15 Fun Facts About Finland

[silo]

15 Fun Facts About Finland Travel | Venere Travel Blog

Finland is a Nordic country found in Northern Europe. It is not as well known as its Scandinavian neighbours, but it has a colourful history and is full of culture. The country has some laws that are considered quirky, and others that make it seem the most sensible country in the world. Here are just a few weird and wonderful facts about this great country.

1. Finland created a National Failure Day in 2010, (to learn from mistakes and not repeat them).

2. They drink more coffee per person than anyone else in the world, (12 kg per year).

3. They host a whole bunch of odd competitions, including wife carrying, mobile phone throwing, air guitar and boot throwing.

4. There are no payphones here, (it’s the home of Nokia).

5. They’ve given up on the 1 and 2 cent coins (too fiddly?).

6. Finland has been ranked number 1 in the world for education.

7. Traffic violation fines depend on how much you earn, in 2002 a man was fined 116,000EUR (he had a yearly income of 7 million)

8. It is the norm to have a sauna in your house…

9. ..and to jump in a lake after you’ve had one, even in the winter.

10. In June and July, the sun doesn’t drop below the horizon.

11. In the winter, the sun never reaches the horizon.

12. You can hire igloos to stay in if you don’t fancy the Helsinki hotels, when the temperature is -30ºc outside, they stay at a balmy -3ºc.

13. You must keep the head lights on in the car, even during the day.

14. It has the least corrupt government in the word (according to 2012 statistics)

15. Finland has the most heavy metal bands, with 53 per 100 000 people.

So there it is, proof that Finland is at times down right crazy, yet probably the best place to live ever. What’s not to like? For a place that cold, they have some warm hearted people.

 

[waz]

15 Fun Facts About Finland Travel | Venere Travel Blog

Finland is a Nordic country found in Northern Europe. It is not as well known as its Scandinavian neighbours, but it has a colourful history and is full of culture. The country has some laws that are considered quirky, and others that make it seem the most sensible country in the world. Here are just a few weird and wonderful facts about this great country.

1. Finland created a National Failure Day in 2010, (to learn from mistakes and not repeat them).

2. They drink more coffee per person than anyone else in the world, (12 kg per year).

3. They host a whole bunch of odd competitions, including wife carrying, mobile phone throwing, air guitar and boot throwing.

4. There are no payphones here, (it’s the home of Nokia).

5. They’ve given up on the 1 and 2 cent coins (too fiddly?).

6. Finland has been ranked number 1 in the world for education.

7. Traffic violation fines depend on how much you earn, in 2002 a man was fined 116,000EUR (he had a yearly income of 7 million)

8. It is the norm to have a sauna in your house…

9. ..and to jump in a lake after you’ve had one, even in the winter.

10. In June and July, the sun doesn’t drop below the horizon.

11. In the winter, the sun never reaches the horizon.

12. You can hire igloos to stay in if you don’t fancy the Helsinki hotels, when the temperature is -30ºc outside, they stay at a balmy -3ºc.

13. You must keep the head lights on in the car, even during the day.

14. It has the least corrupt government in the word (according to 2012 statistics)

15. Finland has the most heavy metal bands, with 53 per 100 000 people.

So there it is, proof that Finland is at times down right crazy, yet probably the best place to live ever. What’s not to like? For a place that cold, they have some warm hearted people.

Thanks for that. I've been to Finland, a lovely people and very hospitable.

You forgot to mention, they also produced the greatest sniper in history.

 

[Shotgunner51]

15 Fun Facts About Finland Travel | Venere Travel Blog

Finland is a Nordic country found in Northern Europe. It is not as well known as its Scandinavian neighbours, but it has a colourful history and is full of culture. The country has some laws that are considered quirky, and others that make it seem the most sensible country in the world. Here are just a few weird and wonderful facts about this great country.

1. Finland created a National Failure Day in 2010, (to learn from mistakes and not repeat them).

2. They drink more coffee per person than anyone else in the world, (12 kg per year).

3. They host a whole bunch of odd competitions, including wife carrying, mobile phone throwing, air guitar and boot throwing.

