Match 82 DB Rec# - 7,534 Dataset-WOFACT
Title :Finland
Text :
Finland
Geography
Location:
Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, and Gulf of
Finland, between Sweden and Russia
Map references:
Europe
Area:
total area:
337,030 sq km
land area:
305,470 sq km
comparative area:
slightly smaller than Montana
Land boundaries:
total 2,628 km, Norway 729 km, Sweden 586 km, Russia 1,313 km
Coastline:
1,126 km (excludes islands and coastal indentations)
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
6 nm
continental shelf:
200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive fishing zone:
12 nm
territorial sea:
4 nm
International disputes:
none
Climate:
cold temperate; potentially subarctic, but comparatively mild because of
moderating influence of the North Atlantic Current, Baltic Sea, and more
than 60,000 lakes
Terrain:
mostly low, flat to rolling plains interspersed with lakes and low hills
Natural resources:
timber, copper, zinc, iron ore, silver
Land use:
arable land:
8%
permanent crops:
0%
meadows and pastures:
0%
forest and woodland:
76%
other:
16%
Irrigated land:
620 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
air pollution from manufacturing and power plants contributing to acid rain;
water pollution from industrial wastes, agricultural chemicals; habitat loss
threatens wildlife populations
natural hazards:
NA
Geography
international agreements:
party to - Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic
Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation,
Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber
83, Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not ratified - Air Pollution-Sulphur 94,
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea
Note:
long boundary with Russia; Helsinki is northernmost national capital on
European continent; population concentrated on small southwestern coastal
plain
People
Population:
5,085,206 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years:
19% (female 469,666; male 491,484)
15-64 years:
67% (female 1,683,371; male 1,716,307)
65 years and over:
14% (female 457,061; male 267,317) (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.3% (1995 est.)
Birth rate:
12.22 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate:
9.77 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate:
0.59 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
5.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
76.22 years
male:
72.51 years
female:
80.11 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.79 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Finn(s)
adjective:
Finnish
Ethnic divisions:
Finn, Swede, Lapp, Gypsy, Tatar
Religions:
Evangelical Lutheran 89%, Greek Orthodox 1%, none 9%, other 1%
Languages:
Finnish 93.5% (official), Swedish 6.3% (official), small Lapp- and
Russian-speaking minorities
Literacy:
age 15 and over can read and write (1980 est.)
total population:
100%
Labor force:
2.533 million
by occupation:
public services 30.4%, industry 20.9%, commerce 15.0%, finance, insurance,
and business services 10.2%, agriculture and forestry 8.6%, transport and
communications 7.7%, construction 7.2%
Government
Names:
conventional long form:
Republic of Finland
conventional short form:
Finland
local long form:
Suomen Tasavalta
local short form:
Suomi
Digraph:
FI
Type:
republic
Capital:
Helsinki
Administrative divisions:
12 provinces (laanit, singular - laani); Ahvenanmaa, Hame, Keski-Suomi,
Kuopio, Kymi, Lappi, Mikkeli, Oulu, Pohjois-Karjala, Turku ja Pori, Uusimaa,
Vaasa
Independence:
6 December 1917 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 6 December (1917)
Constitution:
17 July 1919
Legal system:
civil law system based on Swedish law; Supreme Court may request legislation
interpreting or modifying laws; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with
reservations
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
President Martti AHTISAARI (since 1 March 1994); election last held 31
January-6 February 1994 (next to be held January 2000); results - Martti
AHTISAARI 54%, Elisabeth REHN 46%
head of government:
Prime Minister Paavo LIPPONEN (since 13 April 1995); Deputy Prime Minister
Sauli NIINISTO (since 13 April 1995)
cabinet:
Council of State (Valtioneuvosto); appointed by the president, responsible
to Parliament
Legislative branch:
unicameral
Parliament (Eduskunta):
elections last held 19 March 1995 (next to be held March 1999); results -
Social Democratic Party 28.3%, Center Party 19.9%, National Coalition
