Finland

The Republic of Finland or simply Finland is a country in Northern Europe that is full of surprises and contrasts. It is a country where you will see modern skyscrapers one moment and then find yourself in backcountry the next where you may be greeted by a herd of reindeer; where you can find the headquarters of Santa Claus; delight in the nighttime display of the aurora borealis and enjoy one of the longest winters on earth. Finland, particularly in Lapland, is a place where you will be able to enjoy various ways to ski or trek in the wilderness riding a sled pulled by a pack of strong huskies or ride a modern snow mobile. Travel to Finland to experience the magic of the midnight sun during summer or go fishing, stay the night in an igloo hotel or simply enjoy breathing in the cleanest air in the world.

:: Background of Finland ::

Finland was alternately ruled by Sweden and Russia. From the 12th to the 19th centuries, Finland was a grand duchy of Sweden after the first group of missionaries from Sweden arrived on the shores of Finland around the mid-1100s. In the early part of the 1800s Sweden ceded Finland to Russia, which ruled the country until 1917 when Finland was finally granted independence. The first countries to recognize its independence are Sweden, Germany, France and the Soviet Union. It became a republic in the middle of 1919, electing K. J. Ståhlberg as the country’s first president.

When World War II broke out, Finland was able to resist the invasion of the Soviet Union but lost some of its territory. But the Finns were a resilient lot. From subsisting on a forest and farm economy, it was able to turn things around and became a successful industrial country with enough diversity that boosted its economy. Currently Finland has one of the highest per capita incomes in Western Europe. It joined the United Nations in 1955 and the European Union in 1995. The country was the first of the Nordic states to adopt the euro currency system during its introduction at the beginning of 1999.

:: Geography of Finland ::

Location
Finland is located in Northern Europe, lying 64° 0’ 00” north and 26° 0’ 00” east, nestled between Norway, Sweden and Russia. Its coastline borders parts of the Baltic Sea and the Gulfs of Bothnia and Finland. Its capital, Helsinki is the most northern of Europe’s national capitals although it is located on the southern portion of Finland.

Area
With about 190,000 lakes and over 170,000 islands, Finland has a total land mass of 338,145 square kilometers. The land surface measures about 303,815 square kilometers while the water surface covers some 34,330 square kilometers.

Comparative Area Size
Finland is a bit smaller than the state of Montana in the United States and as large as the combined size of New Jersey, New York and New England.

Land Boundaries
The Republic of Finland shares borders with countries that embrace the nation on three sides for a total of 2,628 kilometers. The longest border is with Russia on the east for a total of 1,313 kilometers. Norway hugs Finland in the north for 729 kilometers while it shares borders for 586 kilometers with Sweden in the west.

Coastline
Finland’s coastline is very rugged due to the effect of the glacial melting and the land’s uplifting from the sea. The total coastline of Finland, including its thousands of small islands is 40, 062 kilometers. Gulf waters border part of Finland’s main land mass for a coastline that is 1,126 kilometers long. The Gulf of Bothnia borders part of Finland in its western shore while the Gulf of Finland washes Finland’s shore in the south.

Maritime Claims
The Republic of Finland has a territorial sea of 12 nautical miles and 3 nautical miles in the Gulf of Finland. Its contiguous zone is 24 nautical miles, with an exclusive fishing zone of 12 nautical miles extending to the continental shelf of its boundary with Sweden. The country’s continental shelf extends 200 meters deep or to the depth of its exploitation.

Climate
Finland’s climate is very variable due to the presence of several thousands of lakes and its proximity to the Baltic Sea and the moderating influence of the winds that blow into the country from the North Atlantic. However, glaciers up north give the country a cold temperate and at times sub arctic weather conditions. Parts of the country have mild winters and moderately warm summers and a fair amount of precipitation.

Terrain
Moraines, eskers and drumlins give Finland an undulating terrain, although generally the topography shows mostly low and flat rolling plains.Thousands of lakes dot the whole country and low hills emerged from the melted glaciers. Some parts have fertile soil while most sections of the country are covered with gravel, clay, stones and glacial sediments deposited by the meltwater from ice sheets and glaciers. Several expanse of land in Finland are also covered by bogs.

Elevation Extremes
The highest point in Finland is Haltiatunturi, the Finnish word for Halti Mountain, a fell that is found in Lapland, part of Upland Finland. Haltiatunturi, a treeless mountain rises up to 1,328 meters above sea level. The lowest point in the country is the Baltic Sea.

Natural Resources
Finland has various deposits of copper, lead, gold, silver, zinc, nickel, chromite and limestone. Timber is also a rich natural resource in the country.

Land Use
Much of the Finland is covered with snow, bogs, lakes and forests that only 6.54% of the total land area is arable, with 0.02% of the land planted with permanent crops. The rest of the land or 93.44% is available for other uses, under water, barren, glacial drifts and mounds of stones, rocks, gravel, clay, sand and other sediments left by glacial meltwaters.

