Portal:Finland

The Finland Portal

Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, opposite Estonia. Its capital and largest city is Helsinki. Finland has a population of 5.7 million. The official languages are Finnish and Swedish, the mother tongues of 83.5 percent and 5.0 percent of the population, respectively. Finland's climate varies from humid continental in the south to boreal in the north. Its land is predominantly covered by boreal forest, with over 180,000 recorded lakes.

Finland was first settled around 9000 BC after the last Ice Age. During the Stone Age, various cultures emerged, distinguished by different styles of ceramics. The Bronze Age and Iron Ages were marked by contacts with other cultures in Fennoscandia and the Baltic region. From the late 13th century, Finland became part of Sweden following the Northern Crusades. In 1809, as a result of the Finnish War, Finland was captured from Sweden and became an autonomous grand duchy within the Russian Empire. During this period, Finnish art flourished and an independence movement gradually developed. (Full article...)

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The national flag of Finland, also known in Finnish as the siniristilippu ('Blue Cross Flag'), dates from the beginning of the 20th century. The flag was adopted after independence from the Russian Empire, but its design has roots in the 19th century.

Symbolically, blue is said to represent the country's thousands of lakes and the sky, and white the snow that covers the land in winter. The colour combination has also been used historically in various Finnish provincial, military and town flags. The Nordic cross pattern connects to the shared tradition with other Nordic countries. While the cross itself is a Christian symbol and holds this meaning for some Finns, for many, the flag's primary association is with the nation's identity. (Full article...)

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Snow-covered landscape in Isokuru, Pyhä-Luosto National Park.

Did you know (auto-generated)

... that Charlotte Haining was an International Jury Member for the selection of Finland's 2020 Eurovision Song Contest entry?
... that a book about a Finnish Santa figure sold particularly well in Germany and Japan?
... that Sodankylä Old Church is one of the oldest preserved wooden churches in Finland?
... that Finnish-American model Selene Mahri married three millionaires and is credited with inventing the saying "Marriage is a question of give and take. You give. I take"?
... that the 1972 Finnish film The Sheep Eaters gathered more than a million viewers opposite the 1975 Ice Hockey World Championships match between Finland and the Soviet Union?
... that Finland won its first Olympic ice hockey medal under the leadership of Kai Hietarinta?

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You are invited to participate in Finland WikiProject, a WikiProject dedicated to developing and improving articles about Finland.

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...that the cruiseferry M/S Nordlandia (originally M/S Olau Hollandia) was built to be NATO-compatible, so that she could easily be converted to a troopship?
...that Thomas, the first known Bishop of Finland, resigned after confessing to torture and forgery?
...that the Finnish-Novgorodian wars only ended with the Swedish conquest of Finland in 1249, resulting in the Swedish–Novgorodian Wars?
...the crash of Aero Flight 311, which claimed the lives of all 25 people on board, was the worst aviation accident ever to occur in Finland?
...that some areas of the Finnish Lakeland have up to 1,000 lakes per 100 km²?

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Valo performing with Agents in 2019

Ville Hermanni Valo (pronounced [ˈʋilːe ˈʋɑlo] ^ⓘ; born 22 November 1976) is a Finnish singer, songwriter and musician. He is best known as the vocalist of the gothic rock band HIM.

Valo began his career playing bass and drums in various bands around the city. In 1991, he co-founded and became the singer and main songwriter of HIM, which would go on to become one of the most successful Finnish bands of all time and the first to receive a gold record in the United States. Outside of HIM, Valo has collaborated with various other bands and artists during his career, including Agents, The 69 Eyes, and Apocalyptica. In 2020, Valo embarked on a solo career under the moniker VV. His debut album Neon Noir was released in 2023. (Full article...)

