Not only has Finland been in the news recently, with its President visiting the United States, but the 2019 EAIE (European Association of International Educators) convention was also held in Helsinki, the country’s capital, last month.
We’ve also invited Jasmin Saidi-Kuehnert, President and CEO of ACEI, who was in Helsinki for the EAIE meeting, to offer her thoughts.
World’s happiest country
According to the most recent World Economic Forum survey, Finland is the happiest country in the world. Finland has risen from fifth to first place.
They all recognized that compromises had to be made for them to coexist as they did. Still, they followed the Finnish ethos, in which taking care of one another is embraced as an essential component of their social construct.”
The Average Salary and Minimum Wage of Finland
In most occupations, the minimum wage in Finland is among the highest in the Eurozone. In Helsinki, the average monthly salary is roughly €2,500.
Despite having the highest earnings in Finland, Helsinki also has the most increased cost of living in terms of property and rent costs.
However, when compared to Nordic neighbors such as Sweden and Norway, its cost of living is significantly lower.
Saunas as “the poor man’s pharmacy”, oldageremide
Saunas are extremely popular among Finns. Finland, with a population of 5.4 million people, has almost 3 million saunas. It is stated that Finland has more saunas than cars.
The sauna, dubbed the “poor man’s pharmacy,” is not a luxury but an essential aspect of Finnish culture and national identity. The only Finnish term that has made it into English sauna.’
Education is provided for free in Finland
Finland provides free education at all levels, including elementary, secondary, and even university. This free access is also available to EU/EES students. Unsurprisingly, Finland is ranked first in the world for happiness.
Furthermore, non-EU students can receive free education if they take classes offered in Finnish or Swedish or complete Ph.D. studies in any language. By the way, when you get a Ph.D. in Finland, you get a top hat and a sword.
Women were granted the right to vote for the first time in Europe
Finland became the first country in Europe to grant women of all social classes the right to vote and run for parliament in 1906.
In April 2003, Finland elected its first female prime minister (AnneliJäätteenmäki), making it the only European country with a female president (TarjaHalonen) and a female prime minister.
Alcohol selling and consumption are both prohibited
Like the United States, Finland had its own temperance movement that resulted in alcohol prohibition from 1919 to 1932. Of course, this didn’t stop the Finns from brewing their own brew, and certain families were known to have mastered moonshining.
Alcohol smuggling into the nation was also commonplace.
Beer and cider are now only available in supermarkets throughout Finland. Wine and other alcohol can be purchased at state-approved retailers.
If you order anything other than beer by the glass in a restaurant, you must specify the size in liters. In Helsinki, there are various speakeasies.
The Finnish language is distinctive
The Finnish language is a member of the Finno-Ugric language family and is thought to be more closely related to Estonian than to Scandinavian languages like Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish.
It is not even an Indo-European language but a member of the Uralic language family. The Finnish language contains gender-neutral words.
The Finns are so proud of their language that they have an annual celebration on April 9th. To learn more about this fantastic day, go here.
Aurora Borealis and the Land of the Midnight Sun glory of there
Finland’s Lapland and other northern regions are known as the “Land of the Midnight Sun” since they are located within the Arctic Circle.
The sun does not set in this area for 73 consecutive summer days each year, while it does not rise at all for 51 days during the winter (known as polar darkness).
The Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) can be seen in Lapland and other parts of Finland at any time of year except for the summer.
Most Transparent government and with no corruption
Finland is by far the most honest and transparent regarding news reporting. This is primarily because of its dedication to equal rights and emphasis on transparency.
Finland’s press is regarded as the freest in the world. Transparency International, based in Berlin, has classified Finland as the world’s least corrupt country since 1998, citing its domestic and international journalistic reporting.
Finland is renowned as the “land of a thousand lakes” because of its numerous lakes
Though it is known as the Land of a Thousand Lakes, Finland has 187,888 lakes. Furthermore, most lakes in Finland have islands. This breathtaking country has 179,584 islands.