Natural Hazards
While some sources state that there are no natural hazards occurring in Finland, the country does suffer from occasional flooding annually, especially when the winter brings in too much snow. Slight tremors also occur in the country although hardly felt. There are also occasional small tornadoes, some of which are strong enough to uproot a tree but the damage can be very minimal.

Current Environmental Issues
Finland is relatively new as an industrialized nation, being an agricultural country earlier, but it is now getting acid rain caused by air pollution. This comes from the power plants and the manufacturing companies. It is also facing water pollution coming from the same industries as well as the use of agricultural chemicals. Wildlife is threatened with the loss of their natural habitat.

International Environmental Agreements
Finland has entered into and signed several international environmental agreements that are yet to be ratified. These agreements include tropical timber 83, tropical timber 94, whaling, wetlands, law of the sea, marine life conservation, ship pollution and marine dumping. It has also elected to be party to agreements on hazardous wastes, biodiversity, desertification, endangered species, climate change, climate change-Kyoto protocol, environmental modification, air pollution, air pollution-persistent organic pollutants, air pollution-nitrogen oxides, air pollution-sulphur 85 and 94 and air pollution-volatile organic compounds. Finland also entered into environmental agreements on affecting the Antarctic, including the Antarctic treaty, Antarctic-environmental protocol and marine living resources.

:: People of Finland ::

Citizens of Finland are called Finns. The word is used as a noun. When used as an adjective, it becomes Finnish.

Population
It was estimated that the population of Finland is 5,259,250. However, according to the data released by Statistics Finland, the official population figure for the country at the end of 2010 is 5,375, 276. Forty-nine percent or 2, 638, 416 of the total population are males while 2,736,860 are females, representing 51 percent. Finland has an increasing older population, with 17.5% aged 65 years and over. As of end of 2010 there are 622 persons, 93 of them men and 529 women aged 100 years and over. Net migration is quite a low figure, only estimated to be around 0.62 migrants for every 1,000 members of the citizenry.

Age Structure
While the gender variation does not differ that much in the zero to fourteen and the fifteen to sixty-four age groups, the females have a very distinct advantage over the males in the 65 years and over group according to the official demographic figures released by Statistic Finland for end of 2010. The zero to fourteen represents 16.5% of the population with a total of 887,667 broken down into 453,645 males and 434,032 females. Sixty-six percent of the population belongs to the fifteen to sixty-four age bracket, divided into 1,793,061 males and 1,753,497 females. There are 391,710 males and 549,331 females, making up a total of 941,041 people belonging to the 65 years and over age group, representing 17.5 percent.

Median Age
According to the same official statistics, the median age for the males in 40 while it is 42.8 for the females. For the whole country, the median age is 41.4 for the end of 2010, with the official report released in 2011.

Population Growth Rate
The population growth is Finland is very low, only registering 0.075% as of the estimates done in 2011. There are about 10.37 births per 1,000 inhabitants in the country. The death rate has been estimated to be 10.24 over 1,000 inhabitants.

Sex Ratio
Gender distribution is almost at par with each other. At birth the ratio is 1.04 male for every female. That ratio is maintained for the under 15 years of age group. It goes down slight at 10.02 males for every female in the 15 to 64 age bracket, going down further to just 0.69 male for every females for those people belonging to the 65 years and over age group. Overall the ratio is 0.96 males for every female for the entire nation, as estimated in 2011.

Infant Mortality Rate
For the entire population the average infant mortality rate is 3.43 deaths for every 1,000 live births. The ratio is slightly higher for male infants at 3.73 deaths, while it is only about 3.11 deaths for every 1,000 live births all over Finland.

Life Expectancy at Birth
Life expectancy is about average in Finland, as it is placed at 79.27 years as the national average. The females though outlive the men, placing the rate at 82.89 years compared to the males whose average life expectancy is only 75.79 years.

Total Fertility Rate
The fertility rate of women in Finland is also low, estimated to only 1.73 children born for every woman of child-bearing age.

HIV / AIDS
According to the European AIDS and HIV statistics released by Avert, there are 2,600 people living with HIV/AIDS in Finland in 2009. Less than 1,000 of these people are women. The incidence of HIV/AIDS in adults is estimated to be only 0.1% and deaths resulting from HIV/AIDS are estimated to be less than 100.

Ethnic Groups
Out of the total population of Finland, the Finns are dominant at 93.4%. The rest of the population is divided into several ethnic groups with the Swedes leading at 5.6%. The Russian community comprises 0.5% of the population while Estonians comprise 0.3%. The Samis and the Romas or the Gypsies contribute 0.1% each in the ethnic groups’ mix and population figures.

