yarn and fabrics, grains (1999)

Debt - external

$30 billion (December 1993)

Economic aid - donor

ODA, $379 million (2001)

Currency

euro (EUR)

note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries;

on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries

Currency code

EUR

Exchange rates

euros per US dollar - 1.06 (2002), 1.12 (2001), 1.09 (2000), 0.94 (1999)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

8 fields

Mobile cellular

3,728,600

(2001)

Internet users

(2002)

Fixed lines

2,847,900

(2001) · country code .fi

Telephone system

general assessment:: modern system with excellent service
domestic:: cable, microwave radio relay, and an extensive cellular net provide domestic needs
international:: 1 submarine cable;
satellite earth stations - access to Intelsat transmission service via a Swedish satellite earth station, 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions);
note - Finland shares the Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic countries (Denmark, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 2, FM 186, shortwave 1 (1998)

Television broadcast stations

120 (plus 431 repeaters) (1999)

Internet users

2.69 million (2002)

Transportation

9 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right

over 3,047 m

2,438 to 3,047 m

1,524 to 2,437 m

914 to 1,523 m

under 914 m

Paved 74Unpaved 76

Networkskm

Highways

77,943Railways

5,850Waterways

6,675

Highways: paved: 50,305 km (including 750 km of expressways) · unpaved: 27,688 km (2001) · Railways: broad gauge: 5,850 km 1.524-m gauge (2,400 km electrified) (2002) · Waterways: note: includes Saimaa Canal; 3,700 km suitable for large ships

Railways

total:: 5,850 km
broad gauge:: 5,850 km 1.524-m gauge (2,400 km electrified) (2002)

Highways

total:: 77,943 km
paved:: 50,305 km (including 750 km of expressways)
unpaved:: 27,688 km (2001)

Waterways

6,675 km note: includes Saimaa Canal; 3,700 km suitable for large ships

Pipelines

gas 694 km (2003)

Ports and harbors

Hamina, Helsinki, Kokkola, Kotka, Loviisa, Oulu, Pori, Rauma, Turku, Uusikaupunki, Varkaus

Merchant marine

total:: 93 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,181,687 GRT/1,185,653 DWT
ships by type:: bulk 9, cargo 24, chemical tanker 5, container 1, passenger 2, petroleum tanker 11, roll on/roll off 32, short-sea passenger 9

note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Germany 1, Sweden 1 (2002 est.)

Airports

150 (2002)

Military

Army, Navy, Air Force, Frontier Guard (including Sea Guard)

7 fields

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

(FY98/99)

Transnational Issues

1 field

Disputes - international

none

Central Intelligence Agency. “Finland.” The World Factbook 2003. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/finland/2003.

How to cite ← 2002 edition 2004 edition →