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Communications

Internet country code [time series]

.fi; note - Aland Islands assigned .ax

Internet users (Internet hosts) [time series]

3.877 million (2008)

Internet users [time series]

3.6 million (2007)

Broadcast media (Radio broadcast stations) [time series]

AM 2, FM 186, shortwave 1 (1998)

Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]

general assessment: modern system with excellent service domestic: digital fiber-optic fixed-line network and an extensive cellular network provide domestic needs international: country code - 358; submarine cables provide links to Estonia and Sweden; satellite earth stations - access to Intelsat transmission service via a Swedish satellite earth station, 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions); note - Finland shares the Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic countries (Denmark, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden)

Telephones - fixed lines (Telephones - main lines in use) [time series]

1.74 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular [time series]

6.08 million (2007)

Broadcast media (Television broadcast stations) [time series]

120 (plus 431 repeaters) (1999); note - On 1 September 2007, Finland became one of the first countries in the world to broadcast all television signals digitally

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture - products) [time series]

barley, wheat, sugar beets, potatoes; dairy cattle; fish

Budget [time series]

revenues: $62.02 billion expenditures: $58.16 billion (2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate [time series]

5.62% (31 December 2007)

Exchange rates (Currency (code)) [time series]

euro (EUR)

Current account balance [time series]

$11.4 billion (2007 est.)

Debt - external [time series]

$271.2 billion (30 June 2007)

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income (Distribution of family income - Gini index) [time series]

26 (2005)

Economic overview (Economy - overview) [time series]

Finland has a highly industrialized, largely free-market economy with per capita output roughly that of the UK, France, Germany, and Italy. Its key economic sector is manufacturing - principally the wood, metals, engineering, telecommunications, and electronics industries. Trade is important; exports equal nearly two-fifths of GDP. Finland excels in high-tech exports, e.g., mobile phones. Except for timber and several minerals, Finland depends on imports of raw materials, energy, and some components for manufactured goods. Because of the climate, agricultural development is limited to maintaining self-sufficiency in basic products. Forestry, an important export earner, provides a secondary occupation for the rural population. High unemployment remains a persistent problem. In 2007 Russia announced plans to impose high tariffs on raw timber exported to Finland. The Finnish pulp and paper industry will be threatened if these duties are put into place in 2008 and 2009, and the matter is now being handled by the European Union.

Electricity - consumption [time series]

86.04 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports [time series]

2.86 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports [time series]

15.42 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production [time series]

77.02 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Exchange rates [time series]

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)

Exports [time series]

$89.91 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities [time series]

machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals; timber, paper, pulp

Exports - partners [time series]

Germany 10.9%, Sweden 10.7%, Russia 10.3%, US 6.4%, UK 5.8%, Netherlands 5.6% (2007)

GDP (official exchange rate) [time series]

$245 billion (2007 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP (purchasing power parity)) [time series]

$188.4 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin (GDP - composition by sector) [time series]

agriculture: 3.1% industry: 32.6% services: 64.3% (2007 est.)

Real GDP per capita (GDP - per capita (PPP)) [time series]

$36,000 (2007 est.)

Real GDP growth rate (GDP - real growth rate) [time series]

4.5% (2007 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share [time series]

lowest 10%: 4% highest 10%: 22.6% (2000)

Imports [time series]

$78.05 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities [time series]

foodstuffs, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, transport equipment, iron and steel, machinery, textile yarn and fabrics, grains

Imports - partners [time series]

Germany 15.8%, Russia 14%, Sweden 13.7%, Netherlands 6.8%, China 5.5%, UK 4.9% (2007)

Industrial production growth rate [time series]

8.1% (2007 est.)

Industries [time series]

metals and metal products, electronics, machinery and scientific instruments, shipbuilding, pulp and paper, foodstuffs, chemicals, textiles, clothing

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

2.5% (2007 est.)

Investment (gross fixed) [time series]

20.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Labor force [time series]

2.675 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation [time series]

agriculture and forestry 4.4%, industry 18.6%, construction 6%, commerce 16.3%, finance, insurance, and business services 13.9%, transport and communications 7.6%, public services 33.2% (2004)

Market value of publicly traded shares [time series]

$1.095 trillion (January 2008)

Natural gas - consumption [time series]

4.581 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports [time series]

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports [time series]

4.576 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - production [time series]

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves [time series]

0 cu m (1 January 2006)

Oil - consumption [time series]

228,200 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - exports [time series]

126,300 bbl/day (January-September 2007 est.)

Oil - imports [time series]

281,300 bbl/day (January-September 2007 est.)

Oil - production [time series]

8,951 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - proved reserves [time series]

NA bbl

Public debt [time series]

35.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold [time series]

$8.385 billion (2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad [time series]

$113 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home [time series]

$85.24 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of domestic credit [time series]

$240.7 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of narrow money (Stock of money) [time series]

NA note: see entry for the European Union for money supply in the Euro Area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for the 15 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money and quasi money circulating within their own borders

Stock of narrow money (Stock of quasi money) [time series]

Unemployment rate [time series]

6.9% (2007 est.)

