An essential ingredient in Finnish strategic planning
was to
establish the perception that the nation had the will and
the
capability to defend its territorial integrity if conflict
broke
out. To avoid giving the Soviet Union a pretext for
intervention,
Finland considered it vital to demonstrate to Moscow that
it
could fully meet its obligations under the FCMA treaty.
Similarly, Finland needed to convince Norway, together
with its
NATO partners and Sweden, that Finnish territory would not
be
used as a base for threatening them militarily. The
primary task,
therefore, was to maintain a credible force for repelling
a
limited conventional attack upon the country during the
course of
a wider conflict.
Finland's traditional policy was to defend the entire
country. It believed that its level of military
preparedness
rendered unlikely the success of an airborne surprise
attack
against administrative centers and other key areas. It
planned to
take advantage of its relatively large underpopulated
expanses
and of the special terrain conditions to pursue a strategy
of
defense in depth in order to frustrate an invader. Total
defeat
of an enemy was not expected. The Finns hoped to
demonstrate that
any effort to secure their territory as a base for
military
operations elsewhere would not be profitable compared to
the time
and sacrifices involved. Despite Finland's small
population,
military planners assumed an enemy would have most of its
forces
employed elsewhere and would be able to use only some of
its
military assets against Finland; hence, the country's
limited
aims could be achieved. The primary burden for thwarting
an
attack directed through Finnish territory would fall upon
the
army.
The heightened strategic significance of the far
northern
regions of Europe since the 1960s has accentuated the
importance
of Lapland's defenses. In the late 1980s, first-line
Finnish
troops were being specially equipped to take advantage of
the
harsh conditions of terrain, climate, and winter darkness
encountered there. Peacetime force deployment in Lapland
had been
reinforced during the 1980s with the goal of stationing
half of
Finland's interceptor aircraft and nearly one-third of its
ground
forces there. This deployment was considered compatible
with the
force strengths in northern Sweden and in northern Norway.
Reacting to hints by the Soviets that the threat of
cruise
missiles fired from United States submarines or from West
European bases justified joint defensive measures, Finnish
leaders have strongly underscored their determination to
act on
their own to resist intrusion of Finnish air space in any
form.
Although advanced radar, fire control, and surface-to-air
missile
systems were being acquired, the Soviet embassy in
Helsinki
asserted in mid-1988 that Finland and Sweden must do still
more
to improve their air defenses.
Finland's mobilization system was characterized by a
flexibility that enabled the degree of preparedness to be
stepped
up as required to meet a particular crisis situation or
threat.
The first forces called up for mobilization would be the
Fast
Deployment Forces, consisting of the most mobile and
powerful
army elements, together with almost all navy, air force,
Frontier
Guard (Rajavartiolaitos--RVL) units, and assorted local
forces.
The Fast Deployment Forces would be able to reach peak
strength--
about 250,000 men, 130,000 of whom would be ground
forces--in two
to three days. The Fast Deployment Forces (also called
Protective
Forces) would have as their chief duty a protecting or
covering
mission that would allow the total mobilization in seven
days of
700,000 men, including 500,000 ground forces.
Finnish military doctrine divided forces into general
forces,
local forces, and support forces once full mobilization
was
achieved. General forces were the best and most powerfully
equipped units of all the services, and the elements most
suited
for decisive massed attacks. In the late 1980s, these
forces were
estimated at about 250,000 men. In addition to the
professional
cadre, local forces consisted of older reservists. It was
projected that they, being less heavily armed, would be
used in
guerrilla operations, often behind the lines in areas
overrun by
the enemy. When needed, local forces could combine with
general
forces for intense battles against a weakened and
encircled
enemy. Support forces assisted the other forces with
logistics,
supplies, and other requirements.