(Conservative) Party 17.9%, Leftist Alliance (Communist) 11.2%, Swedish
People's Party 5.1%, Green League 6.5%, Ecology Party 0.3%, Rural 1.3%,
Finnish Christian League 3.0%, Liberal People's Party 0.6%, Young Finns
2.8%; seats - (200 total) Social Democratic Party 63, Center Party 44,
National Coalition (Conservative) Party 39, Leftist Alliance (Communist) 22,
Swedish People's Party 11, Green League 9, Ecology Party 1, Rural 1, Finnish
Christian League 7, Young Finns 2, Aaland Islands 1
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (Korkein Oikeus)
Government
Political parties and leaders:
government coalition:
Social Democratic Party, Paavo LIPPONEN; National Coalition (conservative)
Party, Sauli NIINISTO; Leftist Alliance (Communist) People's Democratic
League and Democratic Alternative, Claes ANDERSON; Swedish People's Party,
(Johan) Ole NORRBACK; Green League, Pekka HAAVISTO
other:
Center Party, Esko AHO; Finnish Christian League, Toimi KANKAANNIEMI; Rural
Party, Tina MAKELA; Liberal People's Party, Tuulikki UKKOLA; Greens
Ecological Party (EPV); Young Finns
Other political or pressure groups:
Finnish Communist Party-Unity, Yrjo HAKANEN; Constitutional Rightist Party;
Finnish Pensioners Party; Communist Workers Party, Timo LAHDENMAKI
Member of:
AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CCC, CE, CERN, EBRD,
ECE, EFTA, ESA (associate), EU, FAO, G- 9, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT,
INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MTCR, NACC (observer), NAM (guest),
NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF,
UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNMOGIP, UNPROFOR, UNTSO,
UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Jukka VALTASAARI
chancery:
3301 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
[1] (202) 298-5800
FAX:
[1] (202) 298-6030
consulate(s) general:
Los Angeles and New York
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Derek N. SHEARER
embassy:
Itainen Puistotie 14A, FIN-00140, Helsinki
mailing address:
APO AE 09723
telephone:
[358] (0) 171931
FAX:
[358] (0) 174681
Flag:
white with a blue cross that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical
part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the DANNEBROG
(Danish flag)
Economy
Overview:
Finland has a highly industrialized, largely free market economy, with per
capita output two-thirds of the US figure. Its key economic sector is
manufacturing - principally the wood, metals, and engineering industries.
Trade is important, with the export of goods representing about 30% of GDP.
Except for timber and several minerals, Finland depends on imports of raw
materials, energy, and some components for manufactured goods. Because of
the climate, agricultural development is limited to maintaining
self-sufficiency in basic products. Forestry, an important export earner,
provides a secondary occupation for the rural population. The economy, which
experienced an average of 4.9% annual growth between 1987 and 1989, sank
into deep recession in 1991 as GDP contracted by 6.5%. The recession - which
continued in 1992 with GDP contracting by 4.1% - has been caused by economic
overheating, depressed foreign markets, and the dismantling of the barter
system between Finland and the former Soviet Union under which Soviet oil
and gas had been exchanged for Finnish manufactured goods. The Finnish
Government has proposed efforts to increase industrial competitiveness and
efficiency by an increase in exports to Western markets, cuts in public
expenditures, partial privatization of state enterprises, and changes in
monetary policy. In June 1991 Helsinki had tied the markka to the European
Union's (EU) European Currency Unit (ECU) to promote stability. Ongoing
speculation resulting from a lack of confidence in the government's policies
forced Helsinki to devalue the markka by about 12% in November 1991 and to
indefinitely break the link in September 1992. The devaluations have boosted
the competitiveness of Finnish exports. The recession bottomed out in 1993,
and Finland participated in the general European upturn of 1994.
Unemployment probably will remain a serious problem during the next few
years; the majority of Finnish firms face a weak domestic market and the
troubled German and Swedish export markets. The Finns voted in an October
1994 referendum to enter the EU, and Finland officially joined the Union on
1 January 1995. Increasing integration with Western Europe will dominate the
economic picture over the next few years.
