Finland

Country

Finland is a Northern European nation bordering Sweden, Norway and Russia. Its capital, Helsinki, occupies a peninsula and surrounding islands in the Baltic Sea. Helsinki is home to the 18th-century sea fortress Suomenlinna, the fashionable Design District and diverse museums. The Northern Lights can be seen from the country's Arctic Lapland province, a vast wilderness with national parks and ski resorts.

Business Economy

Finland has long benefited from open-market policies that support dynamic trade and investment. The regulatory environment encourages entrepreneurial activity and sustains a high degree of competitiveness. With an efficient legal framework that strongly upholds the rule of law, minimum tolerance for corruption is firmly institutionalized.

Natural Resources

Forests and water bodies are two important natural resources. Surface waters in Finland, including the Baltic Sea, the lakes and the rivers, are vulnerable because they are shallow. Groundwaters are important for domestic use and are consequently protected from pollution Timber, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, chromite, nickel, gold, silver, limestone also available.

Higher Education

Due to globalization and increasing competition for diminishing younger age groups, system-wide restructuring has been called for by the Ministry of Education. Since 2006 all institutions of higher education have been sharing methods of cooperation.Degrees are usually taken according to subject, but in some fields there are also multidisciplinary degree programmes. The academic degrees usually include studies in one major subject and in one or more minor subjects.

Tourism

Finland is a thoroughly modern welfare state with well-planned and comfortable small towns and cities, but still offers vast areas of unspoiled nature. Finland has approximately 188,000 lakes (about 10% of the country) and a similar number of islands. In the northernmost part of the country the Northern Lights can be seen in the winter and midnight sun in the summer. Finns also claim the mythical mountain ofKorvatunturi as the home of Santa Claus, and a burgeoning tourist industry in Lapland caters to Santa fans.

Despite living in one of the most technologically developed countries in the world, Finns love to head to their summer cottages in the warmer months to enjoy all manner of relaxing pastimes including sauna, swimming, fishing and barbecuing. Today, Finland has a distinctive language and culture that sets it apart from the rest of Nordic Europe

Climate Weather

Finland has a much milder climate than most other regions of the world that lie as far north. Finland's climate is influenced chiefly by the Gulf Stream, a warm ocean current that flows off Norway's west coast. Finland's many lakes and the gulfs of Bothnia and Finland help give the country a relatively mild climate. July temperatures in Finland average 13 to 17°C. February is usually Finland's coldest month, with temperatures averaging from - 22 to -3°C. In northern Finland, winter temperatures often drop as low as -30°C or even down to -50°C, sometimes with strong, cold easterly or northeasterly winds. Snow covers the ground in southern Finland from December to April, and northern Finland is snowbound from October to April. Most of the country is icebound in winter, the Gulf of bothnia and Finland are also usually covered with ice.

Required clothing

Lightweights in warmer months, with extra woollens for walking and the cooler evenings. Medium- to heavyweights are advised in winter. Waterproofing is recommended throughout the year. Be prepared for rapid and extreme weather changes, no matter where and when you go.