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Location of Finland

Finland (Finnish: Suomi [ˈsuo̯mi] (listen); Swedish: Finland [ˈfɪ̌nland] (listen), Finland Swedish: [ˈfinlɑnd]), officially the Republic of Finland (Finnish: Suomen tasavalta, Swedish: Republiken Finland (listen to all)), is a Nordic country located in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the west, Russia to the east, Norway to the north, and is defined by the Gulf of Bothnia to the west, and the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea across Estonia to the south. Finland covers an area of 338,455 square kilometres (130,678 sq mi), with a population of 5.5 million. Helsinki is the country's capital and largest city. Finnish, the native language of the Finns, is among the only few Finnic languages in the world. The climate varies relative to latitude, from the southern humid continental climate to the northern boreal climate. Finland is primarily a boreal forest biome, with more than 180,000 recorded lakes.

Finland was inhabited around 9000 BC after the Last Glacial Period. The Stone Age introduced several different ceramic styles and cultures. The Bronze Age and Iron Age were characterised by extensive contacts with other cultures in Fennoscandia and the Baltic region. From the late 13th century, Finland gradually became an integral part of Sweden as a consequence of the Northern Crusades. In 1809, as a result of the Finnish War, Finland was annexed by Russia as the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland, during which Finnish art flourished and the idea of 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. Nicholas II, the last Tsar of Russia, tried to russify Finland and terminate its political autonomy, but after the 1917 Russian Revolution, Finland declared independence from Russia. In 1918, the fledgling state was divided by the Finnish Civil War. During World War II, Finland fought the Soviet Union in the Winter War and the Continuation War, and Nazi Germany in the Lapland War. After the wars, Finland lost parts of its territory, but maintained its independence. (Full article...)

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Red Guard fighters in firing line

The Battle of Ruovesi was a major battle during the Finnish Civil War and on the Eastern Front of World War I fought in Ruovesi, Finland from 5 February to 19 March 1918 between the Whites and the Reds with support from Russian volunteers.

The fighting took mostly place in the villages of Pekkala, Jäminkipohja ja Pihlajalahti in the southern part of the Ruovesi municipality. The Ruovesi village itself, and the northern parts, were held by the Whites. The Reds were aiming from the south to the Tampere–Haapamäki railway, in order to the reach the vital junction of Haapamäki, located 40 kilometres northeast of Ruovesi. Major fighting also occurred in the eastern village of Väärinmaja, but it was connected to the Battle of Vilppula. (Full article...)

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Sun setting over Lake Päijänne at Sysmä, Finland. On the right is Päijätsalo island which is part of the Päijätsalo nature park.

Did you know... - show different entries

...that according to Lapsiporno.info, a blacklist of websites compiled by the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation included those containing legal pornography?
...that Ismo Alanko Säätiö's accordionist Kimmo Pohjonen has been dubbed the "Jimi Hendrix of the accordion" by the Finnish music press?
...that the Christmas carol Personent hodie, first published in the 1582 Finnish song book Piae Cantiones, is thought to be a parody of a 12th-century carol?
...that Anssi Koivuranta is leading the 2008–09 Nordic Combined World Cup right now?
...that the Finnish tango is an established variation of the Argentine tango and one of the most enduring and popular music forms in Finland?

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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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This is a Good article, an article that meets a core set of high editorial standards.

Love Metal is the fourth studio album by Finnish gothic rock band HIM. Released on 11 April 2003, HIM began recording demos for the album in northern spring 2002, after an exhausting touring cycle for their previous album, which nearly broke the band up. Excited and invigorated by the new material, HIM entered Finnvox Studios in September 2002 with producer Hiili Hiilesmaa, who had previously helmed the group's 1997 debut album. Musically Love Metal featured a more raw and organic sound, inspired by the band's early influences, which was also seen as a reaction to the difficulties they faced while recording their previous album. Vocalist Ville Valo has since described Love Metal as the album where HIM found their sound. Love Metal was also the band's first album to predominantly feature their logo, the Heartagram, on the cover, while the album's title was coined in the mid-nineties as a description for HIM's musical genre.

Love Metal received positive reviews from critics, with many praising the songwriting and calling the album a return to form after Deep Shadows and Brilliant Highlights. The album charted in eleven countries, reaching number one in Finland and Germany, later going platinum and gold respectively. Love Metal was also the band's first album to chart in the UK and France at number 55 and 141 respectively. Three singles were released, with "The Funeral of Hearts" reaching number one on the Finnish Singles Chart. Music videos were produced for all three singles, with professional skateboarder and Jackass member Bam Margera directing two. Following the album's release, HIM toured the US for the first time, with all of the shows being sold-out. (Full article...)

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General images

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

Signing 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
The area controlled by Finland at its largest, in 1942
Stone Age stone axe engraved with human face found from Kiuruvesi.
Grand Duchy of Finland, 75 kopek assignat (1824)
The Swedish empire at its largest. Most of present-day Finland was part of Sweden proper, rike, shown in dark green.
Three Finnish Romani women in Helsinki, Finland, in 1930s.
2007 Formula One World Champion Kimi Räikkönen celebrating victory at the 2007 Brazilian Grand Prix.
A smoke sauna ("savusauna") in Enonkoski.
Midsummer bonfire ("kokko") in Mäntsälä
Paavo Nurmi at the 1920 Summer Olympics
The Antrea Net (8,300 BC) The oldest-known fishing net in the world
A summer cottage ("mökki") on a lake island
A 1730 map depicting Finland and Scandinavia region
The Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (1865–1957), a significant figure in the history of classical music.
Finnish folk dancers in a 1907 postcard sent from Mustamäki, Finland
Northern Europe in 814
Students on Helsinki's Esplanadi wearing their caps on Vappu.
A triptych by Akseli Gallen-Kallela, depicting the Aino Story of Kalevala on three panes.
Karjalanpiirakka, a traditional Finnish pastry.
Prehistoric red ochre painted rock art of moose, human figures, and boats in Astuvansalmi, Finland from ca. 3800–2200 BC.
Janne Ahonen is considered one of the best and most successful currently active ski jumpers.
Kastelli Giant's Church in Pattijoki by Pöljä Culture
Ancylus Lake covered major part of Finland (7,500–6,000 BC)
Linus Torvalds, a famous Fennoswede software engineer, best known for initiating the development of the Linux kernel.
In 2011 figure skater Kiira Korpi was ranked 4th in the world.
Apocalyptica's Perttu Kivilaakso playing metal music live.
In the sauna, by Pekka Halonen, 1925
Erkki Karu, one of the pioneers of the Finnish cinema, with cinematographer Eino Kari in 1927.
A peasant girl and a woman in traditional dress from Ruokolahti, eastern Finland, as depicted by Severin Falkman in 1882
Alvar Aalto, Viipuri Library (1927–35)
Eero Järnefelt, Burning the Brushwood, 1893
A reconstruction of a 12th-century Perniö costume

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Panorama of Lake Pielinen from a hill in Koli National Park, Finland

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