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| Country
Fact Sheet |
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Location
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Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea,
Gulf of Bothnia, and Gulf of Finland
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Capital
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Helsinki
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Surface
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338,145 sq kms
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Population
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5,223,442 people (July 2005 est.)
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Currency
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Euro (EUR)
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GDP
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Purchasing
power parity - $151.2 billion (2004 est.)
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GDP/capita
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Purchasing
power parity - $29,000 (2004 est.)
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Language
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Finnish 92% (official), Swedish 5.6% (official),
other 2.4% (small Sami- and Russian-speaking
minorities) (2003)
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Religion
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Lutheran National Church
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Government
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Parliamentary
democracy
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Time
Zone
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Standard Time Zone GMT +2, GMT offset +3
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Telecom
Code
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+358
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Airport
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Helsinki Vantaa International Airport (HEL)
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Driving
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On right hand side of the road, license
required
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Electrical
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230V
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Political
climate
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Stable country
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| Local
Business & Service Providers |
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Financial
services
Legal and fiduciary
Financial
Technology
Business travel
Image identity Consultancy
Corporate incentives
Automotive services
Accommodations
Lifestyle |
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| History |
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The War
of Finland in 1808-09 brought the transfer of
Finland from Swedish rule to become an autonomous
grand duchy of the Russian empire. In 1809 the
new Grand Duchy of Finland received its own central
administration under the leadership of a Governing
Council, from 1816 the Imperial Finnish Senate.
This was the direct predecessor of what was later
to become the Government of Finland following
independence in 1917. The Senate was responsible
for the general administration of the Grand Duchy.
It contained an Economic Division and a Judicial
Division, each under the formal chairmanship of
the Russian Governor-General. Both were provided
with a Finnish Vice-Chairman in 1822.
The Economic
Division was divided into a number of administrative
departments, each headed by a member of the Senate.
From 1858, members of the Senate were formally
recognized as senators. The number of administrative
departments under the Grand Duchy varied from
five to nine. Some members of the Economic Division
did not have specific responsibility for an individual
department. The Judicial Division contained no
subordinate administrative departments. The Economic
Division acted as the supreme administrative and
judicial authority for civil administration and
economic affairs, while the Judicial Division
was responsible for the administration of justice.
Supreme authority for overseeing the legality
of government was vested in the hands of the new
office of Procurator.
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