Religions
The Lutheran Church of Finland has the highest following in all religions practiced in Finland with 82.5%. Other Christian a religions and the Orthodox Church has 1.1% following. Some 0.1% of the population did not specify which religion they follow while there exists about 15.1% of the population who are not followers of any religion.

Language
Finnish, one of the official languages in Finland is spoken by 91.2% of the population. The second official language is Swedish and it is spoken by 5.5% of the inhabitants in the country while 3.3% speak Sami or Russian.

Literacy
Finland is one country with very high literacy rate. In fact it is at the maximum level of 100%. The average stay in school is 17 years, with the females staying is school for 18 years while the males stay in school two years shorter than the females.

:: References ::

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/fi.html
http://www.stat.fi/tup/suoluk/suoluk_vaesto_en.html/#structure
http://www.avert.org/hiv-aids-europe.htm
http://www.bridgeguys.com/International/FinlandHistory.html

Geography of Finland: Important Geographical Information about Finland

Situated on the continent of Europe, Finland is the most northern of its countries. Most of the land mass of Finland actually lies on the northern part of the Arctic Circle. Finland, including the mainland and smaller islands measure 338,145 square kilometers, divided into a land area of 303,815 square kilometers and inland water of 34,330 square kilometers. The country has about 190,000 lakes of different sizes. It also has almost the same number of small islands.

Three bodies of water surround certain regions of Finland and account for the ruggedness of its coastline, creating many bays and inlets. Its western side is partly bordered by the Gulf of Bothnia and the rest of the western side shares a border with Sweden for 540 kilometers. Its southern section is bordered by the Gulf of Finland while the southwest is bordered by the Baltic Sea. Norway lies to the north of Finland and the two countries share a border that is 720 kilometers long. Finland’s longest land border, totaling 1,268 kilometers is shared with the Soviet Union.

The melting of glaciers some 11,000 years ago have etched Finland’s surface, leaving behind different land formations composed of gravel, clay, sand, stones and other sediments that formed into eskers, drumlins and moraines and created the numerous depressions that filled with glacial meltwaters, to form the thousands of lakes mostly in the southern part of Finland. Two parallel terminal moraines that are apart by 25 kilometers from each other are found in Lahti, on the southern part of Finland. These moraines, called the Salpausselkä Ridges effectively divide Lahti into north and south parts. The northern portion is located near Lake Finland or Finnish Lakeland while the southern portion has low-lying fields and forest regions that are clay-based. The highest part of the ridge is near Tiirismaa and rises 223 meters above sea level and about 142 meters above the level of Vesijärvi Lake.

Landform Regions
Finland is divided into four geographic regions that almost the same and yet different physical characteristics, with some of them getting dominant. The coastal region of the country, which extends from the Swedish to the Russian borders, has numerous 100-meter plains made of clay that are very suitable for dairy farming and agriculture. The archipelago Finland in the southwestern coast features water and rocks, while the interior lake sections of the country contain several of the densest forests in Finland and more than 55,000 lakes. The largest of the lakes found in the interior is Lake Saimaa, which is also the fifth largest lake in Europe. It covers an area that is more than 4,400 square kilometers. The rest of the lakes are shallow lakes with an average depth of seven meters while the deepest lake in Finland, Päijänne, with a surface area of 1,081 square kilometers is about 100 meters deep.

On the other hand, there is the Upland Finland that includes Lapland, its most extreme northern area. This section crosses the largest and the longest rivers in Finland. The prevailing climate here is harsh and though the area is forested, the regions above the timberline include numerous bogs and almost barren hills. This is already part of the Arctic tundra so the vegetation here consists of Arctic scrub – stunted trees, heath and moss. The topography is varied, with a mix of undulating hills and rugged mountainous sections in Kilpisjärvi, the highest of which is about 1,000 meters in elevation. Halti is the highest point in Finland, rising to a height of 1,328 meters. Halti is a fell, a type of treeless mountain common in the Scandinavian region. However, the rest of the southern part of Upland Finland is boggy. Upland Finland also has the Kemijoki, longest river in the river in the country that runs for about 552 kilometers. Fifteen hydroelectric power plants have been constructed here since 1946. The largest river in Finland is the Tornionjoki or the Torne River, which actually originates from Norway and passes through Finland and Sweden.

The geographical divisions are not definitive, though as characteristics of one region can also be seen in other regions. There are bogs in the southern part of Finland, particularly in Suomenselkä, while there are parts in the northern region with there are patches of agricultural land.

Weighed down by the glaciers eons ago, Finland is now continuing to grow in size as more parts of the country rise from the sea due to glacial meltdown and uplifting the land mass. The lifting is more rapid in the northern section of the country where the rise is about 80 to 90 centimeters every one hundred years. On the southwest and southern regions, the lift is slower, rising to about 25 to 30 centimeters each century. This means that the country gains about seven square kilometers of land from the sea annually.

