Portal:Finland

The Finland Portal

Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, opposite Estonia. Its capital and largest city is Helsinki. Finland has a population of 5.6 million. The official languages are Finnish and Swedish, the mother tongues of 84.1 percent and 5.1 percent of the population, respectively. Finland's climate varies from humid continental in the south to boreal in the north. Its land is predominantly covered by boreal forest, with over 180,000 recorded lakes.

Finland was first settled around 9000 BC after the last Ice Age. During the Stone Age, various cultures emerged, distinguished by different styles of ceramics. The Bronze Age and Iron Ages were marked by contacts with other cultures in Fennoscandia and the Baltic region. From the late 13th century, Finland became part of Sweden following the Northern Crusades. In 1809, as a result of the Finnish War, Finland was captured from Sweden and became an autonomous grand duchy within the Russian Empire. During this period, Finnish art flourished and an independence movement gradually developed. (Full article...)

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Torvalds in 2018

Linus Benedict Torvalds (born 28 December 1969) is a Finnish and American software engineer who is the creator and lead developer of the Linux kernel since 1991. He also created the distributed version control system Git.

Torvalds was one of the recipients of the 2012 Millennium Technology Prize "in recognition of his creation of a new open source operating system for computers leading to the widely used Linux kernel". He is also the recipient of the 2014 IEEE Computer Society Computer Pioneer Award and the 2018 IEEE Masaru Ibuka Consumer Electronics Award. (Full article...)

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Juuso Pykälistö in his Peugeot 206 WRC during the 2003 Swedish Rally.

Did you know (auto-generated)

... that the Grand Prix of Finland was held again in 2022 after Russia was banned from hosting international figure skating competitions?
... that Finland won its first Olympic ice hockey medal under the leadership of Kai Hietarinta?
... that Turku remained the largest city in Finland after three quarters of it burned down?
... that Sodankylä Old Church is one of the oldest preserved wooden churches in Finland?
... that a book about a Finnish Santa figure sold particularly well in Germany and Japan?
... that Kaija Saariaho's 2021 opera Innocence includes traditional Finnish cow-herding calls?

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You are invited to participate in Finland WikiProject, a WikiProject dedicated to developing and improving articles about Finland.

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...that when completed in 1967, MS Finlandia was the largest ferry in the world?
...that the Pysähdy ajoissa - Stanna i tid ("Stop in time") traffic campaign was the result of the public response to a road death of a nine-year-old girl in Finland?
...that the Finnish Association of Graduate Engineers has been in charge of publishing Finland's ethical guidelines on engineering for over 40 years?
...that Penedo, a small town in Brazil was colonized by immigrants from Finland?
...that the Wärtsilä Turku shipyard in Finland built five state-of-the-art cruiseferries for the Black Sea Shipping Company, Soviet Union, in 1975-1976?

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This is a Good article, an article that meets a core set of high editorial standards.

Erik Adolf von Willebrand (1 February 1870 – 12 September 1949) was a Finnish physician who made major contributions to hematology. Von Willebrand disease and von Willebrand factor are named after him. He also researched metabolism, obesity and gout, and was one of the first Finnish physicians to use insulin to treat a diabetic coma.

Von Willebrand qualified in medicine in 1896 from the University of Helsinki, where he received his Ph.D. in 1899. He worked at the University of Helsinki from 1900 until 1930. From 1908 until his retirement in 1933, he was the head of the department of medicine at the Deaconess Hospital in Helsinki, where he also was physician-in-chief from 1922 to 1931. (Full article...)

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General images

The following are images from various Finland-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1The area of Finland in the years 1920–1940. The 1935 county and municipality division on the map. (from History of Finland)
Image 2In 2011 figure skater Kiira Korpi was ranked 4th in the world. (from Culture of Finland)
Image 3The Swedish empire at its largest. Most of present-day Finland was part of Sweden proper, rike, shown in dark green. (from History of Finland)
Image 4In the middle is the patron saint of Finland, Saint Henry, on the right side of him is Bishop Konrad Bitz and on the left is Dean Magnus Stjernkors; from Missale Aboense (1488) (from History of Finland)
Image 5Erkki Karu, one of the pioneers of the Finnish cinema, with cinematographer Eino Kari in 1927 (from Culture of Finland)
Image 6Finland Ostrobothnia regiment uniforms in 1705 (from History of Finland)
Image 7Pieces of the Antrea Net (8,300 BC), the oldest-known fishing net in the world. (from History of Finland)
Image 8A smoke sauna (savusauna) in Enonkoski (from Culture of Finland)
Image 9Karjalanpiirakka, a traditional Finnish pastry (from Culture of Finland)
Image 10President Urho Kekkonen's funeral procession in 1986 (from History of Finland)
Image 11Memorial of the Mannerheim Cross Knights of Parikkala, Finland (from History of Finland)
Image 12Battle of Gangut (Hanko) was part of the Great Northern War during 1700–1721. (from History of Finland)
Image 13A peasant girl and a woman in traditional dress from Ruokolahti, eastern Finland, as depicted by Severin Falkman in 1882 (from Culture of Finland)
Image 14A view of Pohjoisesplanadi in the center of Helsinki in 1891 (from History of Finland)
Image 15Alvar Aalto, Viipuri Library (1927–35) (from Culture of Finland)
Image 16Kreeta Haapasalo Playing the Kantele in a Peasant Cottage (1868), by Robert Wilhelm Ekman (from History of Finland)
Image 17A group of Finnish soldiers operating a Bofors gun during the Continuation War in 1943 (from History of Finland)
Image 18Lapua Movement supporters beating the "red officer" Eino Nieminen [fi] in front of the Vaasa courthouse during the 4 June 1930 riot. (from History of Finland)
Image 19Mikael Agricola hands over the Finnish Translation of the New Testament to King Gustav Wasa. (from History of Finland)
Image 20S/S Urania in Hanko harbor in 1893, with 509 emigrants on board on their way to America (from History of Finland)
Image 21Helsinki Accords Treaty (from History of Finland)
Image 22The decision of the Soviet of the People's Comissars' to recognise Finnish independence, signed by Vladimir Lenin, Leon Trotsky, Grigory Petrovsky, Joseph Stalin, Isaac Steinberg, Vladimir Karelin, and Alexander Schlichter (from History of Finland)
Image 23Apocalyptica's Perttu Kivilaakso playing metal music live (from Culture of Finland)
Image 24A triptych by Akseli Gallen-Kallela, depicting the Aino Story of Kalevala on three panes (from Culture of Finland)
Image 25Janne Ahonen is considered one of the best and most successful currently active ski jumpers. (from Culture of Finland)
Image 26Finnish Guards' Rifle Battalion, 1850s (from History of Finland)
Image 27A summer cottage (mökki) on a lake island (from Culture of Finland)
Image 28Painting of Lalli killing Henry. Painting by C. A. Ekman. (from History of Finland)
Image 29Prehistoric red ochre painted rock art of moose, human figures, and boats in Astuvansalmi, Finland, from ca. 3800–2200 BC (from Culture of Finland)
Image 30The ruins of Vammala burned by the Reds, during the Civil war (from History of Finland)
Image 31Battle of Valkeala was part of the Russo-Swedish War (1788–1790). (from History of Finland)
Image 32Sámi family in traditional costumes from Finland. (from Culture of Finland)
Image 33Finnish folk dancers in a 1907 postcard sent from Mustamäki, Finland (from Culture of Finland)
Image 34The area controlled by Finland at its largest, in 1942 (from History of Finland)
Image 35An old drawing of the city of Turku in the 18th century (from History of Finland)
Image 36Kalmar Union in 1400s (from History of Finland)
Image 37Grand Duchy of Finland, 75 kopek assignat (1824) (from History of Finland)
Image 38Badge of the Finnish White/Civil Guard (from History of Finland)
Image 39Eero Järnefelt, Burning the Brushwood, 1893 (from History of Finland)
Image 40Jean Sibelius at work in his study (from History of Finland)
Image 41Jussipaita (transl. Jussi sweater); a traditional sweater from the Finnish region of Southern Ostrobothnia (from Culture of Finland)
Image 42Identification document and tag of a Finnish war child (from History of Finland)
Image 43Students on Helsinki's Esplanadi wearing their caps on Vappu (from Culture of Finland)
Image 44Northern Europe in 814 (from History of Finland)
Image 45Midsummer bonfire (kokko) in Mäntsälä (from Culture of Finland)
Image 46Women in sauna with Vihtas
Image 47Ancylus Lake covered major part of Finland (7,500–6,000 BC) (from History of Finland)
Image 48Imagery collage of Birger Jarl conquering Häme and the construction of Häme Castle (from History of Finland)
Image 49Stone Age stone axe engraved with human face found from Kiuruvesi. (from History of Finland)
Image 50Turku Cathedral and its surroundings from 1814 (from History of Finland)
Image 51Winter War Monument in Suomussalmi, Kainuu, Finland (from History of Finland)
Image 52Map of Finnish areas ceded to the Soviet Union in 1944, after the Continuation War (from History of Finland)
Image 53Paavo Nurmi at the 1920 Summer Olympics (from Culture of Finland)
Image 54Linus Torvalds, a famous Fennoswede software engineer, best known for initiating the development of the Linux kernel (from Culture of Finland)
Image 55Captain Aarne Juutilainen at the front at Kollaa during the Winter War (from History of Finland)
Image 56Women dressed in Finnish folk costumes (from Culture of Finland)
Image 57Marshal of Finland Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim visit in Germany, 1942 (from History of Finland)
Image 58The public education system founded during earlier Swedish rule resulted the literacy of Grand Duchy of Finland being higher than its host country Russian Empire (map of 1897 census literacy data) (from History of Finland)
Image 59Pekka Halonen's painting "against persecutors" from 1896 depicts the warfare of the ancient Finns. (from History of Finland)
Image 60The Finno-Soviet Treaty (from History of Finland)
Image 61This 1825 map of the Grand Duchy of Finland is from a larger work, geographical atlas of the Russian Empire. (from History of Finland)
Image 62Wehrmacht soldiers with a local Sámi reindeer herder, Lappland, Sodankylä, Finland 1942 (from History of Finland)
Image 63Portrait of Finnish poet Elias Lönnrot who wrote "the Kalevala" (1802 - 1884) (from History of Finland)
Image 64(1809 Diet of Porvoo) The sovereign's pledge, printed in Finnish (from History of Finland)
Image 65Three Finnish Romani women in Helsinki, Finland, in 1930s (from Culture of Finland)
Image 66Signing the Helsinki Accords are the West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt, East Germany's leader Erich Honecker, US president Gerald Ford and the Austrian chancellor Bruno Kreisky (from History of Finland)
Image 67The first government of independent Finland. P. E. Svinhufvud, the first Prime Minister of Finland, sitting at the head of the table. (from History of Finland)
Image 68Stone Age dwelling named Kierikki 5000–3000 BC (from History of Finland)
Image 69People gathered in the Senate Square for a demonstration against the February Manifesto in March 1899. (from History of Finland)
Image 70A reconstruction of a 12th-century Perniö costume (from History of Finland)
Image 71President K. J. Ståhlberg in his office in 1919 (from History of Finland)
Image 72In the sauna, by Pekka Halonen, 1925 (from Culture of Finland)
Image 73Homann's map of the Scandinavian Peninsula and Fennoscandia with their surrounding territories: northern Germany, northern Poland, the Baltic region, Livonia, Belarus, and parts of Northwest Russia. Johann Baptist Homann (1664–1724) was a German geographer and cartographer; map dated around 1730. (from History of Finland)
Image 74Kastelli Giant's Church in Pattijoki by Pöljä culture [fi] (from History of Finland)
Image 75The part of Finland controlled by the Reds at its largest in February–March 1918 (from History of Finland)
Image 76The Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (1865–1957), a significant figure in the history of classical music (from Culture of Finland)
Image 772007 Formula One World Champion Kimi Räikkönen celebrating victory at the 2007 Brazilian Grand Prix (from Culture of Finland)

In the news

5 February 2026 – 2026 Winter Olympics: The match between Finland and Canada in the women's ice hockey tournament at the Winter Olympics is postponed to February 12 after a norovirus outbreak affected 13 members of the Finnish team. (NBC)
21 January 2026 – Greenland crisis, Tariffs in the second Trump administration: United States president Donald Trump announces he will cancel the planned tariffs on Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom after reaching an agreement with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte for a Greenland framework. He also stated at the World Economic Forum that he has ruled out sending forces amidst invasion fears. (BBC News) (Fortune)
3 October 2025 –: A Finnish court dismisses charges against the crew of the Eagle S tanker, ruling prosecutors failed to prove intent in the 2024 Estlink 2 incident and that negligence must be addressed by the ship's flag state or crew's home countries. (Reuters)

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