Good morning, all, well it is Monday morning, and I am hoping
this Monday is a good one and that I am productive and not just tired, as I am
so over being tired all the damn time.
This week we are in Northern Europe which if I haven’t said before
and I don’t think I have and I am too damn lazy to search and find out, is a
loose term that generally includes the Nordic countries of northernmost Europe
such as Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Norway.
This week we are looking at Finland which borders Sweden, Norway
and Russia the capital is Helsinki which occupies a peninsula and surrounding
islands in the Baltic Sea.
Helsinki is home to the 18th-century sea fortress Suomenlinna, is
an inhabited sea fortress composed of eight islands, of which six have
been fortified; it is about 4 km southeast of the city centre of Helsinki.
It is popular with tourists and locals, who enjoy it as a picturesque picnic
site. Originally named Sveaborg (Castle of the Swedes),
or Viapori as referred to by Finnish-speaking Finns, it was
renamed in Finnish to Suomenlinna (Castle of Finland) in 1918
for patriotic and nationalistic reasons, though it is still known by its
original name in Sweden and by Swedish-speaking Finns.
It has a population of around 5.6 million, its currency is the Euro,
and it has two official languages Finnish and Swedish. However, even
though English is not their official language, you'll find many Finns
speak English well. English has become widely spoken, especially in urban areas
and among the younger generation.
The Flag of Finland, also called siniristilippu, dates from the
beginning of the 20th century. On a white background, it features a blue Nordic
cross, which represents Christianity. The state flag has a coat of arms in the centre
but is otherwise identical to the civil flag.
The national coat of arms displays a crowned lion standing
on a red field. The lion holds a raised sword in its right gauntleted foreleg
and is trampling a curved sabre. The lion, the crown and the sword and sabre
handles are gold, as are the gauntlet joints. The blades and the gauntlet are
silver.
The brown bear is Finland's national animal. For ancient Finns the bear was a feared yet revered and respected animal. The importance of the bear in the minds of ancient Finns is demonstrated by the fact that there are over 200 different names for the bear in their language.
The lily-of-the valley is
Finland's national flower because its attractive and sweetly scented flowers
are very familiar to most Finns.
The Head of State is the
President of the Republic, and the Government is led by a Prime Minister.
Finland was formerly considered a semi-presidential parliamentary system, but
pursuant to the 1999 constitution and the 2012 constitutional amendments, it is
now a full parliamentary democracy.
Human rights in Finland are freedom of speech, religion, association, and assembly as upheld in law and in practice. Individuals are guaranteed basic rights under the constitution, by legislative acts, and in treaties relating to human rights ratified by the Finnish government.
Finland consistently ranks
among the countries with the lowest crime rates in the world. Violent crime is
relatively rare, and the overall crime levels are significantly lower compared
to many other countries.
Sounds like a wonderful country to live in. :)
ReplyDeleteYes it does
DeleteI recently had read a book which told a lot of the story of its war for independence from Bolshevik Russia during WWI.
ReplyDeleteThat would be interesting
DeleteInteresting ... I've never heard anyone say I'm going to Finland. It sounds like a lovely country to vacation in.
ReplyDeleteI agree, I have never thought of going there myself till I did this post
DeleteI loved learning about Finland here, Jo-Anne. Blessings!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed learning about it myself as I wrote the post
DeleteAlways nice to learn something new.
ReplyDeleteYes it is
DeleteBeautiful blog
ReplyDeleteThank you
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