Climate
Finland experiences a long winter season due to its location. Winter here can last anywhere from 105 to 120 days in the archipelagic parts of the country while it can go as long as 180 to 220 days in Lapland up north. In terms of months that means that winter lasts for about three months in the southern part of the country and can be between six to seven months in Upland Finland.

The climate in the western and eastern section of the country is affected by the Atlantic Ocean and the Eurasian continent, respectively. Regions in the west experience warmer weather with moderate winter temperatures, affected by the warm westerly winds from the Baltic. The winds also bring cloud cover into the area, reducing the amount of sunshine in the summer months. One the other side of the country, along the eastern section, the high pressure system that prevails in the Eurasian continent causes severe winter patterns and high summer temperatures.

The weather in Finland is very diverse and changes very quickly. Climate and temperature vary depending on each month of the year. Generally speaking the driest and coldest month is February while the warmest month is July. The wettest month of the year is August. While the weather is more stable during summer, it is varied and unpredictable during winter.

:: References ::

http://www.mongabay.com/reference/country_studies/finland/GEOGRAPHY.html
http://www.historycentral.com/nationbynation/Finland/Geo.html
http://www.finland.ca/public/default.aspx?nodeid=41339&contentlan=2&culture=en-US

Famous Finnish People: Finnish Artists, Scientists, Leaders, Musicians, Politicians and Athletes

At first glance a traveler may think that Finland is a very cold country as it is famous for its ski resorts, not to mention the winter polar nights, the summer midnight sun and the fantastic light show from the aurora borealis. However, the country is actually an exciting place to be, where the western and eastern influences have blended through generations and resulted in a truly unique Finnish culture. Finland competes with the rest of the world when it comes to famous people and personalities that helped shape their nation and carved their own niche in the fields of science, the arts, sports and high technology. These are just some of many famous Finns who have lifted Finland’s name worldwide and made a difference in our world. Their purpose and stories inspired awe if not greatness.

:: List of Famous People from Finland ::

Aino Aalto

She trained to be an architect but became known for her designs and her work on several glass sculpture pieces. She was born in Helsinki on January 25, 1894 as Aino Mandelin. Her family’s last name was later changed to Marsio. She married architect Alvar Aalto in whose architectural office she worked for after stints with the offices of Oiva Kallio and Gunnar A. Wahlroos. She and her husband Alvar were the first Finnish architects to adopt the functional architectural style in their works. Later Aino designed special glassware pieces for Iitalla. One of her most internationally-known piece, created in collaboration with her husband is the Aalto Vase or more popularly known as the Savoy Vase. It is a free-form glass vase with a wavy design and several sides. Aino succumbed to cancer in 1949.

Alvar Aalto

Born in Helsinki on February 3, 1898, Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto was a designer and an architect, whose design concept had always been along the lines of creating a total work of art, from the exterior to the interior as well as the furniture, furnishings, glassware and lamps that will go into a building or house. Aalto’s career coincided with the economic growth of Finland during the first half of the 20th century. Most of his clients were industrialists and his building designs reflected different style influences he used throughout his career – from Nordic Classicism that have simple and clean geometric lines; to National Romanticism, a reaction to industrialization and going back to medieval style of architecture with towers and spires; to Functionalism or the modern style that subscribed to the idea that a building should be designed based on its purpose. Most of the buildings he designed are found in his home country, in Denmark, Switzerland and Estonia. He was the designer of MIT’s Baker House in Cambridge, USA. Aside from designing buildings, Aalto was also famous for his glassware and furniture pieces that are still manufactured today. Apple Stores around the globe use his Stool E60 and High Stool when there are special events and product workshops.

Wäinö Valdemar Aaltonen

Wäinö Aaltonen, a leading sculptor and artist from Marttila, Finland was born on March 8, 1894 to a tailor father. He showed interest in the arts as a child due to his being deaf. He studied painting for several years and traveled to Italy where he was exposed to futurist and cubist art forms. While he studied painting, his sculpting skills were self-taught. He became a nationalist icon in Finland during the First World War for sculpting busts and monuments of his countrymen. Most of his sculptures were cast in bronze. Some of the most notable pieces of Aaltonen are The Hero’s Grave or the Savonlinnan sankaripatsas in Finnish, started in 1919 and finished in 1921. He also created the Myrsky as a monument for the fifty-three victims that died while in the torpedo boat S2 that was caught in a violent storm on October 4, 1925 and sank near Reposaari, Pori, an island in Finland.

