294 lines
24 KiB
Plaintext
294 lines
24 KiB
Plaintext
FINLAND
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GEOGRAPHY
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Total area: 337,030 km2; land area: 305,470 km2
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Comparative area: slightly smaller than Montana
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Land boundaries: 2,628 km total; Norway 729 km, Sweden 586 km,
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USSR 1,313 km
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Coastline: 1,126 km excluding islands and coastal indentations
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Maritime claims:
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Contiguous zone: 6 nm;
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Continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation;
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Exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm;
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Territorial sea: 4 nm
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Climate: cold temperate; potentially subarctic, but comparatively
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mild because of moderating influence of the North Atlantic Current,
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Baltic Sea, and more than 60,000 lakes
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Terrain: mostly low, flat to rolling plains interspersed with lakes
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and low hills
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Natural resources: timber, copper, zinc, iron ore, silver
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Land use: arable land 8%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures
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NEGL%; forest and woodland 76%; other 16%; includes irrigated NEGL%
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Environment: permanently wet ground covers about 30% of land;
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population concentrated on small southwestern coastal plain
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Note: long boundary with USSR; Helsinki is northernmost national
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capital on European continent
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PEOPLE
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Population: 4,991,131 (July 1991), growth rate 0.3% (1991)
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Birth rate: 12 births/1,000 population (1991)
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Death rate: 10 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
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Net migration rate: NEGL migrants/1,000 population (1991)
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Infant mortality rate: 6 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
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Life expectancy at birth: 71 years male, 80 years female (1991)
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Total fertility rate: 1.7 children born/woman (1991)
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Nationality: noun--Finn(s); adjective--Finnish
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Ethnic divisions: Finn, Swede, Lapp, Gypsy, Tatar
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Religion: Evangelical Lutheran 89%, Greek Orthodox 1%,
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none 9%, other 1%
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Language: Finnish 93.5%, Swedish (both official) 6.3%; small Lapp-
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and Russian-speaking minorities
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Literacy: 100% (male NA%, female NA%) age 15 and over can
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read and write (1980 est.)
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Labor force: 2,470,000; services 38.2%, mining and manufacturing
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22.7%, commerce 14.9%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing 8.8%,
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construction 8.0%, transportation and communications 7.2% (1989)
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Organized labor: 80% of labor force
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GOVERNMENT
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Long-form name: Republic of Finland
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Type: republic
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Capital: Helsinki
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Administrative divisions: 12 provinces (laanit,
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singular--laani); Ahvenanmaa, Hame, Keski-Suomi, Kuopio, Kymi,
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Lappi, Mikkeli, Oulu, Pohjois-Karjala, Turku ja Pori, Uusimaa, Vaasa
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Independence: 6 December 1917 (from Soviet Union)
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Constitution: 17 July 1919
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Legal system: civil law system based on Swedish law; Supreme Court
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may request legislation interpreting or modifying laws; accepts
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compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
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National holiday: Independence Day, 6 December (1917)
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Exekutive branch: president, prime minister, deputy prime minister,
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Council of State (Valtioneuvosto)
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Legislative branch: unicameral Eduskunta
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Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Korkein Oikeus)
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Leaders:
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Chief of State--President Mauno KOIVISTO (since 27 January 1982);
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Head of Government--Prime Minister Esko AHO (since 26 April 1991);
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Deputy Prime Minister Ilkka KANERVA (since 26 April 1991)
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Political parties and leaders:
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government coalition--Center Party, Esko AHO;
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National Coalition (Conservative) Party, Ilkka SUOMINEN; and
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Swedish People's Party, (Johan) Ole NORRBACK;
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other parties--Social Democratic Party, Pertti PAASIO;
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Leftist Alliance (Communist) consisting of People's Democratic League and
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Democratic Alternative, Claes ANDERSSON;
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Green League, Heidi HAUTALA;
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Rural Party, Heikki RIIHIJAERVI;
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Finnish Christian League, Esko ALMGREN;
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Liberal People's Party, Kyosti LALLUKKA
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Suffrage: universal at age 18
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Elections:
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President--last held 31 January-1 February and 15 February
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1988 (next to be held January 1994);
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results--Mauno KOIVISTO 48%, Paavo VAYRYNEN 20%, Harri HOLKERI 18%;
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Eduskunta--last held 17 March 1991 (next to be held March
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1995);
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results--Center Party 24.8%, Social Democratic Party 22.1%, National
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Coalition (Conservative) Party 19.3%, Leftist Alliance (Communist)
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10.1%, Green League 6.8%, Swedish People's Party 5.5%, Rural 4.8%,
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Finnish Christian League 3.1%, Liberal People's Party 0.8%;
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seats--(200 total) Center Party 55, Social Democratic Party 48,
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National Coalition (Conservative) Party 40, Leftist Alliance (Communist)
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19, Swedish People's Party 12, Green League 10, Finnish Christian League
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8, Rural 7, Liberal People's Party 1
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Communists: 28,000 registered members; an additional 45,000 persons
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belong to People's Democratic League
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Other political or pressure groups:
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Finnish Communist Party-Unity, Esko-Juhani TENNILA;
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Constitutional Rightist Party;
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Finnish Pensioners Party;
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Communist Workers Party, Timo LAHDENMAKI
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Member of: AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, BIS, CCC, CE, CSCE, EBRD,
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ECE, EFTA, ESA (associate), FAO, G-9, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
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ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC,
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IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM (guest), NC, NEA, NIB, OAS
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(observer), OECD, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP,
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UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIIMOG, UNMOGIP, UNTSO, UPU, WHO, WIPO,
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WMO, WTO
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Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Jukka VALTASAARI; Chancery at
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3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington DC 20016; telephone (202) 363-2430;
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there are Finnish Consulates General in Los Angeles and New York,
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and Consulates in Chicago and Houston;
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US--Ambassador John G. WEINMANN; Embassy at Itainen Puistotie
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14A, SF-00140, Helsinki (mailing address is APO New York 09664);
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telephone 358 (0) 171931
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Flag: white with a blue cross that extends to the edges of the
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flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in
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the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag)
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ECONOMY
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Overview: Finland has a highly industrialized, largely free market
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economy, with per capita output nearly three-fourths the US figure.
