 Animal: Brown Bear  Bird: Swan  Coat of Arms:  Fish: Perch  Flower: Lily of the Valley  Motto: "Vart Land" (Our Land)  National Anthem: "Maamme" (Our Land)  Stone: Granite  Tree: Birch

 Ethnicities: Finn 93.4%, Swede 5.6%, Russian 0.5%, Estonian 0.3%, Roma (Gypsy) 0.1%, Sami 0.1%  Languages: Finnish (official) 94.2%, Swedish (official) 5.5%, other (Sami- and Russian-speaking) 0.2%  Religions: Lutheran 78.4%, Orthodox 1.1%, other Christian 1.1%, other 0.2%, none 19.2%  Population is 100% literate (15+ can read and write)

 Became independent from Russia on December 6 th 1917  Republic  President Sauli NIINISTO (since 1 March 2012)  Prime Minister Jyrki KATAINEN (since 22 June 2011)  Council of State is appointed by the president, responsible to parliament  Civil law system based on Sweden’s  National symbol: Lion  National Anthem: "Maamme" (Our Land)

 Main exports: Electrotechnical goods, metal products, machinery, transport equipment, wood and paper products, chemicals  Main imports: Raw materials, investment goods, energy, consumer goods (cars and textiles)  Finland is highly integrated in global economy  International trade is a third of GDP (gross domestic product)  Currency: Euro

 Branches: Finnish Defense Forces: Army, Navy (includes Coastal Defense Forces), Air Force  Service obligation: 6-12 months  Service age: › Male volunteer/compulsory: 18 › Female volunteer: 18

 Fortress of Suomenlinna: one of the largest maritime fortresses in the world  Petajavesi Old Church: example of timber church architecture that has Renaissance and Gothic elements  Olavinlinna Castle: best known for the opera festival held every year

 “All people must have equal access to high-quality education and training”  Same opportunities should be available to all citizens despite their ethnic origin, age, wealth or where they live  Key words: quality, efficiency, equity and internationalization

 Traditional breads are a part of every meal  Common meats: smoked ham or smoked reindeer  Common fish: salmon, whitefish and herring  Finnish banquet: fish, then meat, along with salad, cheese or a vegetable side dish, the dessert could consist of Finnish crepes with jam

 Basic education: 9 years of Comprehensive School  Pre-primary education: 1 year voluntarily  Upper secondary education: general, vocational, and training education  Higher education: universities and polytechnics

 Students receive fewer hours of instruction than students in any other OECD country  Taught 600 hours a year as compared to 1,080 hours  In the early education, students often stay together in a class with the same teacher for several years › Teacher can follow the students’ development › Makes it a family-like enviornment

 Foreign languages are essential at all levels of education  Vast majority of instruction is given in Finnish  First foreign language is begun in the third grade-graduation  Second foreign language is begun in the seventh grade  Third foreign language is chosen optionally in eighth grade  90% of their student choose English as their first foreign language

 Ages  Requirement: certificate from basic education  Typically done in 3 years  Matriculation exam: taken at the end of secondary schooling; it qualifies students to study at a higher education  Some upper secondary schools specialize in a certain subject: sports, art or music

 Taught usually three 45 minute lessons a week in (7 th and 8 th grade)  Four 45 minute lessons a week (9 th grade)  Grades 7 – 9: Numbers, Geometry, Algebra, Functions, and Probability and Statistics  Math teachers mostly teach physics, chemistry and sometimes computer science

 In the new core curriculum, congruence transformations are given a larger role than before  In the 1970’s, Euclidean-type geometry was abolished  The algebra curriculum involves simple calculations with powers and polynomials and solving first degree equations and pairs of equations.

 One math course: about 35 lessons of 45 minutes each  Required courses deal with polynomial, rational, root, exponential, logarithmic and trigonometric functions, and differential and integral calculus  Specialized courses: logic, number theory, and numerical mathematics, and further analysis

 For the matriculation exam students can either choose between a math or general studies test  the number of mathematics lessons in Finland is small in international comparison  Finding teachers that teach mathematics, physics and chemistry is a vital challenge in Finland

 Asta, J. (n.d.). Facts on food & Culture in finland. Retrieved April 11, 2014, from USA Today website: finland html  The educational system of finland: Background, structure, equivalencies, and new directions. (2010, October). Retrieved April 11, 2014, from The Educational System of Finland website:  Education policy in finland. (n.d.). Retrieved April 11, 2014, from Ministry of Education and Culture website:  Finland in facts. (2014, January). Retrieved April 10, 2014, from This Is Finland website: culture=en-US  Instructional systems. (n.d.). Retrieved April 11, 2014, from Center on International Education Benchmarking website: education-benchmarking/top-performing-countries/finland- overview/finland-instructional-systems/

 Stedøy, I. M. (Ed.). (n.d.). Mathematics education in finnish secondary schools. Retrieved April 11, 2014, from Mathematics Education: The Nordic Way website:  Symbols. (n.d.). Retrieved April 10, 2014, from Finland State Symbols, Song, Flags and More website: /fisymbols.htm  Three major landmarks in finland. (n.d.). Retrieved April 10, 2014, from Getaway Tips website: finland-3843.html  The world factbook. (2014, April 1). Retrieved April 10, 2014, from Central Intelligence Agency website: factbook/geos/fi.html