Finland

The area that is now Finland was settled in, at the latest, around 8500 BC during the Stone Age towards the end of the last glacial period. The artefacts the first settlers left behind present characteristics that are shared with those found in Estonia, Russia, and Norway. The earliest people were hunter-gatherers, using stone tools.

The first pottery appeared in 5200 BC, when the Comb Ceramic culture was introduced. The area of present-day Finland was in the western limits of the culture, which produced pottery with a distinct comb pattern. The arrival of the Corded Ware culture in the south of coastal Finland between 3000 and 2500 BC may have coincided with the start of agriculture. Even with the introduction of agriculture, hunting and fishing continued to be important parts of the subsistence economy.

Based upon linguistic evidence, Finland seems to have been primarily inhabited by speakers of Paleo-European languages prior to the migration of the Finno-Ugric peoples, which influenced the Sámi languages who were the first Finno-Ugric peoples to move towards Finland. These languages have been divided into Paleo-Laplandic languages which were spoken around Lapland, and the Lakelandic languages spoken in most of modern-day Finland.

In the Bronze Age, permanent all-year-round cultivation and animal husbandry spread, but the cold climate slowed the change. The Seima-Turbino phenomenon brought the first bronze artefacts to the region and possibly also the Finno-Ugric languages. Commercial contacts that had so far mostly been to Estonia started to extend to Scandinavia. Domestic manufacture of bronze artefacts started 1300 BC.

In the Iron Age, population grew. Finland Proper was the most densely populated area. Commercial contacts in the Baltic Sea region grew and extended during the eighth and ninth centuries. Main exports from Finland were furs, slaves, castoreum, and falcons to European courts. Imports included silk and other fabrics, jewelry, Ulfberht swords, and, in lesser extent, glass. Production of iron started approximately in 500 BC. At the end of the ninth century, indigenous artefact culture, especially weapons and women's jewelry, had more common local features than ever before. This has been interpreted to be expressing common Finnish identity.

An early form of Finnic languages spread to the Baltic Sea region approximately 1900 BC. …

Lying approximately between latitudes 60° and 70° N, and longitudes 20° and 32° E, Finland is one of the world's northernmost countries. Of world capitals, only Reykjavík lies more to the north than Helsinki. The country is geographically stretched strongly in a north–south direction: the distance from the southernmost point – Hanko in Uusimaa – to the northernmost – Nuorgam in Lapland – is 1,160 kilometres (720 mi).

Finland has about 168,000 lakes (of area larger than 500 m or 0.12 acres) and 179,000 islands. Its largest lake, Saimaa, is the fourth largest in Europe. The Finnish Lakeland is the area with the most lakes in the country; many of the major cities in the area, most notably Tampere, Jyväskylä and Kuopio, are located near the large lakes. Lying off the coast of Finland is the world's largest archipelago, a formation consisting of more than 50,000 islands. The greatest concentration of these islands is found in the southwest in a part of the Baltic Sea called the Archipelago Sea, between continental Finland and the island of Åland.

Much of the geography of Finland is a result of the Ice Age. The glaciers were thicker and lasted longer in Fennoscandia compared with the rest of Europe. The eroding effects have contributed to a mostly flat landscape in Finland, characterized by hills. However, in the northern regions, including areas bordering the Scandinavian Mountains, the terrain features mountainous elevations. At 1,324 metres (4,344 ft), Halti is the highest point in Finland. It is found in the north of Lapland at the border between Finland and Norway. The highest mountain whose peak is entirely in Finland is Ridnitšohkka at 1,316 m (4,318 ft), directly adjacent to Halti.

The retreating glaciers have left the land with terminal moraine deposits. These are ridges of stratified gravel and sand, running northwest to southeast, where the ancient edge of the glacier once lay. Among the biggest of these are the three Salpausselkä ridges that run across southern Finland. Eskers are also found.

Having been compressed under the enormous weight of the glaciers, terrain in Finland is rising due to the post-glacial rebound. The effect is strongest around the Gulf of Bothnia, where land steadily rises about 1 cm (0.4 in) a year. …

Modern Finnish values are rooted in egalitarian ideals. The country maintains a Nordic welfare model with significant state intervention in critical economic sectors. Robust LGBT rights, strong efforts to eliminate poverty, broad protections for women's rights, secularism, and environmentalism are indicators of its political and cultural values. According to International IDEA's Global State of Democracy (GSoD) Indices and Democracy Tracker, Finland performs in the high range on overall democratic measures, with particular strengths in political participation, including inclusive freedom of movement, freedom of movement and elected government.

The Constitution of Finland defines the political system; Finland is a parliamentary republic within the framework of a representative democracy. The Prime Minister is the country's most powerful person. Citizens can run and vote in parliamentary, municipal, presidential, and European Union elections.