National product:
GDP - purchasing power parity - $81.8 billion (1994 est.)
National product real growth rate:
3.5% (1994 est.)
National product per capita:
$16,140 (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.1% (1992)
Unemployment rate:
22% (1993)
Budget:
revenues:
$21.7 billion
expenditures:
$31.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1993 est.)
Exports:
$23.4 billion (f.o.b., 1993)
commodities:
paper and pulp, machinery, chemicals, metals, timber
partners:
EC 53.2% (Germany 15.6%, UK 10.7%), EFTA 19.5% (Sweden 12.8%), US 5.9%,
Japan 1.3%, Russia 2.8% (1992)
Imports:
$18 billion (c.i.f., 1993)
Economy
commodities:
foodstuffs, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, transport
equipment, iron and steel, machinery, textile yarn and fabrics, fodder
grains
partners:
EC 47.2% (Germany 16.9%, UK 8.7%), EFTA 19.0% (Sweden 11.7%), US 6.1%, Japan
5.5%, Russia 7.1% (1992)
External debt:
$30 billion (December 1993)
Industrial production:
growth rate 5% (1993 est.); accounts for 28% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
13,360,000 kW
production:
58 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
12,196 kWh (1993)
Industries:
metal products, shipbuilding, forestry and wood processing (pulp, paper),
copper refining, foodstuffs, chemicals, textiles, clothing
Agriculture:
accounts for 7% of GDP (including forestry); livestock production,
especially dairy cattle, predominates; main crops - cereals, sugar beets,
potatoes; 85% self-sufficient, but short of foodgrains and fodder grains;
annual fish catch about 160,000 metric tons
Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for Latin American cocaine for the West European market
Economic aid:
donor:
ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $2.7 billion
Currency:
1 markka (FMk) or Finmark = 100 pennia
Exchange rates:
markkaa (FMk) per US$1 - 4.7358 (January 1995), 5.2235 (1994), 5.7123
(1993), 4.4794 (1992), 4.0440 (1991), 3.8235 (1990)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Transportation
Railroads:
total:
5,864 km
broad gauge:
5,864 km 1.524-m gauge (1,710 km electrified; 480 km multiple track)
Highways:
total:
76,755 km
paved:
bituminous concrete, bituminous treated soil 47,588 km (318 km of
expressways)
unpaved:
gravel 29,167 km (1992)
Inland waterways:
6,675 km total (including Saimaa Canal); 3,700 km suitable for steamers
Pipelines:
natural gas 580 km
Ports:
Hamina, Helsinki, Kokkola, Kotka, Loviisa, Oulu, Pori, Rauma, Turku,
Uusikaupunki, Varkaus
Merchant marine:
total:
93 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,050,270 GRT/1,080,150 DWT
ships by type:
bulk 7, cargo 20, chemical tanker 5, liquefied gas tanker 3, oil tanker 12,
passenger 3, refrigerated cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 31, short-sea
passenger 10, vehicle carrier 1
Airports:
total:
159
with paved runways over 3,047 m:
3
with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m:
23
with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m:
13
with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m:
21
with paved runways under 914 m:
94
with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m:
5
Communications
Telephone system:
3,140,000 telephones; good service from cable and microwave radio relay
network
local:
NA
intercity:
cable and microwave radio relay
international:
1 submarine cable; INTELSAT satellite transmission service via Swedish earth
station and a receive-only INTELSAT earth station near Helsinki for TV
programs
Radio:
broadcast stations:
AM 6, FM 105, shortwave 0
radios:
NA
Television:
broadcast stations:
235
televisions:
NA
Defense Forces
Branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force, Frontier Guard (includes Sea Guard)
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 1,318,231; males fit for military service 1,083,749; males
reach military age (17) annually 33,085 (1995 est.)
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $1.86 billion, about 1.9% of GDP (1994)
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This publication is also available online from the CIA (http://www.odci.gov/cia) as 1995 World Factbook (http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/95fact/index.html).
The printed version of this item can be found under the title:
The World Factbook 1995,
SuDoc No: PREX 3.15:995
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