You probably know this country as the birthplace of Santa Claus. You may also be aware of the fact that in this cold region, statistics show that for every two citizens there is a sauna. But how much do you really know about Finland? Test yourself with these 14 amazing facts about the unique Scandinavian nation.
The loser in life is the winner in Finland!
The eccentric Finnish sense of humour is further strengthened by the annual Failure Day of 13 October. The tradition started in 2010. Since then, the day has been a celebration of bad news and all kinds of failures as a way of teaching and preparing for future challenges. Luckily next time, losers!
Setting records in their blood
Finland is called a country of thousands of lakes, but this number was not even close to the actual number of natural water bodies. In fact, there are 187,888 lakes in the country, which is more than in any other country in the world. If you are more comfortable on foot, the 179,888 Finnish islands offer a wide range of opportunities for exploration.
How to get out of the Matrix?
There is no way to get out of the Matrix in Finland.In a country that connects people ("Connecting People") with Nokia mobile phones, you won't find a single pay phone. Not a single one within Finlan.
Their sports are probably the strangest
If you are looking for an exotic pastime, Finland is your absolute champion.
The strangest thing about local events is the World Wife Carrying Championships. It takes place every July in Sonkaiärvi and represents the passage of an extreme obstacle course. This annual event has become a real international hit: every year the championship attracts couples from Denmark, Hong Kong, Australia and other no less remote parts of the world. Sometimes the spouses come to the country for thousands of lakes just to take part in the competition. A rather strange honeymoon... But who are we to judge? Other exotic sports with annual World Championships in Finland include mosquito hunting, mobile phone throwing, swamp football, rubber boots throwing and the World Air Guitar Championship.
Here you can sleep, swim, fish and pick berries anywhere
Like many Nordic countries, Finland boasts a great deal of "freedom of movement". You can pitch a tent, pick up a wild lingonberry or catch a pike-perch in a lake for free and without the hassle of the official authorities.
They invented the first custom browser
Many countries claim to be the originators of the Internet. And the Finns were the first country to come up with the idea of bringing it to the attention of the general public.Created in 1994 by three students of technological universities, Erwise became the world's first Internet browser with a user interface (UX). Despite the fact that it was approved by the creator of the World Wide Web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the graduates could not find the necessary funding to continue the development of the project. So Erwise became a legend. Just a few months after this story, Mosaic and Internet Explorer were born, and the rest of the story is a web search history.
By the way, they invented many other cool things
Finland is an amazingly innovative country for its relatively small population of five million people. Finnish inventions include lifeguards, heart rate monitors, salty liquorice, Linux, skates, Angry Birds, Molotov cocktail, SMS and, of course, sauna (by the way, this is the most commonly used Finnish word outside the country).
Weather in Finland pleases with unexpected tricks
It is no secret that winters in Finland are dark and gloomy. However, in the summer the country is transformed to finally meet its nickname "Midnight Sun Land". Visit the north of the country in June or July and you'll see that the sun really never slips over the horizon.
They make the best pizza in the world
Finland's nourishing dishes have both loyal fans and irreconcilable enemies. Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi threw a small pebble in the garden of Finnish cooks in 2005, noticing that Parma ham is much better for pizza than local venison. In sum, Berlusconi described his entire culinary experience in Finland as a "stamina test.However, revenge is a dish that is served cold. Three years later, the Finns struck back and won an international pizza competition, beating Italy. The victorious creation had the bold name of "Pizza Berlusconi". Its signature component? Of course, venison. The dish has become so popular that you can still order it from Kotipizza, Finland's largest pizza chain.
Finns like coffee the most
You can forget all these Italian espressos and Australian flute wites! When it comes to real life, Finns have no equal! They don't just cook it the best - they also set records for consumed volumes. On average, one resident drinks up to 12 kg of refreshing drink every year. It is impossible to say exactly how many cups of coffee Finns drink on average a day. But I bet that's definitely more than the doctor says. Unless, of course, he is a Finn or a coffee addict.
And they love milk more than anyone else
It is not surprising that Finland has the highest annual milk consumption in the world: about 1 liter per person per day. Thus, Finns' teeth are yellow from coffee and strong from milk. These figures, however, are puzzling, as according to statistics about 17% of the population suffer from lactose allergies.
Speeding tickets will leave you with a broken trough
You're fast, brave and very rich, too? Then you'd better not fall for speeding in Finland. The amount of the traffic fine is calculated on the basis of the driver's annual income. One unlucky and mega rich "schumacher" was once fined 200,000 euros for one single violation.
Finland is the undisputed home of heavy metal
Finland is a reserved and business country... It is not surprising that the highest number of heavy metal groups per capita is here. Such bands as Children Of Bodom, Nightwish and winners of the Lordi Eurovision Song Contest literally rumble all over the world. They all come from Finland, and they are all able to reflect the dark and wild side of the nation in their music
Finns are crazy about tango!
You don't have to go to Montevideo or Buenos Aires to plunge into tango euphoria. 13,000 km from sunny South America, the northern nation preserved and carried through the years the tango fever that arrived on these icy shores in 1913.The golden years came in the mid-sixties, when local tango melodies were easily bypassed in The Beatles' hit parades. Today, tango fans from all over the world come to Finland to perform a passionate dance at the legendary Tangomarkkinat festival in July, as well as to visit a local museum dedicated to the old ballroom dance.
