Portal:Finland

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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. Finland covers an area of 338,145 square kilometres (130,559 sq mi) and has a population of 5.6 million. Helsinki is the capital and largest city. The vast majority of the population are ethnic Finns. Finnish and Swedish are the official languages, with Swedish being the native language of 5.1% of the population. Finland's climate varies from humid continental in the south to boreal in the north. The land cover is predominantly boreal forest biome, with more than 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 the Swedish Empire as a result of the Northern Crusades. In 1809, as a result of the Finnish War, Finland was captured from Sweden and became a Grand Duchy of Finland, an autonomous state ruled by the Russian Empire. During this period, Finnish art flourished and the idea of full independence began to take hold. In 1906, Finland became the first European state to grant universal suffrage, and the first in the world to give all adult citizens the right to run for public office. Following the Russian Revolution of 1917, Finland declared its full independence. In 1918 the young nation was divided by the Finnish Civil War. During World War II, Finland fought against the Soviet Union in the Winter War and the Continuation War, and later against Nazi Germany in the Lapland War. As a result, it lost parts of its territory but retained its independence. (Full article...)

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Turku (/ˈtʊərkuː/ TOOR-koo; Finnish: [ˈturku] ^ⓘ; Swedish: Åbo, Finland Swedish: [ˈoːbu] ^ⓘ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Southwest Finland. It is located on the southwestern coast of the country at the mouth of the River Aura. The population of Turku is approximately Expression error: Unrecognized punctuation character ""., while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately 311,000. It is the th most populous municipality in Finland, and the third most populous urban area in the country after Helsinki and Tampere.

Turku is Finland's oldest city. It is not known when Turku was granted city status. Pope Gregory IX first mentioned the town of Aboa in his Bulla in 1229, and this year is now used as the founding year of the city. Turku was the most important city in the eastern part of the Kingdom of Sweden (today's Finland). After the Finnish War, Finland became an autonomous Grand Duchy of the Russian Empire in 1809, and Turku became the capital of the Grand Duchy. However, Turku lost its status as capital only three years later in 1812, when Tsar Alexander I of Russia decided to move the capital to Helsinki. It was only after the last great fire in 1827 that most government institutions were moved to Helsinki along with the Royal Academy of Turku, founded in 1640, which later became the University of Helsinki, thus consolidating Helsinki's position as the new capital. Turku was Finland's most populous city until the late 1840s and remains the regional capital, an important business and cultural centre, and a port. (Full article...)

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Mika Häkkinen driving a Mercedes-Benz DTM racing car at Stars and Cars in Stuttgart, Germany.

Did you know (auto-generated)

... 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 Matti Lehtinen, a baritone of the Finnish National Opera and professor of singing at the Sibelius Academy, was the voice of God at age 93?
... that Finnish linguist Eeva Leinonen was one of four women to be inaugurated as heads of Irish universities in 2021, the others being Maggie Cusack, Linda Doyle and Kerstin Mey?
... that Theodolinda Hahnsson is the first known Finnish-language female author?
... that the 1992 documentary film Daddy and the Muscle Academy, which focuses on the life of gay erotic artist Tom of Finland, has been broadcast on Finnish television multiple times?
... that the United States severed diplomatic ties with Finland in 1944 because of a personal letter sent to Hitler?

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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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...the Finnish Air Force selected the Saab 91 Safir as its primary trainer aircraft over the domestic Valmet Tuuli III?
...that the Kaleva, a Finnish passenger plane carrying diplomatic post, was shot down by Soviet bombers in an act of aggression?
...that the majority of Assyrians in Finland live in Oulu, the sixth largest city in the country?
...that Finland was close to becoming an independent kingdom in 1742?
...that the Saint Petersburg–Hiitola railroad was completed by 1917, but a year later the Finnish Civil War caused traffic to stop, with a mile of track removed?

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Colours of Defence Command

The Finnish Defence Intelligence Agency (Finnish: Puolustusvoimien tiedustelulaitos, PVTIEDL; Fenno-Swedish: Försvarsmaktens underrättelsetjänst) is the combined signals (SIGINT), geospatial (GEOINT) and imagery intelligence (IMINT) agency of the Finnish Defence Forces. Operational since 2014, its responsibility is to support the defence of Finland through information gathering and analysis as an intelligence agency, organic to the Intelligence Division of Defence Command.

PVTIEDL's SIGINT history can be traced back to the establishment of Finnish radio intelligence in 1927 by Reino Hallamaa, a Defence Command intelligence officer, while its GEOINT history starts from 1812 with the establishment of the Haapaniemi military surveying school and topographical service. The successes of its predecessors are considered instrumental in key battles of the Winter and Continuation War during 1939–1944, such as intelligence at the largest battle in the history of Nordic countries, the Battle of Tali-Ihantala. (Full article...)

