FINLAND | Travel | Cultural information
The climate in Finland
is warmer than people usual think because of the Golf stream. The summers in Finland are warm and bright. In northern part of Finland there are even 70 days when the sun does not get down at all. On the other hand during the winter time there are two months in Lapland with out any sun rise. In winter time there is a big difference between south and north in the climate and the snow. Some times in Lapland it can be minus 25C degree several weeks. In southern Finland the cold period stays only a short time. Anyway, every winter we usually have snow at least from February to March.
How to dress yourself
In summer time you manage with light summer cloths, but in winter time you need a thick wind proof jacket, a hat and cloves. Depending on the season you may wear boots or sandals.
Nature and cities
The Finnish nature is extremely beautiful, clean and in some areas a real wilderness. We have in Finland over 180 000 lakes and the largest archipelago in Europe with 179 000 islands. A big part of Finland’s area is covered with forests. The Finns take good care of the forests because it is the main raw material for the modern industry.
Over a million people is living in the Helsinki Metropolitan area. The largest cities in Finland are Helsinki (564’000), Espoo (235’000), Tampere (206’000) inhabitants. 70% of all the inhabitants live in cities or urban areas. That is why very few people live in the northern and eastern parts of Finland.
The Finns
have very strong sense of national identity because of country’s history, wartime, sport and Finland’s high-tech expertise. On the other hand the Finns are insecure about weather the wider world is aware of the achievements of this northern nation. There are two official languages in Finland – Finnish and Swedish. About 8000 people in Lapland speak Saami (Lappish) as their mother tongue.
Finland is a country of equality. There are several women holding advanced positions like our president, politicians, doctors, scientists and priests. The Finns are often considered to be reserved and quiet people. The principle is to “talk less and stay in facts”. The Finns are not at all good at small talk. On the other hand the Finns are great listeners and they are not bothered about the silence between the sentences. The Finn very seldom starts the conversation with people they don’t know, but they are very helpful and friendly if you need any help at all. The Finns are hospitable and you may get a life time friend from a Finn when you know him/her better. The drinking habits in Finland are poor. You may meet a lot of young people drinking far too much.
Education
Finland has been on the top of the list in OECD’s PISA research since 2001. Especially the young Finns are very well educated. The Finnish child starts the pre-school at age of 6. The comprehensive school starts at age of 7 and takes 9 years. The education is free of charge, so are the books, materials and one hot meal a day. Every child in Finland should by law to complete the curriculum of compulsory education. After the secondary school the pupils can make a choice weather they go to the upper secondary School or the Vocational Training. The nation wide final assessment, matriculation exam, finishes the upper secondary school. From the Vocational Training you get a diploma or a certificate. The next step will be either the university or the polytechnics.
The Finns use a lot of the services of Adult Education, too. Finland is one of the world’s leaders in the reading of books and newspapers and the use of libraries. The average Finn is fairly well informed on what is happening in Finland and in the world.
Food and drinks
The Finns eat at daily base a lot of potatoes and other vegetables. Also pasta and rise are popular nowadays. The meat is often chicken, pork or beef. Young people are very conscious about the healthy food. Because of Baltic Sea and the thousands lakes the Finns eat a lot of fish dishes. Sometimes on the celebration time the Finns serve traditional foods like Karelian pasties and Fish pie. In Lapland the Reindeer stew, Salmon and Cloudberries are the local delicacies. The drinks with lunch and dinner are usually milk, water or sour milk. On Sunday meals people may drink beer and wine. The Finns are coffee drinkers – when an Englishman takes a cup of tee, the Finn prefers coffee.