List of Fun Things about Finland and Its Scandinavian Beauty

Finland is one of the most popular tourism destinations in Europe, so we have decided to show what the most exciting things about this country are. This time we’d start with an interactive video presentation of fun facts and myths about the Finns.




Finland: 10 things & awesome facts about Finns

#1. The oldest city in Finland

According to the historical analysis, Turku is the oldest Finnish city and the first capital of this country. Even though Helsinki became the political capital of Finland and the location of the Senate in 1819, Turku remained the cultural capital of the country and home to the only university in Finland until 1828.

#2. Northern Lights

Many people, who dream about witnessing the magic of the Northern Lights may enjoy this natural wonder without travelling all the way to the North Pole. If you get to be in Finland in the right time of the year, magical Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights may be seen from the comfort of a cozy Finnish hotel. This natural phenomenon may be often spotted in southern regions of the country, sometimes even in Helsinki.

#3. Unusual competitions and made-up sports 

Finland is sometimes named as a go-to place for unusual competitions in made up sports, which are, by the way, treaded by local residents with the utmost seriousness.

The list of the most unusual competitions a person may enter in this country includes, but is not limited to, cell-phone throwing, the construction of a giant snow sculptures, wife-carrying competitions and finally the air guitar world championship. During this contest the participants do their best at playing their favorite songs with the help of imaginary, air guitars.

#4. Internet access – a basic human right

Finland greatly supported the development of modern technology and has become the first country in the world to make Internet access a basic human right for Finnish citizens. Moreover, the authorities are now trying to adopt a law, which will define the minimum required speed of Internet access (100 megabits per second).

#5. Love towards saunas 

The latest statistical evidence shows that there are at least 2 million saunas only for 5 million inhabitants of Finland. These steamy destinations may be even found in urban apartment buildings, to make saunas more reachable to the city dwellers. There is even a national joke that the Finn can sure live without saunas, but not for long.

#6. Green and renewable energy

The Scandinavian countries, including Finland, consume energy, 25% of which comes from renewable sources. It’s a very good record even for the European Union, where, until recently, most counties use about 6% of energy, created with the help of alternative sources. So we are likely to see many people driving fuel-efficient #hybrid SUVs or even all-electric vehicles soon.

#7. Oldest surviving icebreaker

Kotka in Finland serves as the last destination to the Tarmo, 1907 icebreaker. Tarmo, being the surviving icebreaker in the world, is the main attraction of the Kotka Maritime Museum. This icebreaker was used during the WWI, as a part of the Baltic fleet in 1918, before being captured by the Finns.

#8. Finland – only a tiny part of Scandinavia

Even though it’s a well known thing that Finnish people are Scandinavians, geographically only a small part of Finland belongs to Scandinavia.

We’d have to bust this myth and say that only a small part of the Finland’s territory occupies the north-western part of the Scandinavian Peninsula, while the part of the peninsula made up to the territories of #Norway and Sweden.

#9. Invention of ice skating

The world renowned British scientists have once shared a theory, according to which residents of territories, which today belong to Southern Finland, were the first to start ice-skating. They have invented this time for travelling about five thousand years ago and used specially sharpened animal bones for the blades.

Interestingly enough, yet another means of winter transport, the snowmobile, was invented a century ago in Canada. What is really exciting about the invention of the snowmobile is that the creator of this concept for a #teenage inventor named  Joseph-Armand Bombardier.

#10. Largest indoor shopping center

The Hansa Emporium in Turku, Finland is one of the largest indoor shopping centers in Scandinavia. It hosts over total of 150 businesses and shops, where residents and tourists get a chance to buy textiles, fur, leather goods or jewelry.

Even though the size of Hansa Emporium is quite impressive, #Sweden is home to the largest shopping mall in Europe – Nordstan in Gothenburg, Sweden.

#11. A myth about Joulupukki

Many of us might have heard such myth about Santa Claus (or Joulupukki, how they call him in Finland) is a bachelor and his residence in Lapland are only occupied by deer and gnomes.

In fact, according to the Finns, Santa has a charming wife called Joulumuori ("Old Lady Christmas"). So now you have yet another reason to go to Lapland and check how things in Santa’s private life really are.

#12. More quick facts to know about Finland:

- the Finns not only like to use alternative energies but also pick the cleanest means of transportation – the bicycle.  The cycling trails in Helsinki span over a total of more than 620 miles (1000 kilometers).

- people of Finland turn out to be the biggest consumers of coffee per capita in Europe. According to a statistical research, about 6 million people in Finland consume about 29 lbs (13 kg) of coffee beans per person annually.

- in 2006 Finland presented the largest cruise ship in the world – MS Freedom of the Seas (in 2009 it lost its title as the largest ship to Oasis-class cruise ship).

- Finland, as well as other Scandinavian countries, progressive tax system (up to 52.5%), according to which - the more you earn, the higher your taxes are (additionally, driver fines are calculated on similar basis);

- Santa Claus in Finnish sounds as Joulupukki or the Christmas goat (Yule Goat). Such unusual name originated from an old Finnish tradition, when people dressed in goat costumes and visited neighboring houses to consume the food, which was left over after Christmas.

Image credits:

1) www.upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/Turku_postcard_2009.jpg
2) www.blog.suomi-holiday.fi/images/aurora11-2.jpg
3) www.craftyspell.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/swamp_soccer_1.jpg
4) www.rack.2.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE0LzExLzI3LzUzL2ludGVybmV0aHVtLmY2YmM4LmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTk1MHg1MzQjCmUJanBn/8e31e3d7/a4a/internet-human-right.jpg
5) www.kempinski.com/en/st-moritz/grand-hotel-des-bains/press-room/image-library/PrintDownload/108435/
6) www.slice.mit.edu/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/renewable-energy-in-tourism.jpg?w=300
7) www.upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/85/Tarmo_Eisbrecher_l%C3%A4ngs_Kotka.jpg
8) www.eventstravel.net/images/gallery/fjords-norway-4.jpg
9) www.i.livescience.com/images/i/000/001/994/i02/080111-ice-skates-02.jpg?1296071756
10) www.upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3c/Turku_Hansa_panorama.jpg
11) www.i.ytimg.com/vi/OEnufQmn-OE/maxresdefault.jpg