What Is Finland Known For?


The Nordic country of Finland conjures several images when it’s mentioned.

Beautiful landscapes, winter sceneries, and Christmas decorations are all easily associated with Finland, which is found in the northern parts of Europe. 

Finland is known as the “Land of a Thousand Lakes,” as most of the country is covered with lakes.

The region of Lapland is popular as the home of Santa Claus and a great location for winter sports.

Finland has a well-known sauna culture and is also known for the Moomins and Angry Birds. 

Finland’s landscapes are among the primary attractions of the country.

Lakes and several rivers and forests cover nearly 10% of the landmass. [1]

It is a popular location for winter holidays and sports, particularly in the northernmost region of Lapland, where the Santa Claus Village was developed to drive the region’s association with Christmas.

Also, see How To Move To Finland? to learn more.

Finland map
What famous people are from Finland? See below

What Famous People Are From Finland?

There are several Finns from different fields that are famous worldwide, but the most famous among them are from the fields of sports and music. 

Famous people from Finland include sportsmen Kimi Räikkönen, a motorsports racing driver, and long-distance runner Hannes Kolehmainen known as the “Flying Finn.”

Finnish metal bands like Children of Bodom, Nightwish, and HIM are popular worldwide.

Aki Kaurismäki is a famous Finnish director.

Kimi Räikkönen competed in Formula One races between 2001 to 2021 and is a famous race driver.

While he is revered for his skill, the racing driver is an extremely popular figure among fans of Formula One for his humor and humility. [2]

Hanns Kolehmainen bore the title of the “Flying Finn,” but the title was a nickname given to several Finnish athletes, the majority of whom were runners.

Kolehmainen’s three gold medals at the Olympics in 1912 remain a great source of pride for the Finnish people. 

Finland is known as a capital for heavy metal music, with several bands like Children of Bodom, HIM, and Nightwish emerging and pioneering changes in the field in the 1990s. [3]

HIM’s album Dark Light was their first American release, and the band experienced incredible success when it went gold. 

You can learn more about metal music in Finland in this article that explains why Scandanavians love metal music

Aki Kaurismäki is both a screenwriter and a director, making films that he considered a “joke.”

Kaurismäki has made some beloved films like The Bohemian Life and Leningrad Cowboys Go America. [4]

His film The Man Without a Past was nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film and won the Grand Prix award at the Cannes Film Festival in 2002.  

Also, see What Is There To Do In Finland? to learn more.

Finland flag
What tourist attractions does Finland have? See below

What Tourist Attractions Does Finland Have?

Finland, the “Land of a Thousand Lakes,” has many natural wonders and attractions, including winter sports and the country’s association with Christmas. 

Finland has tourist attractions like its large lakes, which cover a large part of the country, Lapland in the north with ski resorts, the Santa Claus Village attraction, Santa Park, and a spectacular view of the Northern Lights.

It also has the Moomin World theme park based on the Moomins series. 

Finland has about 187,888 lakes spread across the country, with several small ponds making up the bulk of the number. [5]

The largest lake in Finland is Lake Saimaa.

The country also has several forests and rivers, including the popular Inari, the third-largest river in the country. 

Lapland, with its wintry landscapes and conifers, has been associated with Christmas in many countries on the European continent.

It is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Finland, with tourism growing at an average rate of about 9% per year. [6]

Apart from ski resorts, Lapland has the Santa Claus Village and Santa Park theme parks.

These parks rely on the association of Lapland with the legendary North Pole, home of Santa Claus, which began in the early 1900s to encourage tourism in the region. 

Moomin World is another amusement park in Finland based on the Moomin franchise of books and comics by Tove Jansson.

It’s considered the fourth-best theme park for children in the world. 

Also, see What Does Finland’s Government Give New Mothers? to learn more.

Finland northern lights
Finland has a snow castle. More below.

15 Interesting Facts About Finland

Finland is a beautiful Nordic country with several interesting features and attractions. 

Some interesting facts about Finland are that the country builds a snow castle every year, has a collection of architectural sights and domesticated reindeer, and has the cleanest air in the world.

The Finns drink a lot of coffee and milk and are among the happiest people worldwide.

Here are 15 interesting facts about Finland.

  • Finland has a snow castle. A large snow castle is built in the Finnish region of Kemi every year. It is the largest snow fort in the world and also has an ice hotel for tourists to stay in.
  • It has a city called the “Mecca for Architecture Lovers.” Jyväskylä has a collection of buildings by the legendary Finnish architect Alvar Aalto, including the Säynätsalo Town Hall.
  • The Northern Lights are visible for 150 nights. Visitors to Lapland can watch the Aurora Borealis from mid-August to April.
  • Only 6% of the country can be used for crops. Large parts of Finland are covered under forests or bodies of water, so not much land is arable. [7]
  • The Finnish sauna is recognized as an Intangible Cultural Heritage. The sauna culture of Finland was inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List in 2020.
  • Finland has a lot of domesticated reindeer. Tourists can enjoy rides on reindeer sleighs in Lapland. Almost all reindeer in the country are domesticated, with very few wild ones left.
  • It is the happiest country in the world. Finland has been top-ranked by the World Happiness Index for several years in a row.
  • It has the cleanest air. A WHO report in 2018 suggested that Finland has the best air quality worldwide. [8]
  • Finland has 24/7 daylight. The country receives daylight 24/7 from May to August.
  • It has unique candy. Finland’s Salmiakki is a unique licorice candy that is unusual and well-known.
  • People drink a lot of coffee there. Finnish people drink more coffee every year than any other country in the world.
  • The education system is the best in the world. Finnish education has received a lot of press for being one of the best educational systems to provide children with equal learning opportunities.
  • Finns call their country Suomi. While the world knows the country as Finland, the people call their country Suomi.
  • The people play a lot of unusual sports. Finnish people have many odd-sounding sports like Swamp Soccer, Beer Floating, and Reindeer Racing.
  • Finns have one of the highest milk consumption per capita. People in Finland drink an average of nearly 34 gallons (130 liters) of milk in one year. 

Conclusion

Finland is known for its lakes, winter landscapes, Santa Claus attractions in Lapland, excellent sportspersons, and heavy metal musicians. 

Also, see Sweden and Finland Compared to learn more.

References: 
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Christian Christensen

Christian started Scandinavia Facts to explore his family heritage, raise awareness of one of his academic interests as a professor, and civilly promote the region. Please see the About page for details.

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