thisisFINLAND

What do people in Finland do in their free time?

What sports do they watch in Finland? What classes do they attend? How much do they travel? How much volunteer work do they do? These stats give you the answers.

Business & innovation Entrepreneurs

Finnish Valtavalo sells lighting as a service

Valtavalo, a manufacturer of LED tubes, sells lighting as a service, rather than purveying lamps as products. This is an excellent example of the circular economy concept, based on buying a service rather than a physical product.

Arts & culture Music

Music brings together people from all over, at Finland’s Flow Fest

We talk to some of the numerous visitors from abroad at Helsinki’s Flow Festival. What brought them to Flow, and what are their impressions? Also, see our slideshow for a glimpse of festival ambiance.

49 letters

Longest Finnish non-compound word (epäjärjestelmällistyttämättömyydellänsäkäänköhän)

Source: Guinness World Records

Life & society Climate

Finnish schools emphasise climate change education

Teaching about the environment and climate change forms an important part of the curriculum in Finnish schools. We look at one school that is also taking action by utilising renewable energy.

Arts & culture Festivals

Festivals fill Helsinki in August

People in Finland sure like a good festival, and the Finnish capital conveniently offers a whole bunch of them in August, when the Helsinki Festival and its partner events seem to be everywhere in the city.

Life & society Nature

Finnish summer in the city: garden getaways

When you hear the words “Finland” and “nature,” you may think of the country’s large expanses of forest and numerous lakes. On a different scale, allotment gardens offer many Finnish city-dwellers a way to spend time surrounded by nature.

Arts & culture Webpick

Versatile Finnish accordionist Maria Kalaniemi puts her soul into her music

While Maria Kalaniemi has a loving, caring relation to musical tradition, she embraces diverse styles and genres.

Life & society Cuisine

Culinary pleasures across Finland

Food innovators combine Finland’s culinary tradition with an international, urban style. The focus is on local food and ecological values.

50 million kg (110 million lb)

Amount of wild berries gathered annually

things you should and shouldn’t know