During peacetime, standing ground, sea, and air forces,
in
keeping with Finland's neutral posture, were not
concentrated
against any single potential threat but were deployed to
deal
with invasion from any direction. Defense was predicated
on rapid
mobilization of the country's general forces and on their
rapid
deployment to active fronts. Rather than a static defense,
for
which resources were insufficient, a strategy of maneuver
was
contemplated. A powerful frontal attack would be met by a
"deep
zone" defense, taking fullest advantage of geographical
features
and climatic conditions. Tactics of delay and attrition
would be
employed to prevent an aggressor from reaching vital
areas. As
the attacker's lines of communication lengthened,
concentrated
counterattacks would be launched under conditions favoring
the
more lightly armed Finnish units. In areas seized by the
invader,
local forces would continue to conduct guerrilla-type
operations,
such as ambushes, limited raids on the enemy's supply
lines,
mining of roads, and strikes against logistics centers. In
the
1980s, military planners modified this flexible defense
somewhat,
concluding that certain areas were so vital to the
country's
survival that they were to be held at all costs. Defense
of
southern Finland and Helsinki, the Aland Islands, and
Lapland was
to be so intense that they would never be ceded in their
entirety
to enemy control.
The local defense forces and the RVL would be expected
to
operate as self-contained units carrying out peripheral
attacks
in relative isolation. The object would be to sap the
strength of
the aggressor as he moved deeper into the country, denying
the
use of roads, and, after combat units were cut off from
supplies
and reinforcements, segmenting the fighting. Local and
general
forces could then be brought to bear in devastating
strikes
against the invader. After suffering costly damage over a
protracted period, the aggressor country would find it
expedient
to abandon its original objectives and to accept a
negotiated
settlement.
Finland recognized that the outbreak of general war in
Europe
might result in the use of nuclear weapons. A considerable
effort
was therefore undertaken to prepare the civilian
population
against the eventuality of nuclear warfare
(see Civil Defense
, this ch.). Finland's limited resources did not permit full
preparation against nuclear warfare, however, and defense
planners based their efforts on the assumption that any
threat to
the country would be of a conventional nature. Political
measures
were also undertaken to minimize the likelihood of
exposure to
nuclear attack. Finland's active promotion of
comprehensive
disarmament measures and of a Nordic Nuclear-Weapons-Free
Zone
(NWFZ) was premised on the belief that, if the Nordic
countries
had no nuclear weapons on their territories, the
superpowers
might refrain from including nuclear arms in their
strategic
plans affecting those terrotories
(see Neutrality
, ch. 4).
The
objection to such a commitment, in the view of Western
defense
planners, was that it would deny NATO the nuclear option
in
defense of Norway and Denmark while placing no
restrictions on
Soviet nuclear forces in the Kola Peninsula or on naval
vessels
in the Baltic Sea.
|
Background | | Finland was a province and then a grand duchy under Sweden from the 12th to the 19th centuries, and an autonomous grand duchy of Russia after 1809. It won its complete independence in 1917. During World War II, it was able to successfully defend its freedom and resist invasions by the Soviet Union - albeit with some loss of territory. In the subsequent half century, the Finns made a remarkable transformation from a farm/forest economy to a diversified modern industrial economy; per capita income is now among the highest in Western Europe. A member of the European Union since 1995, Finland was the only Nordic state to join the euro system at its initiation in January 1999.
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Location | | Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, and Gulf of Finland, between Sweden and Russia
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Area(sq km) | | total: 338,145 sq km land: 303,815 sq km water: 34,330 sq km
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Geographic coordinates | | 64 00 N, 26 00 E
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Land boundaries(km) | | total: 2,654 km border countries: Norway 727 km, Sweden 614 km, Russia 1,313 km
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Coastline(km) | | 1,250 km
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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
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Elevation extremes(m) | | lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m highest point: Haltiatunturi 1,328 m
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Natural resources | | timber, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, chromite, nickel, gold, silver, limestone
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Land use(%) | | arable land: 6.54% permanent crops: 0.02% other: 93.44% (2005)
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Irrigated land(sq km) | | 640 sq km (2003)
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Total renewable water resources(cu km) | | 110 cu km (2005)
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Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural) | | total: 2.33 cu km/yr (14%/84%/3%) per capita: 444 cu m/yr (1999)
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Natural hazards | | NA
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Environment - current issues | | air pollution from manufacturing and power plants contributing to acid rain; water pollution from industrial wastes, agricultural chemicals; habitat loss threatens wildlife populations
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Environment - international agreements | | party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
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Geography - note | | long boundary with Russia; Helsinki is northernmost national capital on European continent; population concentrated on small southwestern coastal plain
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Population | | 5,250,275 (July 2009 est.)
