phic coordinates: 64 00 N, 26 00 E

Map references: Europe

Area: total: 337,030 sq km water: 31,560 sq km land: 305,470 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Montana

Land boundaries: total: 2,628 km border countries: Norway 729 km,
Sweden 586 km, Russia 1,313 km

Coastline: 1,126 km (excludes islands and coastal indentations)

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

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: Halti
1,328 m

Natural resources: timber, copper, zinc, iron ore, silver

Land use: arable land: 7% permanent crops: 0% other: 93% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: 640 sq km (1998 est.)

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-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur
94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental
Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94,
Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent
Organic Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Geography - note: long boundary with Russia; Helsinki is northernmost
national capital on European continent; population concentrated on small
southwestern coastal plain

People Finland

Population: 5,183,545 (July 2002 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 17.9% (male 471,920; female 454,082) 15-64
years: 66.9% (male 1,752,493; female 1,717,544) 65 years and over: 15.2%
(male 306,216; female 481,290) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.14% (2002 e