Geography

Area [time series]

total: 338,145 sq km land: 304,473 sq km water: 33,672 sq km

Area - comparative [time series]

slightly smaller than Montana

Climate [time series]

cold temperate; potentially subarctic but comparatively mild because of moderating influence of the North Atlantic Current, Baltic Sea, and more than 60,000 lakes

Coastline [time series]

1,250 km

Elevation (Elevation extremes) [time series]

lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m highest point: Haltiatunturi 1,328 m

Environment - current issues [time series]

air pollution from manufacturing and power plants contributing to acid rain; water pollution from industrial wastes, agricultural chemicals; habitat loss threatens wildlife populations

International environmental agreements (Environment - international agreements) [time series]

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Total water withdrawal (Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)) [time series]

total: 2.33 cu km/yr (14%/84%/3%) per capita: 444 cu m/yr (1999)

Geographic coordinates [time series]

64 00 N, 26 00 E

Geography - note [time series]

long boundary with Russia; Helsinki is northernmost national capital on European continent; population concentrated on small southwestern coastal plain

Irrigated land [time series]

640 sq km (2003)

Land boundaries [time series]

total: 2,654 km border countries: Norway 727 km, Sweden 614 km, Russia 1,313 km

Land use [time series]

arable land: 6.54% permanent crops: 0.02% other: 93.44% (2005)

Location [time series]

Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, and Gulf of Finland, between Sweden and Russia

Map references [time series]

Europe

Maritime claims [time series]

territorial sea: 12 nm (in the Gulf of Finland - 3 nm) contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm; extends to continental shelf boundary with Sweden continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Natural hazards [time series]

Natural resources [time series]

timber, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, chromite, nickel, gold, silver, limestone

Terrain [time series]

mostly low, flat to rolling plains interspersed with lakes and low hills

Total renewable water resources [time series]

110 cu km (2005)

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

6 provinces (laanit, singular - laani); Aland, Etela-Suomen Laani (Southern Finland), Ita-Suomen Laani (Eastern Finland), Lansi-Suomen Laani (Western Finland), Lappi (Lapland), Oulun Laani

Capital [time series]

name: Helsinki geographic coordinates: 60 10 N, 24 56 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Constitution [time series]

1 March 2000

Country name [time series]

conventional long form: Republic of Finland conventional short form: Finland local long form: Suomen tasavalta/Republiken Finland local short form: Suomi/Finland

Diplomatic representation from the US [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador Barbara BARRETT embassy: Itainen Puistotie 14B, 00140 Helsinki mailing address: APO AE 09723 telephone: [358] (9) 616250 FAX: [358] (9) 6162 5800

Diplomatic representation in the US [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador Pekka LINTU chancery: 3301 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 298-5800 FAX: [1] (202) 298-6030 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York

Executive branch [time series]

chief of state: President Tarja HALONEN (since 1 March 2000) head of government: Prime Minister Matti VANHANEN (since 24 June 2003); Deputy Prime Minister Jyrki KATAINEN (since 19 April 2007) cabinet: Council of State or Valtioneuvosto appointed by the president, responsible to parliament elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 15 January 2006 (next to be held in January 2012); the president appoints the prime minister and deputy prime minister from the majority party or the majority coalition after parliamentary elections and the parliament must approve the appointment; Prime Minister VANHANEN reelected 17 April 2007 election results: percent of vote - Tarja HALONEN (SDP) 46.3%, Sauli NIINISTO (Kok) 24.1%, Matti Vanhanen (Kesk) 18.6%, Heidi HAUTALA (VIHR) 3.5%; a runoff election between HALONEN and NIINISTO was held 29 January 2006 - HALONEN 51.8%, NIINISTO 48.2%; Matti VANHANEN reelected prime minister; election results 121-71 note: government coalition - Kesk, KOK, VIHR, and SFP

Flag (Flag description) [time series]

white with a blue cross extending to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag)

Government type [time series]

republic

Independence [time series]

6 December 1917 (from Russia)

International organization participation [time series]

ADB (nonregional members), AfDB (nonregional members), Arctic Council, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G-9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM (guest), NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, Schengen Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMOGIP, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WEU (observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Judicial branch [time series]

Supreme Court or Korkein Oikeus (judges appointed by the president)

Legal system [time series]

civil law system based on Swedish law; the president may request the Supreme Court to review laws; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Legislative branch [time series]

unicameral Parliament or Eduskunta (200 seats; members are elected by popular vote on a proportional basis to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 18 March 2007 (next to be held March 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - Kesk 23.1%, Kok 22.3%, SDP 21.4%, VAS 8.8%, VIHR 8.5%, KD 4.9%, SFP 4.5%, True Finns 4.1%, other 3.4%; seats by party - Kesk 51, Kok 50, SDP 45, VAS 17, VIHR 15, SFP 9, KD 7, True Finns 5, other 1