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Age structure(%) | | 0-14 years: 16.4% (male 438,425/female 422,777) 15-64 years: 66.8% (male 1,773,495/female 1,732,792) 65 years and over: 16.8% (male 357,811/female 524,975) (2009 est.)
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Median age(years) | | total: 42.1 years male: 40.5 years female: 43.7 years (2009 est.)
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Population growth rate(%) | | 0.098% (2009 est.)
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Birth rate(births/1,000 population) | | 10.38 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
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Death rate(deaths/1,000 population) | | 10.07 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
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Net migration rate(migrant(s)/1,000 population) | | 0.68 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
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Urbanization(%) | | urban population: 63% of total population (2008) rate of urbanization: 0.8% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
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Sex ratio(male(s)/female) | | at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
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Infant mortality rate(deaths/1,000 live births) | | total: 3.47 deaths/1,000 live births male: 3.78 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.15 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth(years) | | total population: 78.97 years male: 75.48 years female: 82.61 years (2009 est.)
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Total fertility rate(children born/woman) | | 1.73 children born/woman (2009 est.)
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Nationality | | noun: Finn(s) adjective: Finnish
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Ethnic groups(%) | | Finn 93.4%, Swede 5.6%, Russian 0.5%, Estonian 0.3%, Roma (Gypsy) 0.1%, Sami 0.1% (2006)
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Religions(%) | | Lutheran Church of Finland 82.5%, Orthodox Church 1.1%, other Christian 1.1%, other 0.1%, none 15.1% (2006)
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Languages(%) | | Finnish 91.2% (official), Swedish 5.5% (official), other 3.3% (small Sami- and Russian-speaking minorities) (2007)
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Country name | | conventional long form: Republic of Finland conventional short form: Finland local long form: Suomen tasavalta/Republiken Finland local short form: Suomi/Finland
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Government type | | republic
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Capital | | name: Helsinki geographic coordinates: 60 10 N, 24 56 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
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Administrative divisions | | 6 provinces (laanit, singular - laani); Ahvenanmaan Laani (Aland), Etela-Suomen Laani (Southern Finland), Ita-Suomen Laani (Eastern Finland), Lansi-Suomen Laani (Western Finland), Lapin Laani (Lapland), Oulun Laani
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Constitution | | 1-Mar-00
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Legal system | | civil law system based on Swedish law; the president may request the Supreme Court to review laws; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
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Suffrage | | 18 years of age; universal
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Executive branch | | chief of state: President Tarja HALONEN (since 1 March 2000) head of government: Prime Minister Matti VANHANEN (since 24 June 2003); Deputy Prime Minister Jyrki KATAINEN (since 19 April 2007) cabinet: Council of State or Valtioneuvosto appointed by the president, responsible to parliament elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 15 January 2006 (next to be held in January 2012); the president appoints the prime minister and deputy prime minister from the majority party or the majority coalition after parliamentary elections and the parliament must approve the appointment; Prime Minister VANHANEN reelected 17 April 2007 election results: percent of vote - Tarja HALONEN (SDP) 46.3%, Sauli NIINISTO (Kok) 24.1%, Matti VANHANEN (Kesk) 18.6%, Heidi HAUTALA (VIHR) 3.5%; a runoff election between HALONEN and NIINISTO was held 29 January 2006 - HALONEN 51.8%, NIINISTO 48.2%; Matti VANHANEN reelected prime minister; election results 121-71 note: government coalition - Kesk, KOK, VIHR, and SFP
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Legislative branch | | unicameral Parliament or Eduskunta (200 seats; members are elected by popular vote on a proportional basis to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 18 March 2007 (next to be held March 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - Kesk 23.1%, Kok 22.3%, SDP 21.4%, VAS 8.8%, VIHR 8.5%, KD 4.9%, SFP 4.5%, True Finns 4.1%, other 3.4%; seats by party - Kesk 51, Kok 50, SDP 45, VAS 17, VIHR 15, SFP 9, KD 7, True Finns 5, other 1
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Judicial branch | | Supreme Court or Korkein Oikeus (judges appointed by the president)
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International organization participation | | ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Arctic Council, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G-9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT, NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, Schengen Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMOGIP, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WEU (observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
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Flag description | | white with a blue cross extending 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); the blue represents the thousands of lakes scattered across the country, while the white is for the snow that covers the land in winter
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Economy - overview | | Finland has a highly industrialized, largely free-market economy with per capita output roughly that of the UK, France, Germany, and Italy. Its key economic sector is manufacturing - principally the wood, metals, engineering, telecommunications, and electronics industries. Trade is important; Finland's ratio of exports to GDP has risen from a quarter to 37% over the past 15 years. Finland excels in high-tech exports such as mobile phones. Except for timber and several minerals, Finland depends on imports of raw materials, energy, and some components for manufactured goods. Because of the climate, agricultural development is limited to maintaining self-sufficiency in basic products. Forestry, an important export earner, provides a secondary occupation for the rural population. Although Finland has been one of the best performing economies within the EU in recent years and its banks and financial markets have avoided the worst of global financial crisis, the world slowdown has hit export growth and domestic demand and will serve as a brake on economic growth in 2009 and 2010. The slowdown of construction, other investment, and exports will cause unemployment to rise. During 2009, unemployment will climb to over 8% of the labor force. Long-term challenges include the need to address a rapidly aging population and decreasing productivity that threaten competitiveness, fiscal sustainability, and economic growth.
