Statistical information Finland 1992

Finland in the World
top of pageBackground: Long ruled by foreign powers, including Sweden and the pre-revolutionary Russian Empire, Finland finally declared independence in 1917. During World War II, Finland fought the USSR twice and then the Germans toward the end of the war. In the following half-century, the Finns made a remarkable transformation from a farm/forest economy to a diversified modern industrial economy. Per capita income has risen to the West European level.
top of pageLocationGeographic coordinatesMap referenceAreaTotal: 337,030 km²
Land: 305,470 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Montana
Land boundaries: 2,628 km; Norway 729 km, Sweden 586 km, Russia 1,313 km
Coastline: 1,126 km; excludes islands and coastal indentations
Maritime claimsContiguous zone: 6 nm
Continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation
Exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm
Territorial sea: 4 nm
Disputes: none
Climate: cold temperate; potentially subarctic, but comparatively mild because of moderating influence of the North Atlantic Current, Baltic Sea, and more than 60,000 lakes
Terrain: mostly low, flat to rolling plains interspersed with lakes and low hills
ElevationNatural resources: timber, copper, zinc, iron ore, silver
Land use:
arable land: 8%; permanent crops: 0%; meadows and pastures
NEGL%; forest and woodland 76%; other 16%; includes irrigated NEGL%
Irrigated landMajor riversMajor watersheds area km²Total water withdrawalTotal renewable water resourcesNatural hazardsGeographytop of pagePopulation: 5,004,273 (July 1992), growth rate 0.3% (1992)
Nationality: noun - Finn(s; adjective - Finnish
Ethnic groups: Finn, Swede, Lapp, Gypsy, Tatar
Languages:
Finnish 93.5%, Swedish (both official) 6.3%; small Lapp- and
Russian-speaking minorities
Religions: Evangelical Lutheran 89%, Greek Orthodox 1%, none 9%, other 1%
Demographic profileAge structureDependency ratiosMedian agePopulation growth rateBirth rate: 12 births/1000 population (1992)
Death rate: 10 deaths/1000 population (1992)
Net migration rate: NEGL migrants/1000 population (1992)
Population distributionUrbanizationMajor urban areasEnvironmentCurrent issues: permanently wet ground covers about 30% of land; population concentrated on small southwestern coastal plain
Current issues note: long boundary with Russia; Helsinki is northernmost national capital on European continent
Air pollutantsSex ratioMothers mean age at first birthMaternal mortality ratioInfant mortality rate: 6 deaths/1000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth: 72 years male, 80 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate: 1.7 children born/woman (1992)
Contraceptive prevalence rateDrinking water sourceCurrent health expenditurePhysicians densityHospital bed densitySanitation facility accessHiv/AidsMajor infectious diseasesObesity adult prevalence rateAlcohol consumptionTobacco useChildren under the age of 5 years underweightEducation expendituresLiteracy: 100% (male NA%, female NA%) age 15 and over can read and write (1980 est.)
School life expectancy primary to tertiary educationYouth unemploymenttop of pageCountry nameConventional long form: Republic of Finland
Government type: republic
Capital: Helsinki
Administrative divisions:
12 provinces (laanit, singular - laani);
Ahvenanmaa, Hame, Keski-Suomi, Kuopio, Kymi, Lappi, Mikkeli, Oulu,
Pohjois-Karjala, Turku ja Pori, Uusimaa, Vaasa
Dependent areasIndependence: 6 December 1917 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday: Independence Day, 6 December (1917)
Constitution: 17 July 1919
Legal system: civil law system based on Swedish law; Supreme Court may request legislation interpreting or modifying laws; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
International law organization participationCitizenshipSuffrage: universal at age 18
Parliament:last held 17 March 1991 (next to be held March 1995); results - Center Party 24.8%, Social Democratic Party 22.1%, National
Coalition (Conservative) Party 19.3%, Leftist Alliance (Communist) 10.1%,
Green League 6.8%, Swedish People's Party 5.5%, Rural 4.8%, Finnish
Christian League 3.1%, Liberal People's Party 0.8%; seats - (200 total)
Center Party 55, Social Democratic Party 48, National Coalition (Conservative) Party 40, Leftist Alliance (Communist) 19, Swedish People's
Party 12, Green League 10, Finnish Christian League 8, Rural 7, Liberal
People's Party 1
President:last held 31 January - 1 February and 15 February 1988 (next to be held January 1994); results - Mauno KOIVISTO 48%, Paavo VAYRYNEN 20%,
Harri HOLKERI 18%
Communists: 28,000 registered members; an additional 45,000 persons belong to People's Democratic League
Executive branch:
president, prime minister, deputy prime minister,
Council of State (Valtioneuvosto)
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (Eduskunta)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Korkein Oikeus)
Political parties and leadersInternational organization participation:
AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE,
CERN, CSCE, EBRD, ECE, EFTA, ESA (associate), FAO, G-9, GATT, IADB, IAEA,
IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT,
INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LORCS, MTCR, NAM (guest), NC, NEA,
NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP,
UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIIMOG, UNMOGIP, UNTSO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation:Ambassador Jukka VALTASAARI; Chancery at 3,216
New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,016; telephone (202) 363-2,430; there are Finnish Consulates General in Los Angeles and New York, and Consulates in Chicago and Houston
US:Ambassador John H. KELLY (as of December 1991); Embassy at Itainen
Puistotie 14A, SF-00140, Helsinki (mailing address is APO AE 9,723); telephone 358 (0) 171,931; FAX 358 (0) 174,681
Diplomatic representationFlag description:
white with a blue cross that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the
DANNEBROG (Danish flag)
National symbolsNational anthemNational heritagetop of pageEconomy overview:
Finland has a highly industrialized, largely free market economy, with per capita output nearly three-fourths the US figure. Its main economic force is the manufacturing sector - principally the wood, metals, and engineering industries. Trade is important, with the export of goods representing about 30% of GDP. Except for timber and several minerals,
Finland depends on imported raw materials, energy, and some components of manufactured goods. Because of the climate, agricultural development is limited to maintaining self-sufficiency in basic commodities. The economy, which experienced an average of 4.9% annual growth between 1987 and 1989, sank into a deep recession in 1991 as growth contracted by 6.2%. The recession - which is expected to bottom out in late 1992 - has been caused by economic overheating, depressed foreign markets, and the dismantling of the barter system between Finland and the former Soviet Union in which
Soviet oil and gas had been exchanged for Finnish manufactured goods. The
Finnish Government has proposed efforts to increase industrial competitiveness and efficiency by an increase in exports to Western markets, cuts in public expenditures, partial privatization of state enterprises, and foreign investment and exchange liberalization. Helsinki tied the markkaa to the EC's European Currency Unit to promote stability but was forced to devalue the markkaa by about 12% in November 1991. The devaluation should improve industrial competitiveness and business confidence in 1992. Finland, as a member of EFTA, negotiated a European Economic Area arrangement with the EC that allows for free movement of capital, goods, services, and labor within the organization as of January 1993. Finland applied for full EC membership in March 1992.
