thisisFINLAND

An ode to the joys of Finnish summer cottages

From coastal islands to inland forests, our American reporter explores the quiet joy – and hard work – of Finland’s summer-cottage traditions.

Business & innovation Sustainability

Savouring sustainable eating in Finland

We visit two innovative Finnish businesses – a discount retailer and a Michelin Green Star restaurant – to see how food culture is shifting from consumption to conservation.

Life & society Wellbeing

A Finnish nurse aims to revolutionise elderly care

As the global population ages, the challenge of providing compassionate and sustainable care for older people becomes increasingly urgent. In Finland, a nation renowned for innovation in healthcare, a small-town nurse is championing a transformative model of foster care.

Helsinki-Uusimaa is the 2nd most innovative region in the EU

Source: Regional Innovation Scoreboard

Life & society Nature

Where the skies speak: Finland’s southern tip is a birdwatcher’s paradise

At the Hanko Bird Observatory in southern Finland, a reporter joins biologist Aki Aintila and volunteers as they track hundreds of thousands of migratory birds and marvel at the stories the skies reveal.

Arts & culture Festivals

Magic in the Finnish summer air

Every year, music festivals fill cities, fells, forests and lakesides with live music and a peculiar kind of charm that can only be felt in the summertime. Let’s unpack the reasons that make Finland the promised land of summer festivals – and look at some unique festival experiences for those who have seen it all.

Life & society Cuisine

5 reasons to love potatoes like a Finn

In Finland, spuds and taters have no haters. There are countless reasons to love the humble potato – here are five.

Business & innovation Webpick

University of Helsinki research: Prehistoric people may have “heard” rock paintings talking

A number of prehistoric (5000–1500 BCE) rock paintings exist in Finland, mostly in the southeastern part of the country. Surprisingly, the acoustics of some sites may have made them important to the hunter-gatherers of the time.

Business & innovation Innovation

7 surprising things that Finnish companies are making out of wood

Clothes, car batteries, fish feed – you name it. Some of the world’s most creative and commercially promising wood-based innovations come from Finland, and many are made from industry by-products. Here are just a few.

in the Sustainable Development Index

Source: Sustainable Development Report

things you should and shouldn’t know