Bernhard Henrik Crusell

Before Jean Sibelius came into the music scene there was composer, translator and clarinetist Bernhard Henrik Crusell. He was born on the 15th of October in 1775. He was the most significant and internationally known classical music composer from Finland. Although he was not born to a musical family he had an innate affinity to music and was able to play his friend’s clarinet by ear at the age of eight. As he grew older he received training from the regimental band of Nyland. Officers who were impressed with his skills helped him become a volunteer member of the Sveaborg military band. He and his family were given a place to stay in the area and Crusell received an education, excelling in languages and music. He went with the military officer who took him in, Major O. Wallenstjerna who was assigned to Sweden and there Crusell stayed for the rest of his life. He continued his studies in Stockholm, performed as a solo clarinetist and was appointed as the director of the regimental band at age sixteen. He traveled extensively to perform in Hamburg, Berlin, Paris and England. While he made Sweden his home, he never forgot that he was a Finn although he was able to return to his birth country only once and gave a performacne. While gaining international recognition as a solo clarinetist and a composer, Crusell was also a gifted linguist and did the translations of operas written in French, German and Italian to Swedish for performances in his adopted country.

Jörn Johan Donner

Helsinki-born Jörn Johan Donner, saw the light of day on February 5, 1933. He is a Finn who wears many hats. He is a film director, actor and producer, and the founder of the Finnish Film Archive and had been a director of the Swedish Film Institute while living and working in Sweden. At the same time he is also a writer and received the 1985 Finlandia Prize for his novel Far och son, Father and Son in English. Donner is also associated with many political parties and held parliamentary positions in Finland and Europe. Donner’s most notable work was the movie masterpiece of Ingmar Bergman, the 1981 film Fanny and Alexander which won four Academy Awards, for which he served as producer.

Albert Gustaf Aristides Edelfelt

Albert Edelfelt was born in Porvoo, a medieval town in Finland near Helsinki on July 21, 1854. The residents in his hometown speak Swedish. Edelfelt was the founder of the Realist art movement in the country. He studied painting for one year in Antwerp; spent four years studying art in Paris and finally went to St. Petersburg for another year of study. He was one of the early Finnish painters who have achieved international success and Edelfelt had held many exhibitions in Paris. He was married to Baroness Ellan de la Chapelle who bore him one child. Most of his paintings depicted Finnish history and one of his most notable works were the illustrations for The Tales of Ensign Stål, an epic poem written by celebrated Finnish poet, Johan Ludvig Runeberg.

Mikael Kaj Forssell

Mikael Kaj Forssell is considered as one of the most successful football players from Finland. He was born in Germany on March 15, 1981 and currently plays as a striker for English team Leeds United as well as for Akseli Gallen-Kallela, the national football team of Finland. Forssell started his youth career with one of the most successful clubs in Finland, HJK, short for Helsingin Jalkapalloklubi, a football club in Helsinki. Internationally the club is known as HJK Helsinki. His debut was at age 16. After a year with the youth club he was snapped up by Chelsea because of his goal-scoring skills. He stayed with the club for seven years and went on loan to Crystal Palace, Borussia Mönchengladbach and Birmingham City. When his contract with Chelsea expired, he finally moved to Birmingham City where he played for three years before joining Hannover 96. After three years with Hannover 96, he is now with Leeds United. Since getting a call up from the Finnish national football team, Forssell has made 78 international appearances and has kicked a total of 26 goals, even doing hat tricks when Finland played Macedonia in 2006 and San Marino in 2009.

George Gaynes

George Gaynes is his international name but he was born as George Jongejans in Helsinki on May 16, 1917. His father was a Dutch businessman and his mother was an artist. He made a name for himself as a stage, TV and film actor in the Untied States. If the name does not ring a bell, perhaps it is because he became very popular as Commandant Eric Lassard in the movie series, Police Academy. On television, he was the cantankerous and stubborn Henry Warnimont in the Punky Brewster series. In the TV series General Hospital, he was the mob boss named Frank Smith. While he has made several films and TV shows, he started his career as a musical drama and comedy performer in Broadway during the 1940s and the 1950s.

Veikka Gustafsson

His full name is Eero Veikka Juhani Gustafsson, born on January 14, 1968 in Espoo before his family moved to Tuupovaara. He is one of four children. His claim to fame is being the first ever man from Finland to reach the summit of Mount Everest, a feat that he made in 1993. What makes his feat more important and historical is that he repeated it in 1997, this time without the use of bottled oxygen, and became one of only ten people who have climbed the fourteen 8,000-foot mountains without using bottled oxygen to help them breathe easier. Even Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary used bottled oxygen during their climb to the top of the highest summit in the world.

Mika Häkkinen

Mika Pauli Häkkinen is from Vantaa in Helsinki where he was born on September 28, 1968. Now retired from Formula I racing, Häkkinen started his sport with karting when he was five years old. At age seven he had already won his first race and continued to win several karting championships since he was eleven years old. Häkkinen was world champion for seven times and won the Formula I World Championships title in 1998 and 1999 for team McLaren. His special helmet reflects the colors of the flag of Finland and he signs autographs with the words ‘The Flying Finn” below his signature. His first and last wins in Formula I were in the United States Grand Prix. He currently resides in Monte Carlo.

