Finland

 


Find out some interesting facts about Finland, and print out the Finnish flag in various fun and useful formats for home and school.

Beautiful Helsinki, capital city of Finland
Beautiful Helsinki, capital city of Finland

Learn About Finland

Finland's Geography

  • Finland is in northern Europe and borders Sweden in the west, Russia to the East and Norway to the north.
  • Helsinki was made the capital in 1809 due to its proximity to Russia. Architect Carl Engel designed the new city, including Senate Square, home to the Senate, University and Lutheran Cathedral.
  • Finland is Europe's most heavily forested country, with forests covering 70% of the land. You could build a wall around the world 10m high and 5m wide with the wood!
  • The 187,888 lakes cover another 10% of the country. Lake Saiima, the largest in Finland, is home to the rare Ringed Seal, of which there are only 310 in the world.

A Little History of Finland

  • Finland was a largely agricultural land and part of the Swedish empire for seven centuries. Between 1809 and 1917 it was a Duchy of the Russian Empire.
  • The Republic of Finland gained independent in 1917, after the Russian Revolution. Carl Mannerheim is celebrated as a hero from this war and World War Two.

More Interesting Facts about Finland

  • Finns are among the world's biggest coffee drinkers. The average adult drinks 4-5 cups a day and likes to dip pastries in their drink - yum!
  • Finland's educational system is widely admired for excellent results. Teachers are highly qualified and respected in Finland.
  • Finns are fond of taking a sauna in a very hot room filled with steam from heated rocks. There are 2 million saunas in this country of 5.4 million people.
  • Finland won the World Ice Hockey Championships in 2011, beating rivals Sweden 6-1 in the final. Pesapollo is the national sport, played with bat and ball like rounders.
  • Rovaniemi in Lapland is the official residence of Santa Claus. Visitors can expect to see the northern lights and in summer experience the midnight sun.

Famous Finns

  • Finland has produced two winners of the Formula One championships, Mika Hakkinen and Kimi Raikionnen.
  • The famous Moomin fairy tales by Finnish illustrator Tove Jansson were originally written in Swedish although published in Finland.
  • We have a page full of activities about famous Olympian Lasse Viren.

About the Finnish Flag

Finland Flag

The National flag of Finland consists of a blue Nordic cross, representing Christianity, on top of a white field. The flag was adopted in 1920. The blue colour is said to represent the countries many lakes and the sky, with the white representing the snow that falls during the winter.


Our Finland Resources

Denmark Location Worksheet

Denmark Location Worksheet

These location worksheets are designed to help children learn the location of Denmark within Europe. Use the guided version for younger children, and challenge older children with the blank version!

Finland Booklet

Finland Booklet

If you are looking for somewhere to record information on Finland then why not use this booklet with the Finland flag on the front. You make it yourself by folding the page (instructions here), and there's a version without lines if you want to draw pictures.

Finland Bookmarks

Finland Bookmarks

There are several versions of this bookmark of Finland to print. You could hand them out to colour at the end of a lesson or as a prize for reading about this country.

Finland Fact Worksheet

Finland Fact Worksheet

Can the kids find Finland on the map, then answer some geographical questions on our Finland fact worksheet?

Finland Flag Colouring Page

Finland Flag Colouring Page

Keep your little one occupied with this colouring flag. The flag of Finland is easy to colour in as it comprises a dark blue cross on a white background!

Finland Flag Jigsaw

Finland Flag Jigsaw

A flag jigsaw would make a great addition to a set of activities on Finland. Follow the instructions here and you'll be completing this puzzle in no time.

Finland Flag Printable

Finland Flag Printable

Print these and add Finland to your collection of European flags. Why not make some European Union bunting?

Finland Location Worksheet

Finland Location Worksheet

Our Finland location worksheets will help children locate the country with confidence on a map of Europe. 

Finland Notebooking Page

Finland Notebooking Page

Record everything you know about the northern European country of Finland on this notebooking page. If you're not fond of drawing, print the version with just lines.

Finland On Map Of Europe

Finland On Map Of Europe

This location map shows just how far north Finland is located within Europe. No wonder it can get very cold and snowy there!

Finland Worksheet

Finland Worksheet

What have the kids learned about Finland? Use this simple worksheet to record what they know...

Explore Activity Village

Become a Member to access 39,201 printables!