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General images

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

Image 1The Finno-Soviet Treaty (from History of Finland)
Image 2Finnish Guards' Rifle Battalion, 1850s (from History of Finland)
Image 3Uspenski Cathedral in Helsinki (from Culture of Finland)
Image 4Imagery collage of Birger Jarl conquering Häme and the construction of Häme Castle (from History of Finland)
Image 5The 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 6Alvar Aalto, Viipuri Library (1927–35) (from Culture of Finland)
Image 7Finland Ostrobothnia regiment uniforms in 1705 (from History of Finland)
Image 8Students on Helsinki's Esplanadi wearing their caps on Vappu (from Culture of Finland)
Image 9Badge of the Finnish White/Civil Guard (from History of Finland)
Image 10Kreeta Haapasalo Playing the Kantele in a Peasant Cottage (1868), by Robert Wilhelm Ekman (from History of Finland)
Image 11Finnish folk dancers in a 1907 postcard sent from Mustamäki, Finland (from Culture of Finland)
Image 12Pieces of the Antrea Net (8,300 BC), the oldest-known fishing net in the world. (from History of Finland)
Image 13Memorial of the Mannerheim Cross Knights of Parikkala, Finland (from History of Finland)
Image 14Kalmar Union in 1400s (from History of Finland)
Image 15Karjalanpiirakka, a traditional Finnish pastry (from Culture of Finland)
Image 16Identification document and tag of a Finnish war child (from History of Finland)
Image 17The Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (1865–1957), a significant figure in the history of classical music (from Culture of Finland)
Image 18The area controlled by Finland at its largest, in 1942 (from History of Finland)
Image 19A smoke sauna (savusauna) in Enonkoski (from Culture of Finland)
Image 20(1809 Diet of Porvoo) The sovereign's pledge, printed in Finnish (from History of Finland)
Image 21The ruins of Vammala burned by the Reds, during the Civil war (from History of Finland)
Image 22A reconstruction of a 12th-century Perniö costume (from History of Finland)
Image 23Eero Järnefelt, Burning the Brushwood, 1893 (from History of Finland)
Image 24Painting of Lalli killing Henry. Painting by C. A. Ekman. (from History of Finland)
Image 25Turku Cathedral and its surroundings from 1814 (from History of Finland)
Image 26Winter War Monument in Suomussalmi, Kainuu, Finland (from History of Finland)
Image 27President Urho Kekkonen's funeral procession in 1986 (from History of Finland)
Image 28Midsummer bonfire (kokko) in Mäntsälä (from Culture of Finland)
Image 29Homann'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 30In the sauna, by Pekka Halonen, 1925 (from Culture of Finland)
Image 31Paavo Nurmi at the 1920 Summer Olympics (from Culture of Finland)
Image 32Janne Ahonen is considered one of the best and most successful currently active ski jumpers. (from Culture of Finland)
Image 33Wehrmacht soldiers with a local Sámi reindeer herder, Lappland, Sodankylä, Finland 1942 (from History of Finland)
Image 34Women in sauna with Vihtas
Image 35Battle of Valkeala was part of the Russo-Swedish War (1788–1790). (from History of Finland)
Image 362007 Formula One World Champion Kimi Räikkönen celebrating victory at the 2007 Brazilian Grand Prix (from Culture of Finland)
Image 37A view of Pohjoisesplanadi in the center of Helsinki in 1891 (from History of Finland)
Image 38Northern Europe in 814 (from History of Finland)
Image 39A summer cottage (mökki) on a lake island (from Culture of Finland)
Image 40Stone Age stone axe engraved with human face found from Kiuruvesi. (from History of Finland)
Image 41Jussipaita (transl. Jussi sweater); a traditional sweater from the Finnish region of Southern Ostrobothnia (from Culture of Finland)
Image 42Captain Aarne Juutilainen at the front at Kollaa during the Winter War (from History of Finland)
Image 43Battle of Gangut (Hanko) was part of the Great Northern War during 1700–1721. (from History of Finland)
Image 44People gathered in the Senate Square for a demonstration against the February Manifesto in March 1899. (from History of Finland)
Image 45Pekka Halonen's painting "against persecutors" from 1896 depicts the warfare of the ancient Finns. (from History of Finland)
Image 46Apocalyptica's Perttu Kivilaakso playing metal music live (from Culture of Finland)
Image 47Jean Sibelius at work in his study (from History of Finland)
Image 48Linus Torvalds, a famous Fennoswede software engineer, best known for initiating the development of the Linux kernel (from Culture of Finland)
Image 49The 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 50Women dressed in Finnish folk costumes (from Culture of Finland)
Image 51An old drawing of the city of Turku in the 18th century (from History of Finland)
Image 52Grand Duchy of Finland, 75 kopek assignat (1824) (from History of Finland)
Image 53Mikael Agricola hands over the Finnish Translation of the New Testament to King Gustav Wasa. (from History of Finland)
Image 54A group of Finnish soldiers operating a Bofors gun during the Continuation War in 1943 (from History of Finland)
Image 55President K. J. Ståhlberg in his office in 1919 (from History of Finland)
Image 56Erkki Karu, one of the pioneers of the Finnish cinema, with cinematographer Eino Kari in 1927 (from Culture of Finland)
Image 57This 1825 map of the Grand Duchy of Finland is from a larger work, geographical atlas of the Russian Empire. (from History of Finland)
Image 58Kastelli Giant's Church in Pattijoki by Pöljä culture [fi] (from History of Finland)
Image 59A peasant girl and a woman in traditional dress from Ruokolahti, eastern Finland, as depicted by Severin Falkman in 1882 (from Culture of Finland)
Image 60Three Finnish Romani women in Helsinki, Finland, in 1930s (from Culture of Finland)
Image 61Stone Age dwelling named Kierikki 5000–3000 BC (from History of Finland)
Image 62The 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 63Sámi / Laplander family in traditional costumes from Finland. (from Culture of Finland)
Image 64The area of Finland in the years 1920–1940. The 1935 county and municipality division on the map. (from History of Finland)
Image 65Marshal of Finland Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim visit in Germany, 1942 (from History of Finland)
Image 66Lapua Movement supporters beating the "red officer" Eino Nieminen in front of the Vaasa courthouse during the 4 June 1930 riot. (from History of Finland)
Image 67Prehistoric red ochre painted rock art of moose, human figures, and boats in Astuvansalmi, Finland, from ca. 3800–2200 BC (from Culture of Finland)
Image 68A triptych by Akseli Gallen-Kallela, depicting the Aino Story of Kalevala on three panes (from Culture of Finland)
Image 69Map of Finnish areas ceded to the Soviet Union in 1944, after the Continuation War (from History of Finland)
Image 70S/S Urania in Hanko harbor in 1893, with 509 emigrants on board on their way to America (from History of Finland)
Image 71Ancylus Lake covered major part of Finland (7,500–6,000 BC) (from History of Finland)
Image 72In 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 73Signing the Helsinki Accords are the West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt, East Germany's leader Erich Honecker, US president Gerald Ford and the Austrian chancellor Bruno Kreisky (from History of Finland)
Image 74The part of Finland controlled by the Reds at its largest in February–March 1918 (from History of Finland)
Image 75In 2011 figure skater Kiira Korpi was ranked 4th in the world. (from Culture of Finland)
Image 76Helsinki Accords Treaty (from History of Finland)

