Finland
Europe ยท Capital: Helsinki
How it is run: Finland is a member of the United Nations, so it gets one vote in the General Assembly. Use the research links below to find out exactly who makes the laws there.
Finland is home to 5.6 million people in Northern Europe, where people speak Finnish, Swedish.
Numbers that tell a story ๐ข
๐ฅ People
5.6 million people
That is about 697 people out of every million on Earth (counted in 2025).
๐บ๏ธ Land
338,424 kmยฒ
Bigger than Texas โ a long road trip from one side to the other.
๐๏ธ How crowded
Only about 17 people per square kilometre โ lots of wide open space between towns.
๐ Size in its region
23rd most people in Europe
7th largest by land in Europe.
๐ฃ๏ธ Official languages
Finnish, Swedish
More than one language is used for official business.
๐ฐ Money
Euro (โฌ)
Life here today ๐ฉบ
These come from World Bank open data โ the same numbers governments use when they argue about budgets.
โค๏ธ How long people live
82.3 years on average
One of the healthier countries โ good hospitals and clean water make a big difference.
๐ผ Money made per person each year
about US$56,149
A high-income country: most families can afford cars, travel and new technology.
๐ข Living in cities
74.5% of people
Mostly a city country โ think buses, trains and apartment blocks.
๐ Kids under 15
14.3% of the population
An older country โ there are more grandparents than schoolchildren.
Everyday details ๐งญ
๐ Phone code
+358
Dial this before the number to call from another country.
๐ Websites end in
.fi
๐ง People here are called
Finnish
๐ท๏ธ Name at home
Suomi ยท Finland
Also written: Suomi, Republic of Finland, Suomen tasavalta.
๐ Coast or inland
Has a coastline
๐๏ธ UN voting group
Western European and Others Group
Countries in the same group often plan votes together.
Neighbours & borders ๐ค
Finland touches 3 neighbours by land. Neighbours share rivers, roads and usually a lot of trade.
Say its name around the world ๐ฃ๏ธ
Countries have different names in different languages. Try these with a penpal.
Spanish
Finlandia
French
Finlande
Arabic
ููููุฏุง
Chinese
่ฌๅ ฐ
Japanese
ใใฃใณใฉใณใ
Russian
ะคะธะฝะปัะฝะดะธั
Portuguese
Finlรขndia
German
Finnland
Put it in perspective ๐
- Russia โ the most populated country in Europe โ has about 25.4ร as many people as Finland.
- Finland covers roughly 3,223 times the area of Hong Kong Island.
- If everyone in Finland lined up shoulder to shoulder, the line would stretch about 2,823 km.
Fast facts ๐ง
Fact of the day: Finland sits in Northern Europe, in the northern and eastern half of the globe.
๐ท๏ธ Official name
Republic of Finland
๐๏ธ Capital
Helsinki
๐ Region
Europe ยท Northern Europe
๐ค Country code
FI
๐๏ธ UN status
UN member state
๐ฉ Independence
Independent country
More about Finland ๐
Suomenlinna sea fortress
A fortress spread across six islands, built in 1748. About 800 people still live there and take the ferry to school and work.
See it in Street View๐งญ Where on the map
64.0ยฐ N, 26.0ยฐ E
๐ Half of the world
Northern & Eastern hemisphere
๐ฐ๏ธ Clock check
Roughly UTC+2 โ when it is noon in London it is about 14:00 in Helsinki.
- Finland shares its part of the world with Estonia. Countries close together often trade the most with each other.
- Finland reaches far toward the pole, so its summer days are extremely long and winter days very short.
- Finland sits in Northern Europe, in the northern and eastern half of the globe.
- Finland is a full member of the United Nations, so it gets one vote in the General Assembly โ the same as every other member, big or small.
- Finland is close to the line of 0ยฐ longitude, so its clocks are near the world's reference time (UTC).
Countries nearby ๐ค
Talk about it ๐ฌ
- Finland has 2 official languages. How would your school day change if lessons were taught in more than one language?
- Finland can trade by sea. What should a country protect first: its ports, its fishing waters, or its beaches?
- If Finland spoke at the General Assembly tomorrow, what one problem should its delegate ask the world to help fix?
Quick quiz ๐งช
Guess first, then tap to check your answer.
What is the capital of Finland?
Helsinki
Which money do people spend in Finland?
Euro (โฌ)
How many countries share a land border with Finland?
3 โ Norway, Sweden, Russia.
Roughly how many people live in Finland?
5.6 million people
Keep researching ๐
Everything here is a starting point. These trusted sites, databases and libraries will take you further โ and they are the kind of sources a teacher will accept in a report.
Start here โ kid-friendly encyclopedias ๐
Short articles written for students, with maps and photos you can use in a report.
Official data & government sources ๐๏ธ
Primary sources. Cite these when your teacher asks for real data.
News & current policy ๐ฐ
Use two different outlets before you decide what you think.
Your library card ๐ซ
Libraries give you books, databases and librarians โ all free.
Library tip: Ask your school or public librarian for their online databases (like Gale in Context or EBSCO Explora). Your library card unlocks them for free at home, and they are already checked by adults for school use.