Finland

B

Principal Cities

There are many small cities and towns in Finland but only five with populations exceeding 100,000. Helsinki, (Helsingfors in Swedish) is the largest, with a population of 564,521 (2006 estimate). Located on the southern coast, it is the national capital and the political, commercial, educational, and cultural center of Finland. It is an important industrial city and port.

The next three largest cities are Espoo (227,472), Tampere (Tammerfors in Swedish) (202,932), and Turku (Åbo in Swedish) (174,824). Turku is an education center and major port, and it served as Finland’s capital city until 1812. Tampere is a major manufacturing city and a center of Finland’s important telecommunications and information technology industries.

C

Education

Schooling is free and compulsory in Finland between the ages of 7 and 16. Virtually all citizens are literate. In addition to regular primary and secondary schools, Finland has an extensive adult education program consisting of folk high schools, folk academies, and workers’ institutes. The adult education schools are operated privately or by municipalities or provinces and receive state subsidies.

C

1

Elementary and Secondary Schools

Compulsory education consists of six years of primary schooling and three years of secondary schooling. In the 2000 school year 392,200 children attended 3,851 primary schools, and 493,200 students went to secondary schools. Finland maintains a system of secondary vocational education with schools of commerce, arts and crafts, domestic science, trade, agriculture, and technology.

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C

2

Universities and Colleges

The Finnish institutes of higher learning include 13 universities and several colleges and teacher-training schools. The largest of the universities is the University of Helsinki. Originally established at Åbo in 1640, the university was moved to Helsinki in 1828. Among the other major institutions of higher learning are the University of Turku (1920), the Helsinki School of Economics and Business Administration (1911), the University of Tampere (1966), and the University of Oulu (1958).

D

Culture

For centuries, Finns sang their traditional epic poems to the accompaniment of the zither-like kantele. They decorated traditional handicrafts such as wood carvings and rugs with spirals, swastikas (an ancient symbol), and other simple, geometric designs. After the conquest of the Finnish tribes by Sweden beginning in the 12th century, the indigenous culture was largely dominated by Swedish influences, although the ancient folk traditions continued. Among the educated, Swedish culture predominated. Swedish was spoken and, with rare exceptions, was the language of literature and government administration.

Because the styles of Swedish art and architecture were largely derivative, many Finnish buildings and works of art reflected Italian, Flemish, German, and other European influences. In the 19th century, however, educated Finns began to revive the folk traditions of their country. At the same time, a national literature in the Finnish language emerged, and Finnish styles appeared increasingly in art and architecture. The sauna, a steam bath produced by pouring water over heated rocks, is a Finnish invention.

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