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Its main economic force is the manufacturing sector--principally
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the wood, metals, and engineering industries. Trade is important, with
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the export of goods representing about 30% of GDP. Except for timber and
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several minerals, Finland depends on imported raw materials, energy, and
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some components of manufactured goods. Because of the climate,
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agricultural development is limited to maintaining self-sufficiency in
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basic commodities. The economy, which experienced an average of 4.9%
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annual growth between 1987 and 1989, leveled off in 1990 and is now
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in a recession facing negative growth in 1991. The clearing account
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system between Finland and the Soviet Union in the postwar period--mainly
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Soviet oil and gas for Finnish manufactured goods--had kept Finland
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isolated from world recessions; the system, however, was dismantled on
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1 January 1991 in favor of hard currency trade. As a result, Finland must
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increase its competitiveness in certain sectors, for example, textiles,
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foodstuffs, paper, and metals, and has already begun to shift trade
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westward. Finland, as a member of EFTA, is negotiating a European
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Economic Area arrangement with the EC which would allow for free
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movement of capital, goods, services, and labor within the organization.
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GDP: $77.3 billion, per capita $15,500; real growth rate - 0.1%
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(1990)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.0% (1991 est.)
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Unemployment rate: 5.7% (1991 est.)
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Budget: revenues $35.1 billion; expenditures $33.1 billion,
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including capital expenditures of $1.4 billion (1990)
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Exports: $23.3 billion (f.o.b., 1989);
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commodities--timber, paper and pulp, ships, machinery, clothing and
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footwear;
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partners--EC 44.0% (UK 12.0%, FRG 10.8%), USSR 14.5%, Sweden 14.3%,
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US 6.4%
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Imports: $24.4 billion (c.i.f., 1989);
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commodities--foodstuffs, petroleum and petroleum products,
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chemicals, transport equipment, iron and steel, machinery, textile yarn
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and fabrics, fodder grains;
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partners--EC 44.5% (FRG 17.3%, UK 6.6%), Sweden 13.6%, USSR 11.5%,
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US 6.3%
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External debt: $5.3 billion (1989)
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Industrial production: growth rate - 3.0% (1991 est.); accounts
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for 28% of GDP
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Electricity: 13,324,000 kW capacity; 49,330 million kWh produced,
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9,940 kWh per capita (1989)
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Industries: metal manufacturing and shipbuilding, forestry and wood
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processing (pulp, paper), copper refining, foodstuffs, chemicals,
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textiles, clothing
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Agriculture: accounts for 8% of GNP (including forestry); livestock
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production, especially dairy cattle, predominates; forestry is an
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important export earner and a secondary occupation for the rural
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population; main crops--cereals, sugar beets, potatoes; 85%
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self-sufficient, but short of food and fodder grains; annual fish catch
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about 160,000 metric tons
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Economic aid: donor--ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $2.7
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billion
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Currency: markka (plural--markkaa); 1 markka (FMk) or
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Finmark = 100 pennia
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Exchange rates: markkaa (FMk) per US$1--3.6421 (January 1991),
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3.8235 (1990), 4.2912 (1989), 4.1828 (1988), 4.3956 (1987), 5.0695
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(1986), 6.1979 (1985)
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Fiscal year: calendar year
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COMMUNICATIONS
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Railroads: 5,924 km total; Finnish State Railways (VR) operate a
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total of 5,863 km 1.524-meter gauge, of which 480 km are multiple track
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and 1,445 km are electrified
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Highways: about 103,000 km total, including 35,000 km paved
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(bituminous, concrete, bituminous-treated surface) and 38,000 km unpaved
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(stabilized gravel, gravel, earth); additional 30,000 km of private
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(state-subsidized) roads
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Inland waterways: 6,675 km total (including Saimaa Canal); 3,700 km
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suitable for steamers
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Pipelines: natural gas, 580 km
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Ports: Helsinki, Oulu, Pori, Rauma, Turku; 6 secondary, numerous
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minor ports
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Merchant marine: 83 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 807,020
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GRT/831,774 DWT; includes 3 passenger, 10 short-sea passenger, 16 cargo,
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1 refrigerated cargo, 23 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 14 petroleum, oils, and
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lubricants (POL) tanker, 6 chemical tanker, 2 liquefied gas, 8 bulk
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Civil air: 42 major transport
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Airports: 160 total, 157 usable; 57 with permanent-surface runways;
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none with runways over 3,659 m; 23 with runways 2,440-3,659 m;
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22 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
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Telecommunications: good service from cable and radio relay
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network; 3,140,000 telephones; stations--4 AM, 42 (101 relays) FM, 79
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(197 relays) TV; 2 submarine cables; satellite service via Swedish earth
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stations; earth stations--2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1 EUTELSAT
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DEFENSE FORCES
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Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Frontier Guard (including
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Sea Guard)
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Manpower availability: males 15-49, 1,313,346; 1,089,217 fit for
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military service; 32,866 reach military age (17) annually
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Defense expenditures: $1.1 billion, 1.5% of GDP (1989 est.)
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