Finland Map

Finland (Finnish: Suomi, Swedish: Finland) is a country with vast areas of unspoiled nature speckled with comfortable small towns and cities. Scraped flat by sheets of ice during several ice ages, Finland lacks the dramatic mountains and fjords of its Nordic neighbours but makes up for it with 188,000 lakes and a similar number of islands. Finland extends into the Arctic, where the Northern Lights and the Midnight Sun can be seen. The mythical mountain of Korvatunturi is said to be the home of Santa Claus, and there is a Santaland in Rovaniemi.

While Finland is a high-technology welfare state, Finns love to head to their summer cottages in the warmer months to enjoy all manner of relaxing pastimes including sauna, swimming, fishing and barbecuing during the short but bright summer. Finland has a distinctive language and culture that sets it apart from both Scandinavia and Russia. While Finnish culture is ancient, the country only became independent in 1917, shortly after the collapse of the Russian Empire.