short information
For many foreigners, Finland, which, by the way, the Finns themselves call "Suomi", is the birthplace of Santa Claus, who lives on the Korvatunturi mountain in Lapland. However, most tourists come to Finland not to meet Santa Claus - they are primarily interested in Finnish nature, fishing, as well as first-class Finnish ski resorts.
Geography of Finland
Finland is located in Scandinavia in northern Europe. Finland borders Sweden to the west, Norway to the north and Russia to the east. The Gulf of Finland separates Finland from Estonia. In the west and south, Finland is washed by the Baltic Sea.
86% of the territory of Finland is occupied by forest, in which pines, spruces and birches mainly grow. The Finnish landscape is mostly plains and hills with some mountains. The biggest peaks in Finland are Mount Halti (1328 m) and Mount Ridnitsohkka (1316 m).
Finland is a country of "a thousand islands and lakes". Indeed, this true statement, because in Finland there are 179,584 islands and 187,888 lakes. The largest lake in Finland is Saimaa.
Most of the Finnish islands are located in the southwest of the Turku archipelago, and the Åland Islands are located further from the coast.
Capital
The capital of Finland is Helsinki, which is now home to about 600 thousand people. Helsinki was founded by the Swedes in 1550.
Official language
Finland has two official languages - Finnish and Swedish. The Saami language has a special status in the country.
Religion
More than 78% of Finns are Lutherans (Protestants) belonging to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. More than 1% of the Finnish population consider themselves Orthodox Christians.
State structure of Finland
According to the constitution of 2000, Finland is a parliamentary republic, headed by the President, elected by direct universal suffrage for 6 years.
Legislative power is vested in the unicameral Parliament (Eduskunta), which consists of 200 deputies. Members of the Finnish Parliament are elected for 4 years.
The main political parties in Finland are the Social Democratic Party, the True Finns Party, the Center Party, the Union of the Left, and the Green Party.
Climate and weather
Finland is located at the same latitudes as Siberia and Greenland, but this Scandinavian country has a much milder climate due to air currents from the Atlantic. The climate in Finland is continental and maritime in coastal areas. Winters in Finland are cold with a lot of precipitation (snow) and summers are warm.
The warmest month in Finland is July (average air temperature is +22C), while the coldest months are January and February (average air temperature is -9C).
average temperature air in Finland: - January - -8С
- February - -7С
- March - -5С
- April - +3С
- May - +11С
- June - +9С
- July - +14С
- August - +17С
- September - +15C
- October - +11C
- November - 0С
- December - -4С
Sea in Finland
In the west and south, Finland is washed by the Baltic Sea. The Gulf of Finland separates Finland from Estonia, and the Gulf of Bothnia separates Finland from Sweden. Temperature Baltic Sea largely depends on the warm current of the Gulf Stream. The average water temperature of the Baltic Sea near the coast of Finland in winter is about 0C, and in summer - + 15-17C.
Rivers and lakes
Finland is a country of "a thousand islands and lakes". Finland has 179,584 islands and 187,888 lakes. The largest lake in Finland is Saimaa.
Many tourists come to Finland to go fishing. In Finnish rivers and lakes in in large numbers found grayling, rainbow trout, pike, perch, whitefish. There are a lot of salmon in the rivers of Lapland. For fishing in Finland you need to get special permission(You need to pay a certain amount of money for this).
But, of course, fish in Finland are also caught in the Baltic Sea (perch, sea trout, salmon, whitefish).
History of Finland
People on the territory of modern Finland appeared in the Stone Age. Around 5000 B.C. people in the territory of modern Finland already knew how to make pottery. In 2500 B.C. in the coastal regions of Finland appeared Agriculture. In the Bronze Age, the inhabitants of Finland had contacts with different tribes of Scandinavia, which is confirmed by archaeological finds.
Although Finland is located in Scandinavia, the ancestors of modern Finns can hardly be called Vikings. Historians refer to the Vikings as the military squads of the ancestors of modern Danes, Swedes and Norwegians.
