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Finland, officially known as the Republic of Finland is a Nordic country situated in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden in the west, Russia in the east and Norway in the north. It is bounded by the Baltic sea and with the Gulf of Finland in the south and Gulf of Bothnia in the west.
Official Languages:
Most of the Finnish people speak Finnish as their mother tongue. Finnish is a member of the Finno – Ugric language family . The second official language of Finland is Swedish. Other minor languages that are used are Russian and Estonian.
Independence, Republic and Government:
Shortly after the Bolshevik revolution on December 6, 1917, Finland declared its independence. The independence was approved by Bolshevist Russia but the civil war that followed between Russia and Finland complicated relations. In 1918 the country experienced a short but bitter civil war that colored domestic policies for a long time. The civil war was fought between “the Whites” those who gained support from imperial Germany and “the Reds” supported by the Bolshevist Russia. Despite the Declaration of independence calling Finland a Republic after the civil war was not possible. Frederick Charles of Hesse, a German prince was elected its King with the name Vaino I of Finland. However, German's defeat in the World War I made Finland free from the German rule. Finland became a Republic with Kaarlo Juho Stanlberg as its first presidenr eleted in 1919.
Finland is a republic with a representative democracy governed according to the principles of parliament. Legislative power is vested on the Parliament of Finland. Executive affairs of the government are decided by the Council of State, which is led by the prime minister. Some matters are decided by the President of Finland in plenary meeting with the Council of State, echoing the constitutional history. In the ministry matters of secondary importance is decided by the individual minister and is advised by the ministers' of state secretary. Prime minister is the head of the government.
Top Cities of Finland:
Afghanistan is made up of 34 provinces. Some of the major cities in Afghanistan are as follows:
Espoo:is a city on the southern coast of Finland. It is a part of the Helsinki metropolitan area along with the cities of Helsinki, Vantaa and Kaunianinen
Helsinki: s the largest and the capital city of Finland and is located in the southern part of Finland.
Tampere: is a city of Finland and is founded in 1775 as a market place.
Turku: is the capital of the region of Finland Proper and the Province of Western Finland. Its derived its name from the Russian word turgu which means “market place”.
Vaasa: or Vasa in Swedish is a city on the west coast of Finland. It is named after the Royal House of Vasa.
Oulu: is a Finnish city and municipality in the Oulu province. The city is the capital of Oulu province since 1776.
Culture and Heritage:
Finland has a indigenous culture which is most prominently represented by the Finnish language. Finland is rich for its history, culture, tradition and religion. Churches and cathedrals are scattered all across the country reflecting its strong Finnish Lutheran followings. There are also museums that bears testimony to the ancient architecture. Finnish written language can be said to exist since Mikael Agricola translated the New Testament into Finnish in the 16th century. A few notable works were written until the 19th century which saw the beginning of the Finnish national Romantic movement. The Finns made a major contribution in handicraft and industrial design. The most renowned sculptor of Finland in the 20th century is Waino Aaltonen and is remembered for his monumental busts and sculptures. The Finnish architecture to win universal recognition in the 20th century is Eliel Saarinen
Much of the music of Finland is influenced by traditional Karelian melodies and lyrics, as comprised in the Kalevala. Karelian culture is perceived as the purest expression of the Finnic myths and beliefs and is less influenced by Germanic culture. In northern Finland, Sweden and Norway a highly spiritual song known as Joik is very famous; although the famous music of recent times includes jazz, hard metal, rock bands and others. The opera of Finland also played an important part contributing to its culture and heritage. A opera called Finlandia composed in 1899 played an important part in gaining Finland
Tourism
Tourism is an expanding industry in recent years in Finland and has become an important aspect of its economy. The Finnish landscape is covered with thick pine forest, rolling hills are complemented with labyrinth lakes and inlets. This beautiful landscape attracted about 4 million tourist in the year 2005. There are 35 national parks across the country. Commercial cruises between major coastal and port cities in the Baltic region including Helsinki, Turku, Tallinn Stockholm plays a significant role in the local tourism industry.
Tourism in Winter
Winter attracts thousands of visitors for its Christmas festivities and winter sports and activities such as skiing, dog sledding and Nordic walking. Finland is regarded as the home of Saint Nicholas or Santa Claus. Above the arctic circle, there is the polar night, a period when the sun does not rise for days and weeks. On the extreme north of Finland Auorora Borealis and atmospheric fluorescence is seen regularly in winter. This exquisite spectacle draw people from around the globe.
Tourism in Summer
Throughout summer there are a range of international festivals, markets and performing arts that includes songs and dances. The receding snow and everlasting sunlight provides an ideal opportunity for outdoor games. These activities includes golf, fishing, yachting, lake cruise, hiking, kayaking and others. Bird – watching is popular for those who are fond of flying fauna. Hunting is also popular. Moose, elk, reindeer are the common games of Finland that are played in summer.
For further information on Helsinki, the capital city of Finland you can log on to countriesandcapitals.
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