Finland

Finland is located on the continent of Europe, where it has a coastal position and is bordered by Norway, Sweden, Russia, the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland. Finland, along with Norway, Sweden, Iceland and Denmark, form the Nordic countries. The country does not, however, form part of Scandinavia. There are seven continents in the world: Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Europe, Antarctica, Australia (Oceania). Europe is the second smallest continent in the world, it has 51 countries, with some countries belonging to both Europe and Asia, spans a total area of 10,180,000 km2 and forms 6.8% of the world's landmass. Finland is a coastal country that spans across a total area of approximately 338,424 km2. It is the 8th largest country in Europe by area. Finland is smaller than Germany but larger than Poland. It forms part of the Nordic countries together with Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland. .

The following information provides a guideline to the approximate border lengths of Finland:
Coastline 1,250 km, Norway 709 km, Sweden 545 km, Russia 1,309 km.

Finland has a cold temperate climate that is moderated by the interaction of the Eurasian continent to the east, which brings warm air currents, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Finland experiences a long winter season that can see temperatures fall below -20 degrees Celsius during particularly cold spells of weather. Snowfall can be high during wintertime, particularly in northern regions of the country. The geography of Finland is formed mainly by low areas of flatland to rolling plains and hilly regions. Central and Eastern Finland is dominated by the Finnish Lakeland region and forests. Nicknamed 'The Land of the Lakes', Finland boasts thousands of lakes, and in excess of 187,000 of the lakes measure more than 500m2. The lowest point of Finland is the Baltic Sea at 0m, and the highest point of elevation is Halti at 1,328m.

The official languages of Finland are Finnish and Swedish, with the overwhelming majority of the population using Finnish as their main form of communication. Another language that is spoken by a very small percentage of the population is Russian.

The main religion of Finland is Lutheran at approximately 72% of the population. The remaining population either belongs to other religions or no religion at all.

Natural resources are materials and substances that can be found occurring naturally on Earth. Natural resources are very important across the world, and can be exploited for economic gain. The level of natural resources present in an individual country depends on varying factors which are influenced by the geography, climate and location of that country. Some countries, such as Russia, The United States, Saudi Arabia and Canada, have many natural resources, where as some other countries have limited to none. Food, transport and construction are three of the primary uses of natural resources. For example, fish is a naturally occurring resource that can be caught for food consumption. Crude oils can be refined into different types of fuels in order to power vehicles/cars. Wood/timber from forests can be used to build homes and furniture. The natural resources found in Finland include timber, iron ore, copper, zinc, lead, chromite, nickel, silver, gold and limestone.

Each country has its own individual culture, history and identity. Flags, emblems, symbols, colors, anthems, songs and mottos represent the national pride and identity of countries across the globe. These national symbols are formed through the unique history of a nation and are symbolic of both hardship and prosperity, embodying freedom, strength and unity. Flags, emblems, songs, mottos and colors reflect the past, present and future hopes of a country, and create an important image to the rest of the world. National symbols can include a mixture of things that are symbolic to a nation such as wildlife, plants, geographical features, crops, tools of agriculture, and tools of war. The following facts and information provide a guide to some of the most important national symbols, songs and colors of Finland: