Finland

Quick Facts:

  • Population: 5,509,717 (August 2017)
  • Area: 338,424 square km (130,666 sq mi)
  • Capital city: Helsinki
  • Languages:
    • Official: Finnish and Swedish
    • Recognized regional languages: Sami
  • Government: Unitary parliamentary republic
  • Currency: Euro
  • Formation:
    • Autonomy within Russia: 29 March 1809
    • Independence from Russia: 6 December 1917
    • Joined the European Union: 1 January 1995
Helsinki Cathedral

The Helsinki Cathedral is one of the most distinctive landmarks in Helsinki.

The National Flag of Finland

Finland celebrated 100 years of independence on December 6th, 2017. Although I haven’t lived in my home country for nearly two decades, I wish I could have joined the celebrations in Finland. Instead I was on a trip in Tokyo that day, which is why I took this picture before our flight. Happy Independence Day my fellow Finns!!!

Please standby for a Blog post about Finland. I have a lot to share about life in the country of thousands of lakes, millions of trees, and bunch of reindeer herds. …that sounded kind of boring… Well, we are also the home country of the Angry Birds, Nokia phones, Santa Claus and the Linux open-source software! =)