Facts about Finland

Finland (Finnish name Suomi) is a republic which became a member of the European Union in 1995. Its population is 5.3 million. The capital Helsinki has 561 000 residents. Finland is an advanced industrial economy: the metal, engineering and electronics industries account for about 60 % of export revenues, the forest products industry for about 20 %. Finland is one of the leading countries in Internet use. Today, there are more mobile phone than fixed network subscriptions.

Forests cover three quarters of the country's surface area of 338 000 sq. km. Other outstanding features of Finland's scenery are some 190 000 lakes and approximately as many islands. The principal archipelago and the self-governing province of the Åland Islands lie off the south-west coast while the main lake district, centred on Lake Saimaa, is in the east.

Source: http://virtual.finland.fi/netcomm/news/showarticle.asp?intNWSAID=27443