by Krisztina Pintye

Finland is situated in the region of Northern EuropeNorthernEurope It is bordered by Sweden to the west, Norway to the north and Russia to the eastSwedenNorwayRussia An estimated 5.4 million people live in Finland, with the majority concentrated in its southern regions. [6] [6]

It is the eighth largest country in Europe and the most sparsely populated country in the European Union.eighth largest country in Europesparsely populatedEuropean Union Politically, it is a parliamentary republic with a central government based in the capital of Helsinki.parliamentaryrepublicHelsinki Other larger cities include Tampere, Turku, Oulu, Jyväskylä, Lahti and Kuopio.TampereTurkuOuluJyväskyläLahtiKuopio

Culture Education Pre-school education is rare compared to other EU countries and formal education is usually started at the age of 7. Primary school takes normally six years and lower secondary school three years. Most schools are managed by municipal officials.

Education is compulsory between the ages of 7 and 16. After lower secondary school, graduates may either enter the workforce directly, or apply to trade schools or gymnasiums. Education is free and living expenses are to a large extent financed by the government through student benefits.student benefits There are 20 universities and 30 polytechnics in the country.

Literature Written Finnish could be said to have existed since Mikael Agricola translated the New Testament into Finnish during the Protestant Reformation.Mikael AgricolaNew TestamentProtestant Reformation After Finland became independent, there was a rise of modernist writers, most famously the Finnish- speaking Mika Waltarimodernist writersMika Waltari

Visual arts Finns have made major contributions to handicrafts and industrial design.handicraftsindustrial design Finnish architecture is famous around the world.

Among the top of the twentieth century Finnish architects to win international recognition are Eliel SaarinenEliel Saarinen (designer of the widely recognised Helsinki Central railway station and many other public works)Helsinki Central railway station and his son Eero Saarinen. Alvar Aalto, who helped bring functionalist architecture to Finland, is also famous for his work in furniture, textiles andglassware.Eero SaarinenAlvar Aaltofunctionalist architecturefurnituretextilesglassware

Television Finland's most internationally successful TV shows are the backpacking travel documentary series Madventures and the reality TV show The Dudesons, about four childhood friends who perform stunts and play pranks on each other (in similar vein to the American TV show Jackass)MadventuresThe DudesonsJackass

Cuisine Finnish cuisine is notable for generally combining traditional country fare and haute cuisine with contemporary continental style cooking.haute cuisine Fish and meat play a prominent role in traditional Finnish dishes from the western part of the country, while the dishes from the eastern part have traditionally included various vegetables and mushrooms. ] Fishmeatvegetablesmushrooms

According to the statistics, red meat consumption has risen, but still Finns eat less beef than many other nations, and more fish and poultry. This is mainly because of the high cost of meat in Finland.poultry

Public holidays All official holidays in Finland are established by Acts of Parliament. Christian holidays include Christmas, New Year's Day, Epiphany, Easter, Ascension Day, Pentecost, Midsummer Day(St. John's Day) and All Saints' Day, while secular holidays include May Day and the Independence Day, New Year's Day and Midsummer. Christmas is the most extensively celebrated and at least 24 to 26 December is taken as a holiday. ChristianChristmasNew Year's DayEpiphanyEasterAscension DayPentecostMidsummer DayAll Saints' DayMay DayIndependence Day