National holiday [time series]

Independence Day, 6 December (1917)

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

Center Party or Kesk [Matti VANHANEN]; Christian Democrats or KD [Paivi RASANEN]; Green Party or VIHR [Tarja CRONBERG]; Left Alliance or VAS [Martti KORHONEN] (composed of People's Democratic League and Democratic Alternative); National Coalition (conservative) Party or Kok [Jyrki KATAINEN]; Social Democratic Party or SDP [Eero HEINALUOMA]; Swedish People's Party or SFP [Stefan WALLIN]; True Finns [Timo SOINI]

Suffrage [time series]

18 years of age; universal

Introduction

Background [time series]

Finland was a province and then a grand duchy under Sweden from the 12th to the 19th centuries, and an autonomous grand duchy of Russia after 1809. It won its complete independence in 1917. During World War II, it was able to successfully defend its freedom and resist invasions by the Soviet Union - albeit with some loss of territory. In the subsequent half century, the Finns made a remarkable transformation from a farm/forest economy to a diversified modern industrial economy; per capita income is now among the highest in Western Europe. A member of the European Union since 1995, Finland was the only Nordic state to join the euro system at its initiation in January 1999.

Military

Manpower available for military service [time series]

males age 16-49: 1,169,910 females age 16-49: 1,121,187 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service [time series]

males age 16-49: 965,131 females age 16-49: 923,224 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually [time series]

male: 34,152 female: 32,870 (2008 est.)

Military and security forces (Military branches) [time series]

Finnish Defense Forces (FDF): Army, Navy (includes Coastal Defense Forces), Air Force (Suomen Ilmavoimat) (2007)

Military expenditures [time series]

2% of GDP (2005 est.)

Military service age and obligation [time series]

18 years of age for male voluntary and compulsory national military and nonmilitary service; service obligation 6-12 months (2008)

People

Age structure [time series]

0-14 years: 16.6% (male 443,738/female 427,875) 15-64 years: 66.8% (male 1,773,232/female 1,731,808) 65 years and over: 16.6% (male 349,826/female 518,270) (2008 est.)

Birth rate [time series]

10.39 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate [time series]

10 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Education expenditure (Education expenditures) [time series]

6.4% of GDP (2005)

Ethnic groups [time series]

Finn 93.4%, Swede 5.6%, Russian 0.5%, Estonian 0.3%, Roma (Gypsy) 0.1%, Sami 0.1% (2006)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate [time series]

less than 0.1% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths [time series]

fewer than 100 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS [time series]

1,500 (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate [time series]

total: 3.5 deaths/1,000 live births male: 3.81 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Languages [time series]

Finnish 91.5% (official), Swedish 5.5% (official), other 3% (small Sami- and Russian-speaking minorities) (2006)

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

total population: 78.82 years male: 75.31 years female: 82.46 years (2008 est.)

Literacy [time series]

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100% (2000 est.)

Median age [time series]

total: 41.8 years male: 40.3 years female: 43.4 years (2008 est.)

Nationality [time series]

noun: Finn(s) adjective: Finnish

Net migration rate [time series]

0.73 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Population [time series]

5,244,749 (July 2008 est.)

Population growth rate [time series]

0.112% (2008 est.)

Religions [time series]

Lutheran Church of Finland 82.5%, Orthodox Church 1.1%, other Christian 1.1%, other 0.1%, none 15.1% (2006)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education) [time series]

total: 17 years male: 17 years female: 18 years (2006)

Sex ratio [time series]

at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate [time series]

1.73 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international [time series]

various groups in Finland advocate restoration of Karelia and other areas ceded to the Soviet Union, but the Finnish Government asserts no territorial demands

Transportation

Airports [time series]

148 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways [time series]

total: 76 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 27 1,524 to 2,437 m: 10 914 to 1,523 m: 22 under 914 m: 15 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways [time series]

total: 72 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 68 (2007)

Merchant marine [time series]

total: 98 by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 28, carrier 1, chemical tanker 6, container 3, passenger 5, passenger/cargo 18, petroleum tanker 5, roll on/roll off 27, vehicle carrier 2 foreign-owned: 8 (Estonia 2, Germany 1, Norway 3, Sweden 2) registered in other countries: 47 (Bahamas 9, Germany 4, Gibraltar 3, Netherlands 14, Norway 1, Panama 2, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1, Sweden 12, UK 1) (2008)

Pipelines [time series]

gas 694 km (2007)

Ports (Ports and terminals) [time series]

Hamina, Helsinki, Kokkola, Kotka, Naantali, Pori, Raahe, Rauma, Turku

Railways [time series]

total: 5,741 km broad gauge: 5,741 km 1.524-m gauge (2,619 km electrified) (2006)

Roadways [time series]

total: 78,821 km paved: 50,854 km (includes 700 km of expressways) unpaved: 27,967 km (2008)

Waterways [time series]

7,842 km note: includes Saimaa Canal system of 3,577 km; southern part leased from Russia (2006)