Create infographics I bet you didn't know this about FINLAND 5,4 million 15,8 inhabitants per km² 338,424 km² Fifth-largest country in Western Europe December 6th, 1917 Declaration of independence. Previously a grand duchy in the Russian empire for 108 years, and a part of Sweden for 600 years before that. "Our land" The Finnish national anthem, with words by Johan Ludvig Runeberg and music by Fredrik Pacius, was first performed in 1848 by students celebrating Flora Day (May 13) in a meadow belonging to Kumtähti Manor in Helsinki. It was sung in Swedish. Estonia's national anthem has the same melody as Finland's. 75% of the country's area is covered by forests. 188.000 lakes More than any other country. Tap water in Finland is drinkable and of excellent quality with a fresh taste. 180.000 islands Europe's largest archipelago formed by approximately 95.000 islands along the coast. 3,3M saunas 99% of Finns take a sauna at least once a week Finland was the first European country to grant women both the right to vote and the right to stand for election in 1906. New Zealand granted women the right to vote in 1893 and Australia allowed women to both vote and stand for election in 1902. 91 % speak Finnish as their first language, while 5.4 % speak Swedish. Sámi is the mother tongue of roughly 1,700 indigenous Sámi people in northern Lapland. Finnish Swedish Other Finland ranks second out of 86 countries around the world when the World Wide Web's contribution to social, economic and political progress is measured. Denmark Finland Norway UK Turkey 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 100 98,81 97,32 95,67 53,30 Finland enjoys one of the highest standards of living in Europe according to the latest ranking by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. (Image by Juho Kuva / Visit Helsinki) Finland is still seen as one of the least corrupt countries in the world. Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index for 2014 has again ranked Finland third, after Denmark and New Zealand. Denmark New Zealand Finland Sweden Norway 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 92 91 89 87 86 Finns are coffee-loving people (annual coffee consumption in kilograms in 2009) Finland USA Sweden 11,92 4,09 7,35 (Image by Ewan Bell) A quarter of Finland's area lies north of the Arctic Circle. (Image by Hannu Huovila/Vastavalo) "Sauna" is a Finnish word "All men are created equal; but nowhere more so than in a sauna" Finnish saying (Image by Jussi Hellsten/Visit Helsinki) Have you heard about sauna diplomacy? Former president and Nobel peace prize laureate Martti Ahtisaari used sauna diplomacy - diplomatic meetings in the sauna - to move forward peace negotiations from Tanzania to Indonesia. During the Cold War, Urho Kekkonen - who served as president for 26 years - negotiated with Soviet diplomats in the sauna at his official residence. Aurora borealis can be seen in Finnish Lapland 200 nights a year. During wintertime, 100.000 Finns swim at least once a week In Finland you can find the world’s rarest seal, the Saimaa ringed seal (Image by Guido Muratore) Guess where the Air Guitar World Championships takes place! The British Broadcasting Corporation BBC has chosen Helsinki’s railway station among the ten most beautiful railway stations. Helsinki was voted one of the Top 15 Places to Go in 2015 by the CNTraveler Editors (Image by Jussi Hellsten/Visit Helsinki) (Image by Jussi Hellsten/Visit Helsinki) 1.000 dancers and musicians from all over Finland get together during Helsinki's Samba Carnaval held annually in early June One of Europe's best music festivals takes place in Helsinki “A festival for all the senses and one that successfully manages to be cool and cosy at the same time." Susan Greenwood / The Guardian If none of the above was enough to convince you to travel to Finland, then the following video might do the trick! Sources Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, Visit Helsinki, this is FINLAND, Visit Finland, Good News from Finland.