Portal:Finland

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 has a population of 5.6 million, the majority being ethnic Finns. Its capital and largest city is Helsinki. The official languages are Finnish and Swedish, the mother tongues of 84.1 percent and 5.1 percent of the population, respectively. Finland's climate varies from humid continental in the south to boreal in the north. Its land is predominantly covered by boreal forest, with over 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 Sweden following the Northern Crusades. In 1809, as a result of the Finnish War, Finland was captured from Sweden and became an autonomous grand duchy within the Russian Empire. During this period, Finnish art flourished and an independence movement gradually developed. (Full article...)

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The coat of arms of Finland is a crowned lion on a red field, the right foreleg replaced with an armoured human arm brandishing a sword, trampling on a sabre with the hindpaws. The Finnish coat of arms was originally created around the year 1580. (Full article...)

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Juuso Pykälistö in his Peugeot 206 WRC during the 2003 Swedish Rally.

Did you know (auto-generated)

... that Kaija Saariaho's 2021 opera Innocence includes traditional Finnish cow-herding calls?
... that Joe Wirkkunen coached the Finland men's national ice hockey team after receiving a recommendation from Canada?
... that among the fossils of Finland are the remains of a woolly mammoth and a woolly rhinoceros?
... that politician Kalervo Kummola introduced karaoke to Finland?
... that the filmmakers of 100 Litres of Gold brewed 20 litres of sahti at the Finnish embassy in Rome for its premiere?
... that the Grand Prix of Finland was held again in 2022 after Russia was banned from hosting international figure skating competitions?

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

Henri Pauli Toivonen (25 August 1956 – 2 May 1986) was a Finnish rally driver born in Jyväskylä, the home of Rally Finland. His father, Pauli, was the 1968 European Rally Champion for Porsche and his younger brother, Harri, became a professional circuit racer.

Toivonen's first World Rally Championship victory came with a Talbot Sunbeam Lotus at the 1980 Lombard RAC Rally in Great Britain, just after his 24th birthday. He had the record of being the youngest driver ever to win a world rally until his countryman Jari-Matti Latvala won the 2008 Swedish Rally at the age of 22. After driving for Opel and Porsche, Toivonen was signed by Lancia. Despite nearly ending up paralysed at the Rally Costa Smeralda early in 1985, he returned to rallying later that year. He won the last event of the season, the RAC Rally, as well as the 1986 season opener, the Monte Carlo Rally, which his father had won exactly 20 years earlier. (Full article...)

