Hello friends! Are you ready for more traveling and adventures? Today we’re going to Finland, a beautiful country in Northern Europe!
If you want to learn more about Finland don’t forget to download our activity package:
Click here to download our Finland learning guide
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Fun Fact about Finland
Here’s a fun fact about Finland: The latest UN report stated that Finland is now the happiest country in the world! That’s right, nordic countries are in general always at the top of this list but last year Finnish got to prove they are the happiest people on earth. That’s so sweet!
The Republic of Finland is in the north of Europe and it’s surrounded by Sweeden to the west, Russia to the east, Norway to the north, and the Gulf of Finland to the south. This means Finland is one of the five Nordic countries. Do you know the other four? These are Denmark, Iceland, Norway, and Sweeden. Yes, their flags look alike!
The flag of Finland
Speaking of flags, let’s take a look at Finland’s flag. It’s a white rectangle with a blue cross that spreads to the edge and it represents Finland’s heritage link with the other Nordic countries. The white represents the snow that covers the entire country during winter and the blue represents the many lakes found all over the country, trust me, there are a lot! But we’ll talk about that in a minute. First, let’s talk a little about the Finnish people!
What are the Finnish like and what language do they speak?
Finnish people are super sincere, warm, and genuine! Some people think that Finnish people are introverted and reserved but that couldn’t be farther from the truth! Finns are talkative and hospitable and they also like to joke a lot. Especially about the myth of them being shy and reserved.
Finnis people sound like fun, don’t you think? But how can we communicate with them? The two main official languages of Finland are Swedish and, obviously, Finnish. To say “Hello” in Finnish we say “Hei,” and to say “Goodbye,” we say “Näkemiin.”
To be polite with others we can say “Ole kiltti” which means “Please,” and “Kiitos” to say “Thank you.”
Oh! When meeting someone, don’t forget to say “Hauska tavata,” which means “Nice to meet you!”
Now, let’s count together!
1 – yksi
2 – kaksi
3 – kolme
4 – neljä
5 – viisi
Finland’s Beautiful Landscape
Alright, now let’s talk a little bit about the beautiful landscapes. As I mentioned before, there are a lot of lakes in Finland, almost 190,000! No wonder why sometimes the country is referred to as “the land of thousands of lakes”.
One of the most famous lakes is the Kilpisjärvi, where the borders of Finland, Sweden, and Norway meet. And if you go a little up to the north you can find Halti Mountain, which at almost 4,400 ft (1,341 meters), is Finland’s highest point.
The Moomin World is located on the island of Kailo in southwest Finland and everything here is based on the hippo-like creatures known as the Moomins, created by Finnish illustrator Tove Jansson. These adorable characters starred in nine books, five picture books, and a long-running comic strip along with their many TV appearances. The Moomin World theme park is open daily from mid-June to mid-August and its main attraction is the blueberry-colored Moomin House!
But probably the most famous Finnish landscapes are their breathtaking snowy forests. You can find beautiful trees and cozy cottages covered with a lot of snow and ice in places like the Oulanka National Park, the Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park, and the Pyhä-Luosto National Park. These places are magical and you will love them!
If we’re talking about snowy places, we can’t ignore Lapland, the northern part of Finland. Every season in Finnish Lapland is uniquely different from the other, especially when we consider that there’s 24-hour sunlight in the summer and gorgeous Northern Lights in the dark days of winter.
But hold on just a minute, what are the Northern Lights? Also known as auroras and polar lights, the Northern Lights are a natural light display in the sky, predominantly seen in Nordic countries and the North Pole. Auroras display dynamic and beautiful patterns of brilliant lights that appear as curtains, rays, or spirals covering the entire sky! Amazing!
Animals found in Finland
What do you say if we take a look at the cute animals that live in these cold places? Since 74% of Finland’s territory is covered by forest, you can bet there are a lot of furry friends here. The most common animals you can find in Finland are the gray wolf, snowy owl, and the classic Santa Claus’ helper reindeer, among many more.
But the most popular Finnish animal is Eurasian Brown Bear. Despite being dangerous to some remote populations, brown bears are recognized as Finland’s official national animal. In ancient times, Finns believed that bears were simultaneously related to humans and divine beings. That’s awesome!
Finnish Cuisine
Talking about animals got me hungry! This is a good moment to talk about Finland food. And what better way to start than talking about Finland’s national dish? the Karelian stew! It’s a traditional meat stew originating from the region of Karelia and it’s commonly prepared with a combination of pork and beef, but elk or lamb can also be used.
Another great example is the Karelian pasties, which are like Finnish versions of pizza! These tasty delicacies are filled with mashed potatoes or rice pudding. Delicious!
Now, what about the candies? Finland is well known for its Salmiakki which is basically salty licorice. Yes, that’s right, the most famous Finnish candy is salty! This licorice is flavored with salmiak salt and it’s so popular in Finland that you can find not only sweets but also milkshakes, sauces, ice cream, cakes, and muffins flavored with salmiakki! What do you think? Would you give this salty licorice a try?
By the way, did you know that Finns love coffee? That’s right, Finns consume more coffee than any other country in not just Europe, but the world! Drinking eight cups of coffee per day would not be considered unusual in Finland!
Finnish and their love for Saunas
And speaking about what Finnish people love, they are crazy, and I mean crazy about saunas! They love them so much that technically, there are more saunas than cars in Finland!
If you don’t know what a sauna is, they are basically small rooms that are heated to very high temperatures. They usually have wooden interiors and people use them to relax.
Saunas are so important for Finnish people that even a Burger King in Helsinki has a Sauna! That’s crazy!
Sports played in Finland
Now that we mentioned what Finns do to relax, let’s talk a little about their sports. Finland’s national sport is called Pesäpallo, which literally means “nest ball“. This sport is very similar to baseball and it’s also popular in Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Australia, and Canada’s northern Ontario.
However, the most unique Finnish sports are some of the craziest things you could ever think of. Like the Wife-carrying championship! This funny sport consists of a man carrying his wife on his back or shoulders while he goes as fast as possible through a small obstacle course! Look at them go!
Other crazy sports are the mosquito hunting competition, mobile phone throwing, and Air Guitar. Yes, they are exactly what you think and in Finland, they are totally legitimate sports!
Do you like hobby horses? Because in Finland, riding one is also a sport! You just have to grab your hobby horse and go through a small horse course as fast as possible. That’s so funny!
Well, friends. That’s just some of the endless fun you can find in Finland. If you want to visit it, don’t forget to pack some warm clothing because the weather can get really cold.
Hyvästi ystävät!
That’s Finnish for “Ciao friends!”