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GDP (purchasing power parity) | | $194 billion (2008 est.) $192.4 billion (2007 est.) $184.8 billion (2006 est.) note: data are in 2008 US dollars
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GDP (official exchange rate) | | $271.9 billion (2008 est.)
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GDP - real growth rate(%) | | 0.8% (2008 est.) 4.1% (2007 est.) 4.9% (2006 est.)
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GDP - per capita (PPP) | | $37,000 (2008 est.) $36,700 (2007 est.) $35,300 (2006 est.) note: data are in 2008 US dollars
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GDP - composition by sector(%) | | agriculture: 2.8% industry: 32.4% services: 64.9% (2008 est.)
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Labor force | | 2.703 million (2008 est.)
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Labor force - by occupation(%) | | agriculture and forestry 4.5%, industry 18.3%, construction 7.3%, commerce 16%, finance, insurance, and business services 14.5%, transport and communications 7%, public services 32.4% (2008)
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Unemployment rate(%) | | 6.4% (2008 est.) 6.9% (2007 est.)
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Population below poverty line(%) | | NA%
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Household income or consumption by percentage share(%) | | lowest 10%: 3.6% highest 10%: 24.7% (2007)
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Distribution of family income - Gini index | | 29.5 (2007) 25.6 (1991)
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Investment (gross fixed)(% of GDP) | | 20.6% of GDP (2008 est.)
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Budget | | revenues: $143.8 billion expenditures: $132.3 billion (2008 est.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices)(%) | | 4.1% (2008 est.) 2.5% (2007 est.)
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Stock of money | | $NA (31December 2008) $NA (31 December 2007) note: see entry for the European Union for money supply in the euro area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for the 16 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money and quasi money circulating within their own borders
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Stock of quasi money | | $NA (31 December 2008) $NA (31 December 2007)
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Stock of domestic credit | | $241.1 billion (31 December 2008) $225.4 billion (31 December 2007)
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Market value of publicly traded shares | | $NA (31 December 2008) $369.2 billion (31 December 2007) $265.5 billion (31 December 2006)
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Public debt(% of GDP) | | 33.7% of GDP (2008 est.) 46.8% of GDP (2004 est.)
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Agriculture - products | | barley, wheat, sugar beets, potatoes; dairy cattle; fish
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Industries | | metals and metal products, electronics, machinery and scientific instruments, shipbuilding, pulp and paper, foodstuffs, chemicals, textiles, clothing
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Industrial production growth rate(%) | | 0.4% (2008 est.)
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Current account balance | | $5.518 billion (2008 est.) $10.12 billion (2007 est.)
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Exports | | $96.62 billion (2008 est.) $90.2 billion (2007 est.)
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Exports - commodities(%) | | electrical and optical equipment, machinery, transport equipment, paper and pulp, chemicals, basic metals; timber
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Exports - partners(%) | | Russia 11.6%, Sweden 10%, Germany 10%, US 6.4%, UK 5.5%, Netherlands 5.1% (2008)
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Imports | | $87.51 billion (2008 est.) $78.22 billion (2007 est.)