GDP: purchasing power equivalent - $80.6 billion, per capita $16,200; real growth rate - 6.2% (1991)
Real gdp purchasing power parityReal gdp growth rateReal gdp per capitaGross national savingGdp composition by sector of origin
Gdp composition by end useGdp composition by sector of originAgriculture products: accounts for 8% of GDP (including forestry; livestock production, especially dairy cattle, predominates; forestry is an important export earner and a secondary occupation for the rural population; main crops - cereals, sugar beets, potatoes; 85% self-sufficient, but short of foodgrains and fodder grains; annual fish catch about 160,000 metric tons
Industries: metal products, shipbuilding, forestry and wood processing (pulp, paper), copper refining, foodstuffs, chemicals, textiles, clothing
Industrial production growth rate: growth rate - 8.6% (1991 est.)
Labor force: 2,533,000; public services 30.4%; industry 20.9%; commerce 15.0%; finance, insurance, and business services 10.2%; agriculture and forestry 8.6%; transport and communications 7.7%; construction 7.2%
Organized labor: 80% of labor force
Unemployment rate: 7.6% (1991)
Youth unemploymentPopulation below poverty lineGini indexHousehold income or consumption by percentage shareDistribution of family income gini indexBudget: revenues $35.8 billion; expenditures $41.5 billion, including capital expenditures of NA billion (1991)
Taxes and other revenuesPublic debtRevenueFiscal year: calendar year
Inflation rate consumer pricesCentral bank discount rateCommercial bank prime lending rateStock of narrow moneyStock of broad moneyStock of domestic creditMarket value of publicly traded sharesCurrent account balanceExports: $22.9 billion (f.o.b., 1991)
Commodoties: timber, paper and pulp, ships, machinery, clothing and footwear
Partners: EC 50.25%, Germany 15.5%, UK 10.4%, EFTA 20.7%, Sweden 14%, US 6.1%, Japan 1.5%, USSR/EE 6.71% (1991)
Imports: $21.6 billion (c.i.f., 1991)
Commodoties: foodstuffs, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, transport equipment, iron and steel, machinery, textile yarn and fabrics, fodder grains
Partners:EC 45.9% (Germany 16.9%), UK 7.7%, EFTA 19.9%, Sweden 12.3%,
US 6.9%, Japan 6%, USSR/EE 10.7%
Reserves of foreign exchange and goldDebt externalStock of direct foreign investment at homeStock of direct foreign investment abroadExchange rates: markkaa (FMk) per US$1 - 4.2967 (January 1992), 4.0440 (1991), 3.8235 (1990), 4.2912 (1989), 4.1828 (1988), 4.3956 (1987)
top of pageElectricityProduction: 13,324,000 kW capacity; 49,330 million kWh produced, 9,857 kWh per capita (1991)
CoalPetroleumCrude oilRefined petroleumNatural gasCarbon dioxide emissionsEnergy consumption per capitatop of pageTelephonesTelephone systemBroadcast mediaInternetBroadband fixed subscriptionstop of pageMilitary expendituresPercent of gdp:exchange rate conversion - $1.8 billion, 1.6% of
GDP (1989 est.)
Military and security forcesMilitary service age and obligationSpace programTerrorist groupstop of pageNational air transport systemCivil aircraft registration country code prefixAirports:
159 total, 156 usable; 58 with permanent-surface runways; none
with runways over 3,659 m; 23
with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 22
with runways 1,220-2,439 m
HeliportsPipelines: natural gas 580 km
RailwaysRoadwaysWaterways: 6,675 km total (including Saimaa Canal; 3,700 km suitable for steamers
Merchant marine:
80 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 794,094
GRT/732,585 DWT; includes 1 passenger, 9 short-sea passenger, 16 cargo, 1 refrigerated cargo, 26 roll-on/roll-off, 12 petroleum tanker, 6 chemical tanker, 2 liquefied gas, 7 bulk
Civil air: 42 major transport
Ports and terminalsFinland - Transnational issues 1992
top of pageDisputes internationalRefugees and internally displaced personsIllicit drugs