The Saimaa Ringed Seals, a critically endangered species, live in Lake Saimaa. There are only about 400 left, but if you get the chance to see one, you will be captivated by its beauty.
The Finnish language is one of the most difficult to master in the world
The Uralic language family includes the Finnish language. It has nothing in common with the other Scandinavian languages or any different language in Europe.
Most learners find learning difficult due to its differences from most other languages and its complex case and vowel systems.
Other foreign languages that are difficult to acquire, mainly if English is your mother tongue, are Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and Arabic.
Finland, unlike the other Nordic countries, utilizes the Euro currency
Finland joined the European Union as a full member in 1995 and accepted the euro in 1999. This makes it easy for European guests to calculate the price of a bottle of Koff beer or a classic slice of blueberry pie.
This is an important fact to remember. As a tourist, it’s often easier to deal with a familiar currency and avoid having money left over at the end of your vacation that you can’t spend elsewhere.
The Northern Lights can be seen in Finland throughout the winter
The Aurora Borealis is one of Finland’s most renowned and breathtaking sights.
The further north you travel, the more probable it is that you will witness these natural phenomena. Rovaniemi, in Finnish Lapland, is well-known for its northern lights viewing.
The midnight sun appears in Finland throughout the summer
In contrast to practically every other country, the sun never totally sets in summer! During the summer, Lapland enjoys roughly two months of the midnight sun, and the average temperature can reach 27 °C (or 80 °F).
This is ideal weather for camping, early-morning treks, and late-night pools.
Finland’s national animal is the brown bear
Nature and animals are among the most attractive characteristics of Finland. While you are unlikely to see a bear on your vacation, you may see a snowy owl, an elk, or even a wolf if you know where to look.
The landscapes of Finland are generally flat so that you can see for kilometers. Walking in the fresh snow is breathtaking as a result.
This is depicted in the image below, which was taken this year in the Finnish city of Tampere.
There is a National Failure Day!
This is also recognized for having a stress-free mentality. Finns commemorate life setbacks as a natural road toward success on October 13th, the official National Day of Failure.
This alleviates feelings of inadequacy in what can be a hard-working, high-standards society.
Finland played an exciting part throughout WWII
Finland initially joined the war to combat the Soviet Union’s (led by Russia) invasion of Finland in 1939. They were famed for using petrol bombs, often known as Molotov cocktails.
From 1941 to 1944, they fought alongside the Axis nations against the Soviets. Finally, they fought for the Allies against the Germans in 1945.
The Finns are entirely infatuated with coffee
Statista said Finns drank more coffee per capita than any other country until 2020.
While the Netherlands recently surpassed Finland as the largest coffee-drinking nation, the Finns remained a close second, consuming 7.8kg of coffee per person yearly.
In fact, the Finnish name kakkukavhi translates to “coffee and cake,” and the average Finn consumes up to eight cups of coffee daily.
Finland is the birthplace of Angry Birds
You might not expect to find Angry Birds on a list of facts about Finland, yet here we are. Rovio Entertainment, a Finnish video game developer, invented this viral game in 2009.
Since then, 20 more Angry Birds games, movies, merchandise, and comic books have been released.
Finnish Christmas traditions differ slightly from ours
Christmas is celebrated on December 24th in Finland, including a large feast with family and gift-giving.
Joulupukki, or Santa Clause, who lives in the woods with his wife and has pointed ears like an elf, brings gifts to Finnish children.
Finns also celebrate by lighting candles, constructing gingerbread houses, singing carols, eating joulutorttu (Christmas tarts), and sipping glögi (mulled wine).
The pleasures of a Finnish Sauna
Saunas are an essential component of Finnish culture and identity. Those with access to a sauna will go at least once a week. Saturday is the typical sauna day.
Finnish soldiers build saunas on peacekeeping deployments and are purely egalitarian spaces with no ranks or authority.
In this article, we have read about the various facts about Finland. To know more, follow this website.
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