Finland

Finland is a Nordic country situated in Northern Europe. It has borders with Sweden to the west, Russia to the east, and Norway to the north, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland. Finland is a country of thousands of lakes and islands. One of these lakes, Saimaa, is the fifth largest in Europe. The Finnish landscape is mostly flat with few hills. The climate in Southern Finland is a northern temperate climate. In Northern Finland, particularly in the Province of Lapland, a subarctic climate dominates, characterized by cold, occasionally severe, winters and relatively warm summers. A quarter of Finland's territory lies above the Arctic Circle, and as a consequence the midnight sun can be experienced - for more days, the farther north one travels. At Finland's northernmost point, the sun does not set for 73 consecutive days during summer, and does not rise at all for 51 days during winter. There are many attractions in Finland which attracted over 4 million visitors in 2005. The Finnish landscape is covered with thick pine forests, rolling hills and complemented with a labyrinth of lakes and inlets. Much of Finland is pristine and virgin as it contains 35 national parks from the Southern shores of the Gulf of Finland to the high fells of Lapland. Outdoor activities range from golf, fishing, yachting, lake cruises, hiking, kayaking among many others. There are also many churches, cathedrals, museums and castles.