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Imports - commodities(%) | | foodstuffs, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, transport equipment, iron and steel, machinery, textile yarn and fabrics, grains
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Imports - partners(%) | | Russia 16.3%, Germany 15.7%, Sweden 13.6%, Netherlands 6.3%, China 5.1%, UK 4.2% (2008)
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | | $8.346 billion (31 December 2008 est.) $8.385 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
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Debt - external | | $339.5 billion (31 December 2008) $314.1 billion (31 December 2007)
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Stock of direct foreign investment - at home | | $84.44 billion (31 December 2008 est.) $88.69 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
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Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad | | $116 billion (31 December 2008 est.) $114.2 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
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Exchange rates | | euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.6827 (2008 est.), 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004)
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Currency (code) | | euro (EUR)
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Telephones - main lines in use | | 1.65 million (2008)
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Telephones - mobile cellular | | 6.83 million (2008)
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Telephone system | | general assessment: modern system with excellent service domestic: digital fiber-optic fixed-line network and an extensive cellular network provide domestic needs international: country code - 358; submarine cables provide links to Estonia and Sweden; satellite earth stations - access to Intelsat transmission service via a Swedish satellite earth station, 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions); note - Finland shares the Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic countries (Denmark, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden)
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Internet country code | | .fi; note - Aland Islands assigned .ax
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Internet users | | 4.383 million (2008)
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Airports | | 148 (2009)
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Pipelines(km) | | gas 694 km (2008)
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Roadways(km) | | total: 78,141 km paved: 50,914 km (includes 700 km of expressways) unpaved: 27,227 km (2009)
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Ports and terminals | | Hamina, Helsinki, Kokkola, Kotka, Naantali, Pori, Raahe, Rauma, Turku
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Military branches | | Finnish Defense Forces (FDF): Army, Navy (includes Coastal Defense Forces), Air Force (Suomen Ilmavoimat) (2007)
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Military service age and obligation(years of age) | | 18 years of age for male voluntary and compulsory - and female voluntary - national military and nonmilitary service; service obligation 6-12 months; mandatory retirement at age 60 (2008)
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Manpower available for military service | | males age 16-49: 1,169,910 females age 16-49: 1,121,187 (2008 est.)
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Manpower fit for military service | | males age 16-49: 962,479 females age 16-49: 920,297 (2009 est.)
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Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually | | male: 33,784 female: 32,621 (2009 est.)
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Military expenditures(% of GDP) | | 2% of GDP (2005 est.)
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Disputes - international | | various groups in Finland advocate restoration of Karelia and other areas ceded to the Soviet Union, but the Finnish Government asserts no territorial demands
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Electricity - production(kWh) | | 77.24 billion kWh (2007 est.)
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Electricity - production by source(%) | | fossil fuel: 39% hydro: 18.7% nuclear: 30.4% other: 11.8% (2001)
|
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Electricity - consumption(kWh) | | 86.9 billion kWh (2008)
|
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Electricity - exports(kWh) | | 3.335 billion kWh (2008 est.)
|
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Electricity - imports(kWh) | | 16.11 billion kWh (2008 est.)
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Oil - production(bbl/day) | | 9,789 bbl/day (2008 est.)
|
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Oil - consumption(bbl/day) | | 215,600 bbl/day (2008 est.)
|
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Oil - exports(bbl/day) | | 133,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
|
|
Oil - imports(bbl/day) | | 347,400 bbl/day (2008 est.)
|
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Economic aid - donor | | ODA, $1.023 billion (2007)
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Oil - proved reserves(bbl) | | 0 bbl
|
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Natural gas - production(cu m) | | 0 cu m (2008 est.)
|
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Natural gas - consumption(cu m) | | 4.735 billion cu m (2008 est.)
|
|
Natural gas - exports(cu m) | | 0 cu m (2008)
|
|
Natural gas - proved reserves(cu m) | | 0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
|
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate(%) | | less than 0.1% (2007 est.)
|
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | | 2,400 (2007 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - deaths | | fewer than 100 (2003 est.)
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Literacy(%) | | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100% (2000 est.)
|
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School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)(years) | | total: 17 years male: 17 years female: 18 years (2006)
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Education expenditures(% of GDP) | | 6.4% of GDP (2005)
|