Tarja Kaarina Halonen

Tarja Kaarina Halonen, born on the 24th of December 1943 is Finland’s first woman president. She assumed the presidency on March 1, 2000. She was a law graduate from the University of Helsinki and had worked in several non-governmental offices and trade unions before her entry into politics. She was elected to the Finnish parliament in 1979 where she served until her election as president. She is a human rights advocate, especially on the issue of women’s rights and is an active member of the Council of Women World Leaders. It is a network of international women prime ministers presidents, both former and current whose mission is to mobilize these women leaders into action to promote the issues regarding women’s rights. Halonen is being considered as the next Secretary General of the United Nations although she said that she wants to finish her presidential term before she considers other positions.

Heikki Vihtori Hasu

Nordic skier Heikki Vihtori Hasu was born in Sippola on the 21st of March 1926. He competed in the Olympics during the late 40s and in the 50s. He won the gold in Nordic combined skiing in 1948 and the silver medal in 1952. Hasu also won the title in the 4 x 10 kilometer cross country skiing in 1952. Hasu had been a considered medal winner, winning two medal during the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Lake Placid in 1950, a gold medal in the Nordic combined and a silver in the 4 x 10 kilometer cross country. In 1953 he also won these events in the Holmenkollen ski festival and even garnered the Holmenkollen medal, the first Finn to win the medal in 1952. The medal is the highest award given by Norway to exemplary Nordic skiing competitors with top standings in international events. Hasu is honored with a statue erected in Anjalankoski now part of the greater municipality of Kouvola.

Sami Tuomas Hyypiä

Sami Tuomas Hyypiä is a retired Finnish soccer player. He was born in Porvoo on October 7, 1973. Playing as a center back, the 6’5” tall Hyypiä started his youth career with Kumu in 1977, learning the ropes until he was 15. He then moved to senior team MyPa where he played for four years then spent the next four years with Willem II Tilburg. He established himself as a worthy player when he joined Liverpool and became captain of the club. He was under contract with Liverpool for 10 seasons and then transferred to Bayer 04 Leverkusen, playing in the German Bundesliga until his retirement in May 2011. While retired from playing professional football, he is the current captain of the national football team of Finland. He has represented his country 105 times since his first call up in 1992 and has kicked five goals. He is now part of the coaching staff of Leverkusen and Finland’s national football squad.

Knut Fredrik Idestam

Knut Fredrik Idestam, a mining engineer and businessman was born in Tyrväntö on October 28, 1838. He was the founder of Nokia Limited, which is named after a town and municipality in Pirkanmaa, west of the city of Tampere, which is in the southern part of Finland. Idestam constructed a groundwood paper mill in Tampere and started its production in 1866. A new paper mill was later constructed in Nokia. He and his partner, Leo Mechelin made a success of their business venture and were able to sell their paper products to their largest consumer, the Russian market. Idestam also founded the Finnish Paper Association and made several innovations and advancement in the country’s paper industry. Through diversification, Idestam’s paper mill business became the world’s largest producer of mobile phones, contributing a major share in Finland’s economy.

Volmari Fritijof Iso-Hollo

Finnish athlete Volmari Fritijof Iso-Hollo was born in Ylöjärvi on May 1, 1907. His specialty was steeplechase. His first Olympic gold in the event was in 1932 Summer Olympics, that was not able to establish a world record because the lap counter was looking at the decathlon pole vault and failed to ring the bell at the end of the last lap, therefore the participants continued running, ending the laps at 3,460 meters instead of the 3,000-meter regulation. He won his second Olympic gold in the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. Iso-Hollo had established world records in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. He ran 9.09.4 in Lahti in 1933 and broke his own record in Berlin Olympics by finishing at 9.03.8 as well as winning a bronze medal in the 10,000 meters. Iso-Hollo was one of the runners from Finland that were dubbed as the Flying Finns for their speed and excellence in distance running.

Tove Marika Jansson

Tove Marika Jansson was a multi-talented author of the world-famous Moomin books, a children’s book that featured characters called Moomin, white and round trolls that look more like hippos. Jansson was born on August 9, 1914 in Helsinki. She was not only an author, she also illustrated the characters for her Moomin series and at the same time was also a painter and an author of comic strips. Her second Moomin book entitled Comet in Moominland and the succeeding one, Finn Family Moomintroll, published in 1946 and 1948 respectively became global successes. She wrote a total of six Moomin books and won the Hans Christian Andersen Award in 1966. The Moomin books have been translated into 33 languages and one of Finland’s most translated books after the Kalevala, the country’s epic poetry. Her Moomin books are regarded as a reflection of her family’s bohemian lifestyle and their tolerance for the peculiar characteristics of other people. Jansson lived with a female companion, Tuulikki Pietilä, a graphic artist who is said to be the inspiration for the Too-ticky character in her Moomin books. Jansson died on the 27th of June 2001.

