One of the things that I always immediately notice when visiting the country of Finland is the Finnish people’s “live and let live” attitude. The sense of hospitality there is overwhelming. The crime rate is so low that a robbery makes national news headlines. Finland is known as the fourth safest destination in the world, and also as one of the cleanest countries in the world, as well as one of the best places to live. You may not have known these facts about Finland, but when you visit there (check out the DKT tour that is headed there in June) you’ll find yourself immersed in them, and simply loving the Finnish culture. Here are some other fun little known facts about the great country of Finland.
- Finland is known of the Land of the Lakes because there are a total of 187,888 lakes. That’s a lot of lakes!
- Vappu Day, also known as Walpurgis Day, which takes place on May 1, is one of the biggest days of celebration in Finland. A huge carnival-style festival is held in the streets of Finnish cities and towns. You are likely to see people enjoying sima, a homemade mead, and eating hot doughnuts.
- The average adult work day in Finland is 6-8 hours.
- The Olympic Stadium was built in Helsinki in 1940 because the winter games in Tokyo were supposed to be moved there. But that never actually happened. Instead, the stadium was the site of the 1952 summer games.
- Skiing is the most popular winter sport in Finland, and swimming is the most popular summer sport, (probably because of all those lakes). Another sport you may participate in there is Nordic Walking, aerobic walking with metal poles.
- In 2010, Finland had its biggest snow season in 30 years!
- Finns have one of the world’s most generous state-funded welfare, education, and medical systems. Unemployment benefits are good, and no one pays a cent for education at any level, including medical school and law school. (Maybe this explains why they are so happy all the time!)
- Helsinki is most frequently visited by tourists. But many other cities have great attractions as well. For instance, Pori has a popular annual jazz festival, and Savonlinna has an annual opera festival.
- Karaoke in Finnish nightclubs is very popular.
- 68% of Finland is covered by forests.
- The Elven language in the famous movie Lord Of The Rings is based on Finnish.
- The elected President in Finland spends 6 years in office.
- Finland was the first European country to give women the right to vote.
- Finland is the only country in the entire world that has a news broadcast in Latin.
- There are 1.8 million saunas throughout the country of Finland. The word “sauna” in itself is a Finnish word- and the only Finnish word within the English language.
- The first ever Miss Universe pageant winner was from Finland.