In 1155, the first missionaries from Sweden arrived in Finland, and the country is part of the Kingdom of Sweden.
In the 16th century, among the Finnish nobility, the main language was Swedish, and Finnish was spoken by local peasants. During the Protestant Reformation, Finns gradually become Lutherans. In 1640, the first Finnish university was founded in Turku.
In the XVIII century, as a result of two wars between Sweden and Russia, the territory of modern Finland was occupied by Russian troops.
In 1809, as a result another war between Sweden and Russia, the lands of Finland became part of the Russian Empire.
On December 4, 1917, after the October Revolution in Russia in 1917, the Finnish Senate signed the Declaration of Finnish Independence, which was approved by the Parliament on December 6. Thus the Republic of Finland was formed.
From November 1939 to March 1940, the Finnish-Soviet war continued, as a result of which Finland had to return part of its territory to the USSR. Wanting to return the lost lands and acquire new territories, Finland entered the war against the USSR on the side of Germany in 1941. However, in 1944 Finland withdrew from the war and made peace with the USSR.
In 1955, Finland became a member of the UN, and in 1991 it was admitted to the EU.
culture
Finland is the birthplace of Santa Claus (aka Joulupukki, in Russia and Ukraine he is known as Santa Claus). Every Finnish child is sure that Santa Claus lives on the Korvatunturi Mountain in the town of Savukoski in Lapland. There are a lot of reindeer in Lapland. Indeed, why shouldn't Santa Claus live where his reindeer are?
Finns celebrate Christmas from 24 to 26 December. A traditional Christmas dish is rice pudding.
Now Finnish Christmas traditions have been borrowed by more than 140 different countries and every year they become more and more popular.
Finnish Cuisine
The main products of Finnish cuisine are fish, meat, mushrooms, potatoes, Rye bread, vegetables, dairy products. Swedish, German and Russian culinary traditions have had a noticeable influence on Finnish cuisine.
Mammi - oven-baked porridge with milk and sugar;
- Kalakukko - fish baked in bread;
- Mustamakkara - black pudding with lingonberry jam;
- Mykyrokka - soup with dumplings;
- Lihapullat - salmon fish soup;
- Perunamuusi - mashed potatoes;
- Leipäjuusto - cow cheese;
- Hernekeitto - dried pea soup;
- Kaalikääryleet - cabbage rolls with beef or pork.
Traditional alcoholic drinks in Finland, Lakka (berry liqueur), Kilju (home-made Finnish vodka), and Sahti beer.
Sights of Finland
The Finns have always been very careful about their history. Therefore, we advise tourists in Finland to definitely see:
- Suomenlinna Fortress in Helsinki
- Port of Rauma on the coast of the Gulf of Bothnia
- St Olaf's Castle
- The old church in Petäjävesi
- Museum of Finnish Architecture on the island of Seurasaari
- Helsinki Cathedral
- National natural Park If
- Temppeliaukio Church in Helsinki
- Castle of the Knights in Turku
- National Museum of Finland in Helsinki
Cities and resorts
The largest Finnish cities are Helsinki, Tampere, Vantaa, Espoo, and Turku.
Finland is known for its great ski resorts. Hundreds of thousands of tourists come to Finland every winter to ski in this Scandinavian country. The top ten ski resorts in Finland include, in our opinion, the following:
1. Levi (Levi)
2. Ruka (Hand)
3. Pyha
4. Yllas (Yllas)
5. Talma (Talma)
6. Himos (Himos)
7. Tahko (Tahko)
8. Pallas (Pallas)
9. Ounasvaara (Ounasvaara)
10. Luosto (Luosto)
Souvenirs/Shopping
Tourists from Finland usually bring products made of wood, glass, deer horns and skins, scissors, clothes, dishes, glassware, Sami hats with national ornaments, children's slippers from Lapland, Lapland folk dolls, Lapland sweaters and pullovers, plaid from reindeer wool, Santa Claus figurines, Sami beads and bracelet, Finnish knives, Finnish fishing set, Finnish berry liqueur.
