Finland, or Republic of Finland, a country of northern Europe. It is crossed in the north by the Arctic Circle and is one of the most northerly nations in the world. Finland borders Russia, Norway, and Sweden, and fronts on the Gulfs of Bothnia and Finland—arms of the Baltic Sea.

Facts in brief about Finland
Capital: Helsinki (in Swedish, Helsingfors).
Official languages: Finnish and Swedish.
Official name: Republic of Finland. Finland's name in Finnish is Suomi.
Area: 130,559 mi2 (338,145 km2), including 12,943 mi2 (33,522 km2) of inland water. Greatest distances—east-west, 320 mi (515 km); north-south, 640 mi (1,030 km). Coastline—1,462 mi (2,353 km).
Elevation: Highest—Mount Haltia, 4,344 ft (1,324 m) above sea level. Lowest—sea level.
Population: Current estimate—5,285,000; density, 40 per mi2 (16 per km2); distribution, 61 percent urban, 39 percent rural. 2000 census—5,181,115.
Chief products: Agriculture—milk, hogs, beef cattle, barley, sugar beets, potatoes, oats. Forestry—birch, pine, spruce. Manufacturing—paper products, machinery, ships, wood products, electronics. Mining—iron ore, copper, zinc.
National anthem: "Maamme" (in Finnish) or "Vart Land" (in Swedish), meaning "Our Land."
Flag and coat of arms: Finland's civil flag was adopted in 1918. The flag is white with a blue sideways cross. The sideways cross design appears in the flags of all Nordic countries. Finland's state flag includes the coat of arms. The Finnish coat of arms, which features a lion carrying a sword, was adopted in its present form in 1918. But its basic design dates back to the 1500's.
Money: Basic unit—euro. One hundred cents equal one euro. Another basic unit, the markka, was taken out of circulation in 2002.