Finland

Page last updated at 13:06 GMT, Thursday, 24 June 2010 14:06 UK

Around two-thirds of Finland is covered in forest and about a tenth by water.

In the far north, the sun does not set for around 10 weeks during the 'White Nights' of summer, while in winter it does not rise above the horizon for nearly eight weeks.

This wild northern landscape inspired Finland's greatest composer Jean Sibelius. His work came to symbolise the country's struggle for independence in the early 20th century after centuries under the domination of its neighbours.

Hundreds of years of Swedish rule were followed by a further century of Russian control. The country displays distinctive elements of past Scandinavian and Russian links in its style and culture.

Independence in 1917 failed to stem the demands of Finland's giant eastern neighbour. World War II saw fierce fighting along Finland's eastern border.

Finnish troops mounted a vigorous response to Soviet forces and stalled their advance, but the country was eventually forced to cede 10% of its territory and make extensive war reparation payments to the Soviets.

The collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s allowed Finland to step out of the Cold War shadow. It applied for membership of the EU soon after its friendship treaty with the Soviet Union became void in 1991, becoming a full member in 1995.

Helsinki Cathedral, a landmark in the capital

Finland is the only Nordic EU member to use the euro as the national currency.

The country spends heavily on education, training and research - investment which pays dividends by delivering one of the best-educated and trained workforces in the world.

This has been a key factor in the development of a modern, competitive economy in which a cutting-edge telecommunications sector has been added to the traditional timber and metals industries.

Full name: Republic of Finland Population: 5.3 million (UN, 2009) Capital: Helsinki Area: 338,145 sq km (130,559 sq miles) Major languages: Finnish, Swedish Major religion: Christianity Life expectancy: 76 years (men), 83 years (women) (UN) Monetary unit: 1 euro = 100 cents Main exports: Machinery and electronics, paper and paper products, chemicals GNI per capita: US $48,120 (World Bank, 2008) Internet domain: .fi International dialling code: +358

President: Tarja Halonen

President Halonen has been active in Finnish politics since the 1960s

Tarja Halonen became Finland's first woman president in 2000 and was re-elected in January 2006.

She comes from the centre-left of Finnish politics. She has long been involved in human rights issues and spent many years working as a lawyer, representing trades unions and non-governmental organisations.

She was an MP from 1979 until 2000.

The role of the president is focused mainly on foreign policy.

Prime minister: Mari Kiviniemi

Mari Kiviniemi became prime minister in June 2010 after her predecessor, Matti Vanhanen, resigned.

Prime Minister Mari Kiviniemi leads a four-party coalition

Ms Kiviniemi is leader of the Centre Party, anchor of Finland's four-party coalition government. She is the country's second female prime minister.

Finland's previous female premier, Anneli Jaatteenmaki, held the post in 2005 for two months but was forced to resign because she lied about leaking sensitive documents.

Parliament approved Ms Kiviniemi as prime minister with 115 votes to 56. Centrist politicians had earlier chosen her to replace Mr Vanhanen as leader of Finland's largest party, which holds the prime minister's chair in the centre-right coalition government.

Ms Kiviniemi, who has been a member of parliament for 15 years, was made minister of public administration and local government in 2005. She was 41 when she took office as premier.

Mr Vanhanen, 54, headed two coalitions since 2003. In December, he cited scheduled leg surgery as the main reason for his resignation, but Finnish media have speculated that alleged irregularities in party funding forced him to step down.

Finland's broadcasting sector is very dynamic and the country is digitising its transmission network. Analogue terrestrial TV broadcasts were switched off in September 2007.

Public YLE, funded by licence fees, operates radio and TV networks. New stations have emerged in a market once dominated by YLE and the established private broadcaster MTV. Pay-TV channels are provided by pan-Nordic operator Canal+.

Finnish law gives every citizen the right to publish printed material, and guarantees the right of reply. Newspapers are privately owned and reflect a range of political views.

The press

Helsingin Sanomat - Helsinki daily, English-language pages Ilta-Sanomat - Helsinki, evening daily Hufvudstadsbladet - Helsinki, Swedish-language daily Kauppalehti - Helsinki, business daily Taloussanomat - Helsinki, business daily Aamulehti - Tampere, daily Turun Sanomat - Turku, daily Demari - Helsinki, organ of Social Democratic Party Kansan Uutiset - Helsinki, organ of Left Alliance Iltalehti - Helsinki, evening daily Helsinki Times - English-language

Television

Radio

News agency

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