Office Hours
The Finnish language is mainly popular in Finland and is state language. Finnish is also spoken in countries such as Sweden, Norway, Estonia, the USA and Russia. This is due to the settlement of ethnic groups, for example, in Sweden there is a large Finnish diaspora, so the language is well spoken in many regions.
The Finnish language in Sweden today has a low status. All the efforts of the authorities have already long time remain ineffective. And in Norway there is a people who communicate in the ancient Finnish language with the addition of Norwegian. Also in Russia, the Finnish language is used by ethnic Finns, who now number more than 40,000.
Is it worth studying new language, depends only on the desires of a particular person and place of residence. In any case, knowing this language has a lot of advantages.
Finnish is the predominant language in Finland, but a large percentage of people also speak Swedish and Russian.
The minority languages that are officially recognized are Sami, Gypsy and Karelian. Most immigrants speak Russian and Estonian.
State languages Finland
The official languages of Finland are Finnish and Swedish.
Is it difficult to learn Finnish on your own?
You can learn Finnish on your own, but for this you need to be a diligent student, do not miss classes and be motivated.
A few tips for beginners:
- Choose a textbook and tutorial
It's best to use the most recent books to start with, because the language is constantly evolving and some of the rules may be outdated. There are many books and tutorials available in bookstores and on the Internet.
We recommend that you pay attention to the textbook by M. Chertka “Finnish. Basic course". In this manual, the material is clearly divided into lessons that have both theoretical information and practical task. The correctness of the tasks performed can be verified with the keys. Also in the textbook there are dialogues from Everyday life, which will help you better understand the material and help you practice with a native speaker.
Special attention should be paid to the "Short Course of the Finnish Language" by Koivisto D. The textbook offers the study of grammar using the knowledge already acquired. There are also exercises and keys that will help you better understand all the rules. The grammar in the textbook is presented as simply as possible, so it is suitable for obtaining basic knowledge.
- Reading literature, newspapers in Finnish
After the basic knowledge is obtained, you can start reading the literature in the original. This will help not only to determine the level of knowledge, but also to develop thinking and enrich vocabulary. But at the same time, do not forget about grammar and pay attention to more serious textbooks.
One of the best textbooks in Finnish for increasing vocabulary is Hyvin Menee. Here literary and colloquial. In order to reach the desired level, you need to gradually increase the complexity and level of textbooks, as well as vocabulary.
- Communication with native speakers
A very important point during self-study of a language is communication with a native speaker, because this is a great practice and the opportunity to hear a live language. You can communicate not only with native Finns, but you can also find a friend of interest on special sites. For example, Italki has a separate section where you can find someone who wants to learn Russian.
You can find like-minded people on Vkontakte and Facebook, as well as on other less popular resources. For personal communication, you can use Skype, because it will help you better understand the interlocutor by gestures and facial expressions. In any case, you can find out all your questions from a native speaker.
Any dive into the environment foreign language It will help you get great results in the shortest amount of time. During live communication, the language is acquired much faster. Also, do not forget about Finnish radio, music and films with subtitles. All this increases vocabulary and helps beginners to achieve a high conversational level.
Everyone should remember that learning a language is not difficult, but you need to constantly study and have a great desire. Do not neglect writing, reading, listening or speaking, because only all this together will give a great result.
Features of the Finnish alphabet
The Finnish alphabet is used for writing the Finnish language and has 31 letters. The alphabet has several features, for example, the letter Å was borrowed from the Swedish language and is only used to write Swedish names. Also, in transcription, double vowels and consonants cannot be replaced by single ones, because a different understanding of the word is possible. All letters in the alphabet are independent, and this is taken into account in the placement in the Finnish alphabet.