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General images

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

Image 1Winter War Monument in Suomussalmi, Kainuu, Finland (from History of Finland)
Image 2Pekka Halonen's painting "against persecutors" from 1896 depicts the warfare of the ancient Finns. (from History of Finland)
Image 3Identification document and tag of a Finnish war child (from History of Finland)
Image 4President Urho Kekkonen's funeral procession in 1986 (from History of Finland)
Image 5Grand Duchy of Finland, 75 kopek assignat (1824) (from History of Finland)
Image 62007 Formula One World Champion Kimi Räikkönen celebrating victory at the 2007 Brazilian Grand Prix (from Culture of Finland)
Image 7President K. J. Ståhlberg in his office in 1919 (from History of Finland)
Image 8Erkki Karu, one of the pioneers of the Finnish cinema, with cinematographer Eino Kari in 1927 (from Culture of Finland)
Image 9The public education system founded during earlier Swedish rule resulted the literacy of Grand Duchy of Finland being higher than its host country Russian Empire (map of 1897 census literacy data) (from History of Finland)
Image 10A view of Pohjoisesplanadi in the center of Helsinki in 1891 (from History of Finland)
Image 11A triptych by Akseli Gallen-Kallela, depicting the Aino Story of Kalevala on three panes (from Culture of Finland)
Image 12The area of Finland in the years 1920–1940. The 1935 county and municipality division on the map. (from History of Finland)
Image 13Painting of Lalli killing Henry. Painting by C. A. Ekman. (from History of Finland)
Image 14This 1825 map of the Grand Duchy of Finland is from a larger work, geographical atlas of the Russian Empire. (from History of Finland)
Image 15The 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 16Kalmar Union in 1400s (from History of Finland)
Image 17Marshal of Finland Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim visit in Germany, 1942 (from History of Finland)
Image 18Map of Finnish areas ceded to the Soviet Union in 1944, after the Continuation War (from History of Finland)
Image 19Battle of Gangut (Hanko) was part of the Great Northern War during 1700–1721. (from History of Finland)
Image 20Finnish Guards' Rifle Battalion, 1850s (from History of Finland)
Image 21Paavo Nurmi at the 1920 Summer Olympics (from Culture of Finland)
Image 22An old drawing of the city of Turku in the 18th century (from History of Finland)
Image 23Kreeta Haapasalo Playing the Kantele in a Peasant Cottage (1868), by Robert Wilhelm Ekman (from History of Finland)
Image 24In 2011 figure skater Kiira Korpi was ranked 4th in the world. (from Culture of Finland)
Image 25Stone Age dwelling named Kierikki 5000–3000 BC (from History of Finland)
Image 26A smoke sauna (savusauna) in Enonkoski (from Culture of Finland)
Image 27The Finno-Soviet Treaty (from History of Finland)
Image 28Janne Ahonen is considered one of the best and most successful currently active ski jumpers. (from Culture of Finland)
Image 29Midsummer bonfire (kokko) in Mäntsälä (from Culture of Finland)
Image 30In the sauna, by Pekka Halonen, 1925 (from Culture of Finland)
Image 31Portrait of Finnish poet Elias Lönnrot who wrote "the Kalevala" (1802 - 1884) (from History of Finland)
Image 32Signing 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 33The part of Finland controlled by the Reds at its largest in February–March 1918 (from History of Finland)
Image 34Linus Torvalds, a famous Fennoswede software engineer, best known for initiating the development of the Linux kernel (from Culture of Finland)
Image 35Women in sauna with Vihtas
Image 36Stone Age stone axe engraved with human face found from Kiuruvesi. (from History of Finland)
Image 37Jussipaita (transl. Jussi sweater); a traditional sweater from the Finnish region of Southern Ostrobothnia (from Culture of Finland)
Image 38Finnish folk dancers in a 1907 postcard sent from Mustamäki, Finland (from Culture of Finland)
Image 39Helsinki Accords Treaty (from History of Finland)
Image 40Turku Cathedral and its surroundings from 1814 (from History of Finland)
Image 41Ancylus Lake covered major part of Finland (7,500–6,000 BC) (from History of Finland)
Image 42Battle of Valkeala was part of the Russo-Swedish War (1788–1790). (from History of Finland)
Image 43The 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 44A reconstruction of a 12th-century Perniö costume (from History of Finland)
Image 45Eero Järnefelt, Burning the Brushwood, 1893 (from History of Finland)
Image 46Karjalanpiirakka, a traditional Finnish pastry (from Culture of Finland)
Image 47Captain Aarne Juutilainen at the front at Kollaa during the Winter War (from History of Finland)
Image 48Memorial of the Mannerheim Cross Knights of Parikkala, Finland (from History of Finland)
Image 49Badge of the Finnish White/Civil Guard (from History of Finland)
Image 50The 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 51Sámi family in traditional costumes from Finland. (from Culture of Finland)
Image 52Apocalyptica's Perttu Kivilaakso playing metal music live (from Culture of Finland)
Image 53Alvar Aalto, Viipuri Library (1927–35) (from Culture of Finland)
Image 54Kastelli Giant's Church in Pattijoki by Pöljä culture [fi] (from History of Finland)
Image 55Northern Europe in 814 (from History of Finland)
Image 56Pieces of the Antrea Net (8,300 BC), the oldest-known fishing net in the world. (from History of Finland)
Image 57The area controlled by Finland at its largest, in 1942 (from History of Finland)
Image 58A peasant girl and a woman in traditional dress from Ruokolahti, eastern Finland, as depicted by Severin Falkman in 1882 (from Culture of Finland)
Image 59(1809 Diet of Porvoo) The sovereign's pledge, printed in Finnish (from History of Finland)
Image 60Finland Ostrobothnia regiment uniforms in 1705 (from History of Finland)
Image 61A group of Finnish soldiers operating a Bofors gun during the Continuation War in 1943 (from History of Finland)
Image 62Wehrmacht soldiers with a local Sámi reindeer herder, Lappland, Sodankylä, Finland 1942 (from History of Finland)
Image 63Prehistoric red ochre painted rock art of moose, human figures, and boats in Astuvansalmi, Finland, from ca. 3800–2200 BC (from Culture of Finland)
Image 64Mikael Agricola hands over the Finnish Translation of the New Testament to King Gustav Wasa. (from History of Finland)
Image 65The ruins of Vammala burned by the Reds, during the Civil war (from History of Finland)
Image 66S/S Urania in Hanko harbor in 1893, with 509 emigrants on board on their way to America (from History of Finland)
Image 67Jean Sibelius at work in his study (from History of Finland)
Image 68People gathered in the Senate Square for a demonstration against the February Manifesto in March 1899. (from History of Finland)
Image 69Homann'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 70The Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (1865–1957), a significant figure in the history of classical music (from Culture of Finland)
Image 71Imagery collage of Birger Jarl conquering Häme and the construction of Häme Castle (from History of Finland)
Image 72Three Finnish Romani women in Helsinki, Finland, in 1930s (from Culture of Finland)
Image 73Lapua Movement supporters beating the "red officer" Eino Nieminen [fi] in front of the Vaasa courthouse during the 4 June 1930 riot. (from History of Finland)
Image 74Students on Helsinki's Esplanadi wearing their caps on Vappu (from Culture of Finland)
Image 75In 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 76A summer cottage (mökki) on a lake island (from Culture of Finland)
Image 77Women dressed in Finnish folk costumes (from Culture of Finland)

In the news

3 October 2025 –: A Finnish court dismisses charges against the crew of the Eagle S tanker, ruling prosecutors failed to prove intent in the 2024 Estlink 2 incident and that negligence must be addressed by the ship's flag state or crew's home countries. (Reuters)
14 September 2025 – EuroBasket 2025: In basketball, Germany defeats Turkey 88–83 in the EuroBasket 2025 final, with Dennis Schröder selected as the MVP. In the third-place match, Greece beats Finland. (FIBA)
5 September 2025 – Finland–Latvia relations, Belarus–European Union border crisis: Finland accepts Latvia's request to deploy border guards at the Belarus–Latvia border to help manage increased migration from Belarus, with Estonia and Lithuania also providing support. (Reuters)
5 September 2025 – Finland–Palestine relations, Diplomatic impact of the Gaza war: Finland joins the New York Declaration calling for the end of the Gaza war and advancing a two-state solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. (Reuters)
1 September 2025 –: A Finnish court sentences Biafran activist Simon Ekpa to six years in prison for incitement, tax fraud, and terrorism, among other charges. (AP)
19 August 2025 –: Eemeli Peltonen, a 30-year-old Finnish member of parliament, dies by suicide inside the Parliament House in Helsinki. (Yle)

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

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