4. There are no payphones here, (it’s the home of Nokia).

5. They’ve given up on the 1 and 2 cent coins (too fiddly?).

6. Finland has been ranked number 1 in the world for education.

7. Traffic violation fines depend on how much you earn, in 2002 a man was fined 116,000EUR (he had a yearly income of 7 million)

8. It is the norm to have a sauna in your house…

9. ..and to jump in a lake after you’ve had one, even in the winter.

10. In June and July, the sun doesn’t drop below the horizon.

11. In the winter, the sun never reaches the horizon.

12. You can hire igloos to stay in if you don’t fancy the Helsinki hotels, when the temperature is -30ºc outside, they stay at a balmy -3ºc.

13. You must keep the head lights on in the car, even during the day.

14. It has the least corrupt government in the word (according to 2012 statistics)

15. Finland has the most heavy metal bands, with 53 per 100 000 people.

So there it is, proof that Finland is at times down right crazy, yet probably the best place to live ever. What’s not to like? For a place that cold, they have some warm hearted people.

Nice thread! If there are more pics about daily life please share, thanks!

 

[silo]

Thanks for that. I've been to Finland, a lovely people and very hospitable.

You forgot to mention, they also produced the greatest sniper in history.

I will post the whole history of Hähyä,if some persons haven't heard about him. (BTW,this war proved that when people are decided to defend their land against an enemy,they can triumph even if the enemy is better equipped and bigger in numbers.)
The most interesting fact about Simo Häyhä is that he never used any scope,only iron sight,which makes his achievments even more impressive.

"I did what I was told to as well as I could." He said.

This war produced a lot of heroes in the Finnish army,they didn't achieved something on the same scale as Hähyä,but still impressive.
Another soldier,Viljam Pylkäs,killed 83 Russian soldiers with Suomi machine gun when the Russians tried to attack his position in a small hill during the winter.

Humble Beginnings

Depending on the record, Simo Häyhä was born in either 1905 or 1906 in the farming town of Rautajärvi. Once the Soviet Union was formed and Finland had gained its independence, the town in which he lived found itself to be only a very short distance from the Russian border. His childhood was filled with plenty of hard work on the farm, which coupled with the Finnish wilderness made him a very tough – yet patient – man. A few years later in 1925, Häyhä served a mandatory one-year service in Finland's army. While one year may not be a long time, he obviously made the best of it: by the time he was honorably discharged, he had been promoted to the rank of corporal.

Later on, Häyhä joined the Finnish Civil Guard, a military organization comparable to the National Guard in the United States. During his time with the Civil Guard, he received a great deal of training, which included target shooting. Shooting was always an interest for Häyhä, and any spare time he had was spent outdoors shooting at whatever targets he could find. His first rifle was a Russian-built Mosin-Nagant bolt action M91, and was later introduced to the better-performing M28/30 and the 9mm Suomi submachine gun. Thanks to both his training and natural enjoyment of shooting, Häyhä was eventually able to hit a target 16 times per minute at about 500 feet away, making him an excellent sniper—a skill that would later serve him very well.

The Winter War

In 1939, the Soviet Union attempted to invade Finland. Being a member of the Civil Guard, Häyhä was called into service, serving under the 6th Company of JR 34 on the Kollaa River. Commanded by Major General Uiluo Tuompo, the Finns faced both the 9th and 14th Soviet Armies, and at one point were fighting against as many as 12 divisions - about 160,000 soldiers. Also at one point in the same area, there only 32 Finns fighting against over 4,000 Soviets!

Despite being outnumbered, however, the Finns were still victorious at the end of the day. The invading Soviets weren’t as organized as one would expect: they spoke many different languages, and they weren’t used to the harsh Finnish winters either. In fact, the winter of 1939-40 was very snowy, and had temperatures ranging from -40 to -20 degrees Celsius.

The Finns were also smart in their tactics, the most notable of which were known as “Motti”-tactics. Since the Soviets would invade by the roads, the Finns would hide out in the surrounding wilderness. They would then let the invaders cross the border, and attack them from behind!

Becoming "The White Death"

Legacy

Hayha was given numerous awards, and was also promoted from corporal to second lieutenant, a jump in the ranks that had never been seen in Finland’s history. Despite being slightly disfigured, he recovered from his injury, and went on to live until the age of 97. He allegedly attributed his deadly sniping skills to “practice”.

