Finland is one of eight Nordic countries (the others being Iceland, Denmark, Faroe Islands, Greenland, Norway, Sweden & Åland – Åland is actually autonomous region of Finland). Sweden is to the west, Russian to the east, Norway to the north & Estonia to the south.

Why Visit Finland?

• In 2011 Rovaniemi, Finland was voted the #1 winter destination in Europe by Lonely Planet.
• It’s a nature lovers paradise, Finland has over 37 national parks & over 180,000 lakes according to wikipedia.
• It’s perfect if you love the sun. In summer the sun does not set for a full 73 days in the northernmost points (just remember the reverse will be true in winter!)
• Santa lives here! No really, Santa’s village is located in the Northern region of Lapland. I was taken here as a child and as trashy as it sounds I had an really amazing and memorable time.

Fun Facts About Finland

• The official currency is the Euro, although in areas close to the Sweden & Norway borders Swedish krona (including coins) & Norwegian krona can be used respectively. In Finland one & two euro cent coins are not used, it’s rounded up to the nearest five euro cents.
• The national language is Finnish (Suomi is Finnish for Finland).
• It has a population of roughly 5,400,000 people and it’s estimated that 3,600,000 people visit each and every year.
• Helsinki is the Nation’s capital with a population of over 600,000
• The average income in Finland is $24,958 per year according to the OECD. Although there is a large income disparity between the wealthy and the poor.
• 24.48% of Finland’s energy comes from renewable sources.
• Life expectancy at birth is almost 80 years of age.
• Speeding fines are based upon your income. The more you earn, the more you get fined. The top fine ever recorded was for a massive €116,000 – Anssi Vanjoki was the culprit. He is the director of Nokia and was estimated to earn $12.5mill per year. Jaakko Rytsola was the old record holder with a fine of €80,000.
• Finland is home to world ‘Wife Carrying Championships‘.
• It’s illegal to drive without your headlights on. This has been law since 1982 apparently.
• Finland broadcasts the news in Latin. Nuntii Latini is the only Latin news broadcasting service in the world. Why? Don’t ask us!
• Donald duck was banned in Finland because he doesn’t wear pants! Ok, it looks like you guys/snopes debunked this one.