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General images

The following are images from various Finland-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Badge of the Finnish White/Civil Guard (from History of Finland)
Image 2Finland Ostrobothnia regiment uniforms in 1705 (from History of Finland)
Image 3Painting of Lalli killing Henry. Painting by C. A. Ekman. (from History of Finland)
Image 4Pekka Halonen's painting "against persecutors" from 1896 depicts the warfare of the ancient Finns. (from History of Finland)
Image 5A summer cottage (mökki) on a lake island (from Culture of Finland)
Image 6The area of Finland in the years 1920–1940. The 1935 county and municipality division on the map. (from History of Finland)
Image 7The public education system founded during earlier Swedish rule resulted the literacy of Grand Duchy of Finland being higher than its host country Russian Empire (map of 1897 census literacy data) (from History of Finland)
Image 8Erkki Karu, one of the pioneers of the Finnish cinema, with cinematographer Eino Kari in 1927 (from Culture of Finland)
Image 9The area controlled by Finland at its largest, in 1942 (from History of Finland)
Image 10The Finno-Soviet Treaty (from History of Finland)
Image 11President K. J. Ståhlberg in his office in 1919 (from History of Finland)
Image 12Three Finnish Romani women in Helsinki, Finland, in 1930s (from Culture of Finland)
Image 13Stone Age dwelling named Kierikki 5000–3000 BC (from History of Finland)
Image 14Women dressed in Finnish folk costumes (from Culture of Finland)
Image 15Memorial of the Mannerheim Cross Knights of Parikkala, Finland (from History of Finland)
Image 16Portrait of Finnish poet Elias Lönnrot who wrote "the Kalevala" (1802 - 1884) (from History of Finland)
Image 17An old drawing of the city of Turku in the 18th century (from History of Finland)
Image 18Kastelli Giant's Church in Pattijoki by Pöljä culture [fi] (from History of Finland)
Image 19The Swedish empire at its largest. Most of present-day Finland was part of Sweden proper, rike, shown in dark green. (from History of Finland)
Image 20Students on Helsinki's Esplanadi wearing their caps on Vappu (from Culture of Finland)
Image 21A triptych by Akseli Gallen-Kallela, depicting the Aino Story of Kalevala on three panes (from Culture of Finland)
Image 22Kreeta Haapasalo Playing the Kantele in a Peasant Cottage (1868), by Robert Wilhelm Ekman (from History of Finland)
Image 23The first government of independent Finland. P. E. Svinhufvud, the first Prime Minister of Finland, sitting at the head of the table. (from History of Finland)
Image 242007 Formula One World Champion Kimi Räikkönen celebrating victory at the 2007 Brazilian Grand Prix (from Culture of Finland)
Image 25Ancylus Lake covered major part of Finland (7,500–6,000 BC) (from History of Finland)
Image 26Jean Sibelius at work in his study (from History of Finland)
Image 27Eero Järnefelt, Burning the Brushwood, 1893 (from History of Finland)
Image 28A group of Finnish soldiers operating a Bofors gun during the Continuation War in 1943 (from History of Finland)
Image 29The decision of the Soviet of the People's Comissars' to recognise Finnish independence, signed by Vladimir Lenin, Leon Trotsky, Grigory Petrovsky, Joseph Stalin, Isaac Steinberg, Vladimir Karelin, and Alexander Schlichter (from History of Finland)
Image 30Midsummer bonfire (kokko) in Mäntsälä (from Culture of Finland)
Image 31Paavo Nurmi at the 1920 Summer Olympics (from Culture of Finland)
Image 32In the middle is the patron saint of Finland, Saint Henry, on the right side of him is Bishop Konrad Bitz and on the left is Dean Magnus Stjernkors; from Missale Aboense (1488) (from History of Finland)
Image 33Kalmar Union in 1400s (from History of Finland)
Image 34Karjalanpiirakka, a traditional Finnish pastry (from Culture of Finland)
Image 35Alvar Aalto, Viipuri Library (1927–35) (from Culture of Finland)
Image 36S/S Urania in Hanko harbor in 1893, with 509 emigrants on board on their way to America (from History of Finland)
Image 37The part of Finland controlled by the Reds at its largest in February–March 1918 (from History of Finland)
Image 38Linus Torvalds, a famous Fennoswede software engineer, best known for initiating the development of the Linux kernel (from Culture of Finland)
Image 39In 2011 figure skater Kiira Korpi was ranked 4th in the world. (from Culture of Finland)
Image 40In the sauna, by Pekka Halonen, 1925 (from Culture of Finland)
Image 41This 1825 map of the Grand Duchy of Finland is from a larger work, geographical atlas of the Russian Empire. (from History of Finland)
Image 42Finnish Guards' Rifle Battalion, 1850s (from History of Finland)
Image 43Prehistoric red ochre painted rock art of moose, human figures, and boats in Astuvansalmi, Finland, from ca. 3800–2200 BC (from Culture of Finland)
Image 44The ruins of Vammala burned by the Reds, during the Civil war (from History of Finland)
Image 45Northern Europe in 814 (from History of Finland)
Image 46Homann's map of the Scandinavian Peninsula and Fennoscandia with their surrounding territories: northern Germany, northern Poland, the Baltic region, Livonia, Belarus, and parts of Northwest Russia. Johann Baptist Homann (1664–1724) was a German geographer and cartographer; map dated around 1730. (from History of Finland)
Image 47Map of Finnish areas ceded to the Soviet Union in 1944, after the Continuation War (from History of Finland)
Image 48Identification document and tag of a Finnish war child (from History of Finland)
Image 49Battle of Valkeala was part of the Russo-Swedish War (1788–1790). (from History of Finland)
Image 50A peasant girl and a woman in traditional dress from Ruokolahti, eastern Finland, as depicted by Severin Falkman in 1882 (from Culture of Finland)

In the news

31 July 2026 – Morocco–Spain relations: Austrian chancellor Christian Stocker and Finnish interior minister Mari Rantanen join Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni in calling for Spain to be suspended from the Schengen Area in response to the mass arrival of migrants in Ceuta over the last 24 hours. (AA)
8 June 2026 – Human trafficking in Finland: A Finnish court sentences former Polarica [fi] chief executive Jukka Kristo to two and a half years' imprisonment for human trafficking after finding that dozens of Thai berry pickers were subjected to forced labour and exploitative working conditions in Finland. (AFP via CNA)
29 April 2026 –: Finnish elevator manufacturer Kone announces the acquisition of its German competitor, TK Elevator, in a €29.4 billion (US$34.4 billion) deal, described by Bloomberg L.P. as one of Europe's largest private equity-related takeovers and the largest corporate acquisition in Finland. (AFP via Barron's) (Bloomberg)
29 March 2026 – Russo-Ukrainian war: Several unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are detected across southeastern Finland. One of the UAVs is identified as Ukrainian after it crashes near Kouvola. (Yle)

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