• Is not actually part of Scandinavia, even though it was part of Sweden at one time. Finns are ethnically distinct from the Viking Scandinavians. For example, the Finnish language is more closely related to Turkic languages of Central Asia and Turkey than it is to the Germanic languages of Scandinavia.

• Has a border with Russia of around 1,300 kms. Its other long border is with Sweden, as well as a northern short border with Norway.

• Is mostly flat forested land with little arable areas, which has meant that most food is imported. Finland’s primary resource is timber.

• Has large ethnic groups, other than Finns, namely the Swedes, Estonians, Romani, Russians and native Sami.

• Has two official languages: Finnish and Swedish. Swedish is an official language because of the long intertwined history of Finland and Sweden. Most Finns speak English.

• Was possibly the only location in any of the Nordic countries where Neanderthals lived, at least for a period of time. Objects have been found in Susiluola (“Wolf Cave”) which are 120,000 to 130,000 years old. However, there is considerable debate about the validity of this claim, and excavation and research has not proceeded any further since about 2016.

• Was occupied during the Stone Age around 8,500 BCE, then populated by later migrations of people from other parts of Europe in c. 5,500 BCE. The Bronze age resulted in increased trade, and then the Iron Age signalled further development, although later than elsewhere in Europe.

• Was not mentioned extensively in historical writings until Snorri Sturlison mentions Finland in Egil’s Saga which was written in the 13^th century.

• Did not produce many Vikings. Vikings predominantly originated from the Scandinavian countries (Norway, Sweden and Denmark). There is little evidence that there were Finnish Vikings, although they were known to be in contact with each other, particularly to trade, and most likely within Finland. According to “The History of Finland”, it has been said that the Vikings thought that the Finns were spell-casters and could control the weather, and therefore the Vikings didn’t want them in their raiding parties in case they conjured spells against them.

• Has an epic poem called Kalevala. It was written by Elias Lonnrot and first published in 1835. Lonnrot travelled through the hinterlands of Finland for over 30 years, gathering and recording stories which represent at least 1,000 years of oral tradition. The gods and heroes in the Kalevala are similar to the Norse mythological figures of Scandinavia. The Kalevala has influenced Finns ever since its publication, particularly in developing a nationalistic idea of culture and ethnicity.

• Was most likely originally made up of small kingdoms, as was common within its Scandinavian neighbours. As a result of the Swedish Crusades and Sweden’s (largely peaceful) colonisation activities, Finland was ruled by Sweden from around the 13^th century.

• Has been the target of religious missionary activities since the 12^th century. Sandwiched between the Scandinavian Catholic (and later Protestant) ideologies of Sweden, Norway and Denmark on the one side, and Eastern Orthodox from Russia, Finland has been subjected to forced changes in religion, sometimes accompanied by severe discrimination.

• Experienced a period of peace and stability from the middle of the 17^th century during which a number of reforms were introduced by the Governor General, Count Per Brahe the Younger (who was appointed by Sweden). These reforms included the introduction of a formal civil service, a mail service, a university, as well as the building of a number of towns in Finland.

• Started to be subjected to Russian influence from the early 18^th century, as Sweden’s European power declined and parts of Finalnd came under Russian control. Surprisingly, however, Russia left the bureaucracy in Finland relatively unchanged, and did not force religious changes on the Finns.

• Finally, (i.e. all of Finland)  came under Russian rule in 1809 as a result of the Swedish defeat in the Finnnish war (fought between Sweden and Russia). Finland was designated as a Grand Duchy under the control of the Tsar. However, Tsar Nicholas 1 promised the Finns that their traditional rights would be preserved.

• Experienced a period of Russification under the Governor-General Nikolai Bobrikov, who was appointed in 1898 by Tsar Nicholas II (who was more autocratic than his father). Changes included:
  • Adopting Russian as he official language
  • Integrating Finnish forces into the Russian Army
  • Limiting the power of the Finnish lawmakers

Further measures were introduced from 1908 onwards; e.g. Finnish parliamentarians were required to be Finnish officers of the Imperial Russian Army, plus all Finnish civil and governmental positions were now open to Russians to apply for.

• Had more Finns fight in WWI for Germany than for Russia, notwithstanding Russia’s governance over Finland

• Became an independent country on 4 January 1918 when Lenin came to power at the end of WWI

• Experienced a civil war between January and May 1918, when workers revolted against years (centuries even) of hardship and discrimination. The “Reds” were communist forces with Soviet backing. The “Whites” were conservative forces supported by Germany and commanded by Carl Mannerheim.. The war was short but very violent, with the Whites winning out when they took Helsinki back from the Reds. Germany forced Finland to elect a German Prince as king of Finland. However, his reign was short-lived when he returned to the defeated Germany at the end of the war.  Mannerheim went to the Allies and obtained their recognition of Finland as an independent country.

• Continued to experience internal strife between communist and conservative factions after the civil war and up until the start of WWII. This discord was centred around areas adjoining Russia in the Karelian region. The Soviet regime was becoming increasingly authoritarian and inhumane, and when Russia began to talk of establishing an iron grip on the country, Finland built a defensive fortification, later becoming known as the Mannerheim Line.   

• Was invaded by Russia on 30 November 1939. The Winter War was waged on the Mannerheim Line, and the Finns maintained the upper hand for many months. However, the Finns could see that Soviet reinforcements would turn the tables, and so they agreed to negotiate for a solution. The agreement meant that Russia took control of the Karelian peninsula together with some other territory.   

• Came to an understanding with Germany in the lead up to WWII, and on the back of the Winter War with Russia where Hitler agreed to return the recently lost territory back to Finland if Finland supported the Germans in the north without advancing past their border. However, after declaring war on Russia in June 1941, and gaining back their territory in the initial stages, the Finns began to lose strength. By September 1944 it was clear that the Russian forces were stronger and an agreement was met. At the end of the war the region of Karelia and other territories which had been ceded to Russia, remained with Russia. Finland also had huge reparations to pay to Russia. On the other hand, it was an independent country. And, had adopted a neutral stance which placed it in a strange diplomatic zone between Russia and the west.

• Has continued to maintain a balanced relationship with both Russia and the West. However, with Putin taking power, and Russia’s aggression (particularly against the Ukraine), Finland joined NATO in 2023.

Sources:

• History of Finland, A Captivating Guide to Finnish History
• Vikings, The North Atlantic Saga. Fitzhugh / Ward