Finland

Where the name comes from

Finland means “land of the Finns”, through Swedish and Old Norse; the origins of Finn and the Finnish name Suomi are uncertain.

First people

People settled here after the last Ice Age; Finnish is a Uralic language related to Estonian, and Sámi communities have their own northern histories.¹

Known for

Finland has an estimated three million saunas, about one for every two people, and sauna culture is recognized by UNESCO as living heritage.^2,3

Outside contact

Swedish rule spread from the 1100s, and Russia conquered Finland from Sweden in 1809, making it a self-governing grand duchy.⁴

The modern country

Finland declared independence in 1917.¹