Welcome to Finland!

Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a N N N Nordic country s ss situated in Northern Europe.

Finland is the seventh largest country in Europe. It has borders with SWEDEN to the west, RUSSIAR to the east, and NORWAY to the north.

The total area of the country is about square kilometers. The south and west coasts of Finland are washed by the Baltic Sea. Finland is a country of forests, islands and lakes.

Finland - republic. The executive authority in the country belongs to the president. The president is selected on six-year term by direct national voting. The executive authority in the country is carried out by the government which consists of the prime minister and necessary number of ministers. The executive authority in the country belongs to the president. The president is selected on six-year term by direct national voting. The executive authority in the country is carried out by the government which consists of the prime minister and necessary number of ministers.

The state organisation is divided into six administrative provincessix administrative provinces : six administrative provinces Southern Finland Southern Finland Southern Finland Southern Finland Western Finland Western Finland Western Finland Western Finland Eastern Finland Eastern Finland Eastern Finland Eastern Finland Oulu Oulu Oulu Lapland Lapland Lapland Åland Åland Åland Finland is a small country but with great history and wonderful people.

Each of them has its own language and culture. Most of the p p p p eeee oooo pppp llll eeee speak Finnish as their m m m m m oooo tttt hhhh eeee rrrr tttt oooo nnnn gggg uuuu eeee. The second official language, S S S S S wwww eeee dddd iiii ssss hhhh, is spoken natively by a p p p p eeee rrrr cccc eeee nnnn tttt minority. A AA All Finnish children have to learn both Swedish and Finnish at school. 5,219,732 people live in Finland. There are three different groups of people, and the Sami. the Finn, the Swede

8 000 Sami Lapps live in Finland. They have their own language, history and culture. They keep their old traditions all the time.

The majority of the population is concentrated in the southern part of the country. The biggest and the most important cities in Finland are Helsinki, Vantaa, Espoo. But lots of Finns prefer to live in the suburbs of Helsinki in small wooden houses. HelsinkiVantaa EspooHelsinkiVantaa Espoo

Helsinki! Helsinki is the capital of Finland. It is the seat of the government, a great business and cultural centre.

The largest and the best theatres, museums, cinemas, hotels, restaurants are situated here. There are many places of interest in Helsinki. The largest and the best theatres, museums, cinemas, hotels, restaurants are situated here.

Suomenlinna is one of the greatest Sea Fortress in the world. It is the peace of Finish history.

Helsinki is famous for its beautiful fountains and parks.

LINNANMAKI AMUSEMENT PARK The Linnanmaki park is the oldest amusement park in Finland. More than one million visitors enjoy this beautiful park on the top of the hill every year. There are plenty of rides, both brand new and popular oldies.

Climate The geographical position of Finland is between 60th and 70th northern parallels. It is a snows zone. The climate in Finland is northern. There are cold winters and warm summers here. You can see north night and north light here.

Finish summers are usually short with strong winds. The north regions of the Arctic Circle are characterized by 'polar days', when the sun does not set at all.

The north regions of the Arctic Circle are characterized by 'polar night', when the sun does not rise above the horizon at all. The polar night lasts for 51 days.

In Lapland it is possible to see the Northern Lights nearly every evening. It is a colorful light phenomenon. North radiance is the nature’s most beautiful light show. This phenomenon is also known as the Northern Lights.

There are different species of plants and animals in Finland. The number of species in Finland is not large but very impressive. Most of the plants and animals are well adapted to the contrasting seasons and extreme cold weather. Nature

Wild animals Finland is one of the countries where it is possible to meet different kinds of wild animals. In the north of the country there are a lot of Gray wolves who hunt on deer herds. You can see such animals as Lynx and Brown bears, Arctic foxes and beautiful Seals in the lakes.

The most common animal is reindeer. There are about reindeers in Finland.

the willow grouse and the Siberian jay. There are 350 species of birds, most of them migratory. Original species include the rough- legged buzzard, the golden plover, the snow bunting,

More than 70 species of fish swim in the rich waters of the Finland. The most important is the red-fleshed salmon. The salmon is a migratory fish, which is born in a river, migrates to the sea and in late autumn returns to its native waters to spawn.

There is the oldest pine in Finland. It is 780 years old. There are many different kinds of forests: great old-growth forests, herb-rich forests, dry forests and others.

National parks in Finland are large nature conservation areas, which open for all to see and enjoy nature.

There are many kinds of activities in Finland.

husky- and snowmobile safaris, ice carting, snow carting.

Christmas is a family holiday. In October in all cities people buy decorations for Christmas tree. Finns put great Christmas tree on Senate square in Helsinki and all the children can decorate it. Finns prefer to celebrate the «Great night» at home. Christmas.

Joulupukki receives letters from the children.

«Simo builds bridges». It is a holyday which Finns celebrate on the 28th of October. On this day lakes and rivers are covered with ice. In cities people make skating rings, make concerts and fireworks. Simo day.

Finns celebrate Easter too. Preparation begins in the evening «Clear Thursday». On «Clear Thursday» all people buy things for holiday, bake Easter cake and paint eggs. Many Finns prefer to spend Easter in the country. Easter.

Father's Day in Finland. Father 's Day in Finland has been celebrated since 1970 year. On this day children prepare presents for fathers and congratulate them. But since 1979 on this day flags are lifted all over the country, because Finns are proud of their fathers.

Mother's Day in Finland. Mother's Day has been celebrated in Finland since It is on the second Sunday of May. Women get presents from their children on this Day. Women are usually presented with flowers and cards, made by their children. All children thank their mothers on this day.

The true fans of this fish live in Finland. Every year at the beginner of October all fans of herring go to the «Fish fair» in Helsinki. It is a famous festival in Finland. «Fish fair» Kauppatori or Fish Market in Helsinki.

A Mommy world.

Finland is very beautiful country!

Welcome to Finland!