Despite gaining around 22,000 square miles of Finish soil, the Soviets lost the Winter War, with 1,000,000 of their original 1,500,000 troops having been killed by the defending Finns. A Russian general later remarked that the land they had conquered was “just enough to bury their dead”.

Sniper • Simo Hayha • The White Death

Not very bad for a little man !

Nice thread! If there are more pics about daily life please share, thanks!

Thank you for this comment.

If you want,i created a thread where i post pictures of Finland. I will keep it updated.

Finland

And will also keep to post interesting-funny-amazing informations-facts about Finland.

Funny isn't it ?

 

[waz]

I will post the whole history of Hähyä,if some persons haven't heard about him. (BTW,this war proved that when people are decided to defend their land against an enemy,they can triumph even if the enemy is better equipped and bigger in numbers.)
The most interesting fact about Simo Häyhä is that he never used any scope,only iron sight,which makes his achievments even more impressive.

"I did what I was told to as well as I could." He said.

This war produced a lot of heroes in the Finnish army,they didn't achieved something on the same scale as Hähyä,but still impressive.
Another soldier,Viljam Pylkäs,killed 83 Russian soldiers with Suomi machine gun when the Russians tried to attack his position in a small hill during the winter.



Not very bad for a little man !

Thank you for your post. Sir Hahya is a hero to many, not just only Finns, but those of us who admire stories of normal people who rise up and do impossible things. RIP Sir Hahya.

 

[untitled]

How come did you forget to mention this guy ?

And this guy

 

[Raja.Pakistani]

Btw why they throw mobiles?

 

[Dubious]

Btw why they throw mobiles?

lolz....that one caught me by surprise too I think it was sarcasm

maybe they like to throw things?

wife carrying, mobile phone throwing, air guitar and boot throwing.

I first read that as wife throwing and was like

 

[Indus Pakistan]

@silo I am impressed by all Scandanavian countries and it is not just the economic sphere in which they are without doubt in the top league. However what distingushes the Scandics from the North Americans etc is that they have developed a humanism for lack of better word that has taken mankind beyond religion and other petty human constructs.

This can be seen in Scandanavian countries progressive social policies that are model for rest of the world. For those of us who lose hope in this ugly world Scandanavia restores faith in the human condition.

 

[jammersat]

the closest i got to finland was hungary , there i saw some people with the so called baltic features , they horribly resembled a finnish troll we had on the iran forum , his name was suomi mustavaris , and he's all over the internet , i assume you might know him ? even in person ?

-----------

@OP @silo

 

[silo]

Btw why they throw mobiles?

Cause Nokia is the s***st mobile ever they want samsung

Nokia phones are actually used in various Police special units in the world.

Seriously,you should ask yourselves why we also throw boots ?
Because we like to organize crazy-silly contests. We had a Sauna contest,but it was never organized again because a finalist died.

the closest i got to finland was hungary , there i saw some people with the so called baltic features , they horribly resembled a finnish troll we had on the iran forum , his name was suomi mustavaris , and he's all over the internet , i assume you might know him ? even in person ?

-----------

@OP @silo

Hi,
Sorry i don't know who "suomi mustavaris" is.

 

[silo]

@waz @Atanz @Akheilos @Shotgunner51

Two,not fun,but interesting facts.

There are exactly 187,888 lakes (larger than 500 m²) and 179,584 islands within the territory of Finland.

There are around 2.2 million saunas in Finland, 1 for every 2.5 people.
(The most commonly used Finnish word in English is sauna ! )

 

[waz]

@waz @Atanz @Akheilos @Shotgunner51

Two,not fun,but interesting facts.

There are exactly 187,888 lakes (larger than 500 m²) and 179,584 islands within the territory of Finland.

There are around 2.2 million saunas in Finland, 1 for every 2.5 people.
(The most commonly used Finnish word in English is sauna ! )

Ah yes, the land of a thousands lakes indeed. What scenic beauty Finland has. I must say the saunas are great (my Finnish colleagues took me) , the only thing I forgot to do was drink enough water. I ended up being borderline dehydrated till my Finnish friends saved me with lots of drink!

 

[Stephen Cohen]

When a country is sparsely populated ; it becomes a PERFECT country

With more population ; you have more problems