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Encyclopedia entry: Finland
- Article from:
- World Encyclopedia
Copyright© World Encyclopedia 2005, originally published by Oxford University Press 2005. (Hide copyright information)
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Finland
area:
| 338,130sq km (130,552sq mi)
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population:
| 5,171,302
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capital (population):
| Helsinki (551,123)
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government:
| Multiparty republic
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ethnic groups:
| Finnish 93%, Swedish 6%
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languages:
| Finnish and Swedish (both official)
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religions:
| Evangelical Lutheran 88%
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currency:
| 1 Euro = 100 cents
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Republic in
n
Europe. Finland (
Suomi
) has four geographical regions. In the
s
and
w
, on the Gulfs of Bothnia and Finland, is a low, narrow coastal strip, where most Finns live. The capital and largest city,
Helsinki
, is here. The Åland Islands lie in the entrance to the Gulf of Bothnia. Most of the interior is a beautiful wooded plateau, with more than 60,000 lakes. The Saimaa area is Europe's largest inland water ...