Eero Erik Nikolai Järnefelt

Born on November 8, 1863 in Viipuri, Finland, Eero Erik Nikolai Järnefelt was one of the country’s realist painters. Finnish composer Jean Sibelius was his brother-in-law, married to Järnefelt’s sister, Aino. His most famous painting that hangs at the Finnish National Gallery was done in 1893. It depicts the slash-and-burn technique of agriculture in a rural town. The painting is called Kaski or Raatajat rahanalaiset in Finnish, and The Wage Slaves in English. Eero Erik Nikolai Järnefelt died in 1937, seven days after his 74th birthday.

Joulupukki

In English, Joulupukki means Yule Goat and although he may not be a real person, he is a very significant Christmas figure in Finnish tradition and is still being practiced in some parts of the country, just like its American counterpart, Santa Claus. There is a house and workshop located in Korvatunturi and he comes to the houses on Christmas eve, knocking on doors and greeting the people inside with “Onkos taalla kiltteja lapsia?”, which in English means that he is asking if there are well-behaved children in the house. He comes dressed in red clothes, carries a walking stick and rides a sleigh pulled by several reindeer. Like Santa Claus, Joulupukki also has a wife named Joulumuori or Old Lady Christmas.

Jean Sibelius

Finnish composer of the Romantic period Johan Julius Christian Sibelius was born in Hämeenlinna on December 8, 1865. He was fondly called by his family as Janne but he later changed the spelling to Jean when he saw the name on his uncle’s business card. He started as a violin virtuoso at the age of 15 and was able to perform in public playing the last two movements of Mendelssohn Violin Concerto. He started taking up law at university but soon left because his heart was already set on pursuing a music career. He drew inspiration from nature, which he loved and composed a set of seven symphonies, each one a progression on his style of composing. Aside from symphonies, Sibelius also composed several musical pieces such The Swan of Ruonela, Finlandia, Valse Triste, Violin Concerto in D minor and Karelia Suite, as well as songs for voice and piano, incidental music, chamber music, choral music and operas. The musical works of Sibelius helped shape the national identity of Finland and are still being performed worldwide.

Linus Benedict Torvalds

Can one imagine what it would have been like if the Linux kernel was not developed by Linus Torvalds? Limus Benedict Torvalds is a software engineer born in Helsinki on December 28, 1969. He graduated with a master’s degree in computer science from the University of Helsinki. He was exposed to UNIX during his student days and wrote his thesis entitled Linux: A Portable Operating System. He modified the operating system of a Sinclair QL and wrote the program for an assembly language as well as a text editor for it though his real work on the development of Linux began when he received a copy of MINIX, an open-source computer operating system similar to UNIX. He also created Git, software that tracks version revisions of a computer program. While many developers have contributed to the Linux kernel, Torvalds owns the trademark which uses a penguin as its icon. He became a citizen of the United States in 2010.

Aleksis Kivi

Considered as one of Finland’s greatest authors, Aleksis Kivi was born in Nurmijärvi on October 10, 1834 to a family of tailors. He studied literature at the University of Helsink and got interested in theater, driving him to write several plays. His first one was based on a tragedy in the Kalevala to which he gave the title Kullervo. Kivi also wrote poetry and a novel in the Finnish language entitled Seitsemän veljestä or the Seven Brothers in English. It took Kivi ten years to finish this novel. It was a portrayal of the not-so-virtuous life in rural Finland that was not immediately accepted by critics, because it was written in the Finnish dialect used in the southwest that critics considered rude and because the depiction is far from their ideal view of rural life. Nummisuutarit or the Cobblers of the Heath was a comedy he wrote that garnered the State Prize in 1865. The comedy is still being performed to this day. The lukewarm reception to his books led Kivi to drink heavily. He later developed schizophrenia, purportedly as a result of the advanced stages of Lyme disease. He lived in poverty and died at the age of thirty-eight.

Johan Ludvig Runeberg

Finland’s national poet who wrote in the Swedish language, Johan Ludvig Runeberg was born in Jakobstad on February 5, 1804. He studied Greek and Latin classical languages and taught Latin literature in Porvoo. One of his best known poems is the tale of Farmer Paavo, describing the struggles of the farmer to survive several years of bad harvests and harsh climate, mixing bark into the bread mix to survive until finally being able to have a decent crop. It also tells of farmer Paavo’s concern for his fellow farmers and neighbors. Runeberg also wrote what is considered the best epic poem of Finland and the most famous of his works, Vänrikki Stoolin tarinat (Finnish), Fänrik Ståls sägner in Swedish or The Tales Ensign Stål in English. It took Runeberg about 12 years to finish the epic poem It contained several tales of what occurred during the Finnish War with Russia and showcased the heroism and bravery of the citizens of Finland. Contained in the tale is the first poem entitled Maamme or Our Land, which eventually became the national anthem of Finland. February 5 of each year is celebrated as Runeberg’s Day.