Finland's head of state is the President of the Republic. Finland had, for most of its independence a semi-presidential system of government, but in the last few decades the powers of the president have become more circumscribed, and consequently the country is now considered a parliamentary republic. A new constitution, enacted in 2000, made the presidency primarily a ceremonial office. The president appoints the prime minister as elected by Parliament, appoints and dismisses the other ministers of the Finnish Government on the recommendation of the prime minister, opens parliamentary sessions, and confers state honors. Nevertheless, the president remains responsible for Finland's foreign relations, including the making of war and peace, but excluding matters related to the European Union. Moreover, the president exercises supreme command over the Finnish Defence Forces as commander-in-chief. In the exercise of his or her foreign and defense powers, the president is required to consult the Finnish government, but the government's advice is not binding. In addition, the president has several domestic reserve powers, including the authority to veto legislation, to grant pardons, and to appoint several public officials. …

As of 2022, Finland ranked 16th globally in nominal GDP per capita according to the IMF. Additionally, Finland boasts a well-developed welfare system that encompasses free education and universal healthcare, contributing to its reputation as a wealthy nation.

In 2018, the service sector constituted the largest segment of the economy, amounting to 66% of the GDP, while manufacturing and refining made up 31%. Primary production accounted for 2.9% of the economy. Manufacturing is the primary economic sector concerning foreign trade. The predominant industrial sectors in 2007 were electronics (22%), machinery, vehicles, and other engineered metal products (21.1%), forest industry (13%), and chemicals (11%). The gross domestic product reached its peak in 2021. Finland ranked seventh in the Global Innovation Index in 2025, but dropped to eighth position in 2026.

Finland has considerable timber, mineral (including iron, chromium, copper, nickel, and gold) and freshwater resources. Finland's gold production in 2015 was 9 metric tons. For the rural population, forestry, paper mills and agriculture are important. The Helsinki metropolitan area accounts for roughly one-third of Finland's GDP. Private services represent the largest employer in Finland.

Finland's soil and climate pose particular challenges for crop production, with harsh winters and relatively short growing seasons, often interrupted by frost. However, the prevalence of the Gulf Stream and the North Atlantic Drift Current in Finland's temperate climate allows for half of the world's arable land north of the 60° north latitude. Although annual precipitation is generally adequate, it mostly transpires during winter, which poses a continuous risk of summer droughts. Farmers have adapted to the climate by relying on quick-ripening and frost-resistant crop varieties. They cultivate south-facing slopes and rich bottomlands to ensure year-round production, even during summer frosts. Drainage systems are often utilized to remove excess water. Finland's agricultural sector has demonstrated remarkable efficiency and productivity, particularly in comparison to its European counterparts.

Forests are crucial to the nation's economy, making it one of the world's foremost wood producers and offering raw materials at competitive prices to the wood processing industries. …

The population of Finland is approximately 5.7 million. The birth rate is 7.8 per 1,000 inhabitants, giving a fertility rate of 1.26 children born per woman, one of the lowest in the world and well below the replacement rate of 2.1. In 1887, Finland recorded its highest rate, with 5.17 children born per woman. The child mortality rate is 2.1 deaths per every 1,000 births, one of the lowest in the world; this is attributed to a strong medical system and robust maternal care initiatives, including the maternity package programme. Finland has one of the oldest populations in the world, with a median age of 44.1 years and 23.8% of the population aged 65 and over. Finland has an average population density of 19 inhabitants per square kilometre. This is the third lowest population density in Europe, after Norway and Iceland, and the lowest in the European Union. Finland's population has always been concentrated in the southern parts of the country, a phenomenon that became more pronounced during the urbanization of the 20th century. Three of Finland's four largest cities are located in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area: Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa. The city of Tampere is third after Helsinki and Espoo, and Vantaa is fourth. Other cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants are Turku, Oulu, Jyväskylä, Kuopio, and Lahti.

Finland's immigrant population is growing. As of 2025, there were 660,800 people with a foreign background living in Finland (11.7% of the population), most of them from Ukraine, Estonia, Iraq, Somalia, China and India. The children of foreigners are not automatically granted Finnish citizenship, as Finnish citizenship law maintains a policy of jus sanguinis, whereby only children born to at least one Finnish parent are granted citizenship. If they are born in Finland and cannot obtain citizenship of another country, they become Finnish citizens. In addition, certain people of Finnish descent living in countries that were once part of the Soviet Union retain the right of return, i.e. the right to establish permanent residence in the country, which would eventually entitle them to citizenship. As of 2025, 10.9% of the Finnish population were foreign born. …