SUOMI - FINLAND

F unlovingI independentN aturalL ivelyA uthenticN utritiousD etermined

Facts

Population: 5,2 million

Total area: 338 144 km2

Official languages: Finnish and

Swedish. Sami is spoken in Lapland.

Independent republic since

6th of December 1917

Mr sauli Niinistö as President of the republic since 2012

Member of European Union since 1995

Country of high technology

High level of education

Good quality of health care

Familiar?

Land of Northern lights and thousands of lakes (178 888)

More than 3 million saunas

Home of Nokia, Santa Claus,Moomin, Kone, Marimekkoand Mika Häkkinen

Crazy sports like ice swimming, swamp football,World Championship of throwing a mobilephone and playing Air guitar

“People are so relaxed, take care, here. We can go to the lake and play football and

speak..enjoying the weather but..without problems. Relaxing and that’s all.”

(Exchange student 2009)

”I think a typical Finn is really shy at the beginning, even afraid about

something strange. And polite, really polite, quiet.“

(Exchange student 2009)

Finns

Quiet

Honest

Own territory, ”bubble”

Calm Polite

Life defined by

the seasons

Takes time to get to know a

Finn

Fresh from the NatureDifferent kind of berries, mushrooms, fish,game animals like moose and reindeer

Rye bread (dark bread)

Carelian Pie

Salmiakki

Mämmi (Finnish Easter pudding)

Finnish Flavours

Things to see and to doLapland is a great place for hiking in its beautiful fell scenery

Towns worth visiting for: Helsinki, Tampere, Turku, Jyväskylä, Oulu

Lots of beautiful national parks all around Finland with varying nature types

Biggest lakes are Saimaa (Eastern Finland) and Päijänne (Central Finland)

Europe's largest archipelago, including the autonomous Ahvenanmaa (Åland)

Winter in Finland

During the winter the snow covers

almost the whole country

The average temperature in January

is -10 °C

Because most of the lakes are

covered with ice for at least four

months (depending on the place),

it’s perfect time for ice-fishing,

skating and cross-country skiing

Although winter is the time of Kaamos (polar night) in the northern Finland, it’s not all the time so dark. And luckily snow reflects the light which makes the light hours even brighter!

Once the darkest winter days are gone and

sun has returned to northern sky, the

spring may come! Finns get totally nuts

once they start to have sunny and warm days

again after the long winter.

Spring in Finland

Spring Trivia

Finns really loveVappu, the Labour Day Party on 1st of May

Birds return to Finland and the animals and nature start to wake up

The days are getting longer

Summer in Finland

Summer Trivia

The average temperature in July is +17 °C

Finnish summer is full of festivals and concerts

During the Midsummer the sun doesen’tset at all

Eventhough summers are usually hot, Finns still love to grill themselves in sauna.

When the light is disappearing

again, it’s time to harvest.

Apples, lingonberries and

mushrooms are waiting

for eager gatherers!

Autumn in Finland

The city of Mikkeli is the capital of the Province of Eastern Finland and it is situated by the Lake SaimaaPopulation 48 835, 16th largest municipality in FinlandGood connections to eastern, southern and central Finland give great opportunities to local business and travellingDiverse business in Mikkeli is based on forest and timber, information technology, food products, metal and tourism

Enjoy Mikkeli!!