In the news

2 April 2024 – Viertola school shooting: A student is killed and two others are injured in a shooting at a school in Vantaa, Uusimaa, Finland. A 12-year-old student is detained. (AP) (Yle)
1 March 2024 – 2024 Finnish presidential election: Alexander Stubb is sworn in as the 13th President of Finland. (Reuters)
11 February 2024 – 2024 Finnish presidential election: Alexander Stubb is elected President of Finland with 51.6% of the vote.(Yle)
27 January 2024 – Israel–Hamas war: The United Kingdom, United States, Australia, Italy, Canada, Finland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Germany suspend humanitarian aid to UNRWA over allegations that some UNRWA staff members were involved in the Hamas-led attack on Israel. (BBC News) (CBS News)
14 December 2023 – Finland–United States relations: Finland announces the creation of a defense cooperation agreement with the United States. The agreement will grant Finland access to American military resources for use in defensive operations, while the US will gain military access to Finland in the event of conflict. (Reuters)
29 November 2023 – Finland–Poland relations, Finland–Russia relations: National Security Bureau chief Jacek Siewiera announces that Poland will send "a team of military advisors" to the Finland–Russia border in response to an official request for allied support. Finland says it was unaware of the Polish offer. Russia warns against the move, viewing the concentration of troops on the border as a threat. (Reuters)

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Albert Edelfelt - Louis Pasteur - 1885
Anefo 932-2378 Keke Rosberg, Zandvoort, 03-07-1982 - Restoration
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FIN-A36b-Finlands Bank-20 Markkaa (1862)
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Helsinki July 2013-14
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Kolmen valtakunnan rajapyykki 27.4.1945
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Neste Oil Rally 2010 - Jari-Matti Latvala in shakedown
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Albert Edelfelt - Louis Pasteur - 1885
Anefo 932-2378 Keke Rosberg, Zandvoort, 03-07-1982 - Restoration
FIN-A36b-Finlands Bank-20 Markkaa (1862)
Hankopan
Helsinki July 2013-14
Helsinki July 2013-27a
Kaleva Church 4
Kolmen valtakunnan rajapyykki 27.4.1945
Lutheran Cathedral Helsinki edit
Makasiinit tulessa
Neste Oil Rally 2010 - Jari-Matti Latvala in shakedown
Nils Torvalds MEP, Strasbourg - Diliff
Peugeot 206 WRC
Rally Finland 2010 - shakedown - Nasser Al-Attiyah 1
Scandinavia.TMO2003050
Silja Serenade in Stockholm
VR Sr1 3015 Kuopio Drawbridge
Vexi Salmi

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