e Soviet Union - albeit with some loss of territory.
In the subsequent half century, the Finns made a remarkable
transformation from a farm/forest economy to a diversified modern
industrial economy; per capita income is now on par with Western
Europe. A member of the European Union since 1995, Finland was the
only Nordic state to join the euro system at its initiation in
January 1999.

Geography Finland

Location:
Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, and
Gulf of Finland, between Sweden and Russia

Geographic coordinates:
64 00 N, 26 00 E

Map references:
Europe

Area:
total: 338,145 sq km
land: 304,473 sq km
water: 33,672 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Montana

Land boundaries:
total: 2,681 km
border countries: Norway 727 km, Sweden 614 km, Russia 1,340 km

Coastline:
1,250 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm (in the Gulf of Finland - 3 nm)
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm; extends to continental shelf boundary
with Sweden
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Climate:
cold temperate; potentially subarctic but comparatively mild
because of moderating influence of the North Atlantic Current,
Baltic Sea, and more than 60,000 lakes

Terrain:
mostly low, flat to rolling plains interspersed with lakes and low
hills

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m
highest point: Haltiatunturi 1,328 m

Natural resources:
timber, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, chromite, nickel, gold,
silver, limestone

Land use:
arable land: 6.54%
permanent crops: 0.02%
other: 93.44% (2005)

Irrigated land:
640 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:
NA

Environment - current issues:
air pollution from manufacturing and power plants contributing to
acid rain; water pollution from industrial wastes, agricultural
chemicals; habitat loss threatens wildlife populations

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85,
Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,
Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, La