The Åland Islands are an autonomous territory belonging to Finland, home to the country's largest group of Swedish-speaking Finns (90% of the region's population, or 25,000 people) who speak the Åland dialect of the Swedish language. Swedish ... Wikipedia
Official languages of the European Union languages that are official in the activities of the European Union (EU). The following languages are officially used equally in European institutions: English Bulgarian Hungarian Greek Danish Irish ... ... Wikipedia
"Sami language" redirects here; see also other meanings. Saami Taxon: subgroup Range: Norway, Russia, Finland, Sweden Number of speakers ... Wikipedia
On the territory of modern Finland, there are three Sami languages \u200b\u200binari Sami, Koltta Sami and Northern Sami. In the Sami villages near Kuusamo, another Sami language, Kemi Sami, was spread, but this language became ... ... Wikipedia
A tablet with the name of a street from the time of the Grand Duchy of Finland Russian language in Finland (Fin. Venäjän kieli Suomessa ... Wikipedia
Swedish speakers on a map of Finland Swedish in Finland (Finnish ... Wikipedia
Sami, who is being carried by a reindeer. Illustration from the book Maamme kirja by the Finnish writer Sakarias Topelius, published in 1876, the Saami living in Finland are part of the Saami people, one of the national minorities of Finland. ... ... Wikipedia
As of the end of May 2012, according to preliminary data from the Statistical Center, there were 5,408,917 people. Contents 1 Data from previous years 2 National composition... Wikipedia
Supplement to the article Saami languages \u200b\u200bWikipedia
Contents 1 Chronicle of Finnish history ... Wikipedia
Books
- Interpenetration of Russian and Finnish Literature in the First Half of the 20th Century, Soini Elena Grigoryevna. The monograph is devoted to the study of the interpenetration of Russian and Finnish literature in the first half of the 20th century. Both typological parallels and direct contacts of writers are studied...
Finland has two official languages - Finnish (Suomi) and Swedish. However, the percentage of Finnish speakers is much higher (93%). Suomi has nothing to do with the Scandinavian languages (Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Icelandic and Faroese), Russian and English. In fact, it does not belong to the Indo-European, but to the Uralic family of languages (Hungarian and Estonian). Most European speakers have difficulty learning Suomi. It is also difficult to read signs and signs in Finnish, as there are practically no loanwords from other European languages.
Swedish is the native language of 5.6% of the local population, who live mainly in small villages and also along the southwestern coast of Finland. Many pointers and road signs on the coast, Finnish and Swedish words alternate, which leads to difficulty in understanding. In the small autonomous region of Åland (Åland), only Swedish is spoken. It is also spoken by hotel and restaurant workers. However, the institution must have at least one person who knows German.
English is widely spoken in Finland. However, many are embarrassed to speak it, even if they understand you perfectly. In addition to English, some Finns speak German and French, as well as Spanish and Russian.
Almost all television programs and films come with subtitles. Only children's programs are dubbed in Finnish.
Etiquette of Finland
Finland has a neutral attitude towards manners and dress code. The locals are laconic - they are limited in time to lead small talk. Therefore, you will not often hear phrases such as "Thank you" or "Welcome!". There is no word for "please" in Finnish, so it is not surprising that when communicating in English language Finns don't use it. Even if they don't want to appear rude. In addition, in Suomi there is no difference between the pronouns "he" and "she", which creates difficulties for understanding. In Finland, it is not customary to talk or laugh loudly - this is very annoying for the locals. Random silence is considered part of the conversation, not a sign of hostility or displeasure.
Finns are very kind and polite. They are always happy to help tourists if they ask for it. Also, the locals are extremely sincere: they only tell the truth. You are unlikely to get a lot of compliments from the Finns, but if there are any, you should know that they come from a pure heart.
Finns also have another important quality - punctuality. If you are a few minutes late, you should apologize and explain the reason for your delay. After waiting 15-30 minutes, the Finns usually leave the designated meeting point. in a bad tone considered to be late business meeting even for 1-2 minutes.
The handshake is the standard form of greeting.
As for hugs and kisses on the cheek, they are only exchanged by family members or close friends.