Nature - thisisFINLAND

Unesco highlights the intangible but very real spirit of Finnish sauna culture

“Sauna culture in Finland” is now on the Unesco list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. What does that mean, and what does the sauna represent to Finnish people?

Life & society Environment

Peatland restoration strengthens Finland’s biodiversity

Increased government funding is good news for efforts to restore some of the country’s most widespread and important natural habitats. Put on your boots and step with us into the swamps of the Finnish countryside (article includes slideshow).

Business & innovation Arctic

Climate change doesn’t erase the need for Finnish icebreaker innovations

While climate change is increasingly visible in the decreasing extent of sea ice in the Arctic and the Baltic, conditions are still harsh, and icebreaking ships remain as relevant as ever. We check in with Finland’s Aker Arctic, a major name in the world of icebreakers, to see what it really means to break the ice.

13%

of Finnish forests are protected

Source: Discovering Finland

Business & innovation Environment

Finnish innovations for overcoming plastic waste

The world needs a wide range of innovations if it is to rise to the challenge of reducing single-use plastic. Numerous start-ups and companies in Finland are working to devise solutions.

Life & society Nature

Magical ice-skating video from northern Finland wows viewers

Photographer Esko Liukas and figure skater Tiina Pakkanen created a video in which she appears to be gliding across the water of a lake in the Finnish far north.

200

Number of nights the Northern Lights are visible in Finnish Lapland in a typical year

Life & society Environment

Fresh air and quiet: App finds best Helsinki routes for bikers and hikers

See how Green Paths, a prototype app from the University of Helsinki’s Digital Geography Lab, helps cyclists and pedestrians in the Finnish capital area choose routes with the cleanest air and the least noise.

Life & society Nature

Fleeting fame: Finland’s “centre of population” exists in the middle of nowhere

Why are two people putting up a monument in the woods? They’re attempting to pin down Finland’s centre of population as it moves slowly south through the quiet forests outside the city of Hämeenlinna.

Life & society Nature

Finding the fruits of the Finnish forest

Going out to the woods to collect mushrooms and berries is a natural pastime in Finland – some might even call it a sport.

500,400

Number of summer cottages in Finland

Source: Statistics Finland