FINLAND
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Finland, a province and then a grand duchy under Sweden from the 12th to the 19th centuries, became an autonomous grand duchy of Russia after 1809. It won its complete independence in 1917. During World War II, it successfully defended its freedom and resisted invasions by the Soviet Union - albeit with some loss of territory. In the next 50 year, the Finns changed from a farm/forest economy to a diversified modern industrial economy. As a member of the European Union, Finland was the only Nordic state to join the euro system at its initiation in January 1999.

During the first millennium BC, various peoples settled in Finland, including the nomadic Saami who inhabited the north of the country and the Tavastians from central Europe. A notable feature of this migration was that the settlers spoke a language belonging to the Finno-Ugric group (which also includes Hungarian and Estonian), which is quite distinct from the Indo-European languages spoken throughout most of the rest of Europe. During the Viking Age, between the eighth and 11th centuries, Finland – an area larger than the present country, extending as far east as the Karel peninsula, now part of the Russian Federation – provided the backdrop for expanding trade and occasional wars between Swedes, Russians and Germans. Through the centuries, the Swedes and Russians competed for influence in the region, with the Swedes predominating until 1240, when they were defeated by a force from the Russian province of Novgorod. The Swedes were not wholly expelled from the region, however, and at the Treaty of Pähkinäsaari in 1323, Finland was divided into Russian and Swedish spheres of influence. This tug-of-war between Finland’s two powerful neighbors continued for centuries, while the Finns concentrated on preserving their unique language, culture and institutions.

One cannot understand Finnish language, history and culture without some knowledge of related people. Finnish history and culture is set against a background of the other Finno-Ugric people. Finnish written history dates only only as far back as the second millennium, but fortunately the Finns have a strong oral tradition going back to the ice ages. Finns, and Karelian tribes in particular, had a strong oral tradition of rune singing their history, ancient shamanistic beliefs, myth, magic, love and war. These stories were collected in the 19th Century and compiled into one story, composed of a collection of epic poems that reveal the daily life of the people over millennia. Karelia has a long history going back over eight thousand years. Today, Finns love their Kalevala which is read and enjoyed not as a religion, but as a rich historical and mythological legacy of their ancestors. Some people even claim that the Kalevala is the inspiration behind J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and Longfellow's Hiawatha.

Geographically, Finland is a country of lakes, with over 60,000 that help to moderate its climate. The nomadic Lapp peoples (the Sami) and others, live above the Arctic Circle, while the vast majority of Finns reside in the much-warmer southern parts of the country. Most of Finland is covered by thick forests of pine and spruce, and that timber, along with fisheries, mining, shipbuilding and tourism are the major economic contributors. Revered for its fishing and outdoor sport venues, Finland is also an artistic, stylish country, with a respected resume in glass making, fabric and furniture design, the performing arts and innovative civic planning.

Information and maps above taken from Library of Congress Country Studies and the CIA World Fact Book. Unless otherwise specified, images sourced from Wikimedia Commons.