Armi Helena Kuusela

Armi Kuusela, born in Muhos on the 20th of August 1934 was the first ever Miss Universe title holder, officially Miss Universe 1953 due to postdating even if the event was held in Long Beach, California on June 29, 1952. Kuusela was only 17 years old when she was crowned Miss Universe. While on a world tour in the early part of 1953 as part of her duties as Miss Universe she met Virgilio Hilario, Filipino businessman and decided to give up her crown to get married. Their wedding was held in Tokyo on the 4th of May 1953 and they settled in the Philippines. Kuusela had five children with Hilario who died of a heart attack in 1975. Kuusela later married American diplomat Albert Williams in 1978 and settled in San Diego, California.

Lauri Pihkala

Lauri Pihkala, fondly called Tahko was born on 5 January 1888 in Pihtipudas. He was an avid fan of many sports and had developed a fair amount of games, most notable of which is what is considered as Finland’s national sport, pesäpallo. It is a variant of baseball, with a complicated set of rules, but is a faster game than regular baseball. Vertical pitching is one of the main differences of pesäpallo to American baseball. While he participated in several sports to varying degrees of success, Pihkala supported far right political activism and had been known to be a propaganda leader in the White Guard unit called the Devils of Kuhmoinen, a group that had committed several war crimes, particularly the summary execution of children living in concentration camps. He also supported the idea of creating a superior warrior race for Finland through eugenics and his creation of the pesäpallo had its origin to the racist idea of using the game in military training.

Kimi Räikkönen

Kimi-Matias Räikkönen is another successful Finnish Formula I racecar driver. He was born in Espoo on October 17, 1979. Räikkönen is known in the car racing world as the Iceman. He began his Formula I career in 2001 as one of Sauber-Petronas’ regular drivers and was issued his Super License, given by the FIA (Fédéracion Internationale de l’Automobile) upon the performance delivery promise issued by Peter Sauber. In 2002 he was with McLaren Mercedes and had good results. He was already a title contender as he was the runner up in 2003 and 2005 to Michael Schumacher of Germany and Spain’s Fernando Alonso, respectively. He eventually gained success, taking the 2007 Formula One World Drivers’ Championship when he was racing for the Ferrari team. His move to the Ferrari team in 2007 also made him the highest paid race car driver as his estimated annual salary amounted to S51 million. His nickname was derived from his cool, calculating, calm and relaxed demeanor in and out of car racing. Räikkönen is currently with the ICE 1 Racing team competing in the World Rally Championship.

Kaarlo Juho Ståhlberg

Kaarlo Juho Ståhlberg was the first president of the Republic of Finland. He was born in Suomussalmi on January 28, 1893. He was an academic as well as a jurist who had a major contribution in the drafting of Finland’s Constitution in 1919. He was a Senate presenter and planner earlier in his political career while Finland was still a Grand Duchy of Russia. He was with the Diet of Finland from 1904 to 1905 and was appointed Senator, tasked with trade and industry responsibilities. He helped in the creation of the Parliament of Finland but resigned from the Senate when the bill for the prohibition of alcohol was not passed. He then resumed his career in academics but was lured back into politics in 1914 as Speaker of Parliament. When Finland finally gained independence in 1917, Ståhlberg became involved in drafting a constitution. He supported the creation of a republic rather than the more popular constitutional monarchy during that time. Almost all his proposals made it to the constitution. He was elected as the first president of the Republic of Finland on July 25, 1919 and assumed office the following day.

Tapio Wirkkala

Sculptor and designer Tapio Wirkkala was born on June 2, 1915. He was a prolific artist and his designs ranged from plastic bottles, glassware, metalware, plywood and ceramics. He was the designer of the Finlandia vodka bottle that was in use from 1970 to 2000 and the markka banknotes, Finland’s currency from 1860 to 2002 before they were replaced by the euro. Wirkkala also worked using different mediums to create sculptures as well as stoneware, furniture, jewelry and glassware. He designed a series of kitchen glasses with a dripping icicle look for Finland’s Iittala, a specialty houseware company.

References:

http://www.en.wikipedia.org
http://www.finland.fi/public/default.aspx?nodeid=41797&contentlan=2&culture=en-US
http://www.hakkinen.com/biography.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Formula_One_World_Drivers%27_Champions
http://www.kansallisbiografia.fi/english/?id=4296