Finland is located in Northern Europe and belongs to the Nordic countries. It has a land border with Sweden, Norway, and Russia. In the south and west, Finland is on the coast of the Baltic Sea. Finland is a long country from south to north. From southern Hanko to northern Utsjoki, the distance is about 1,157 kilometres. Therefore, there are clear differences in the nature of the south and the north.
Finland is often called the land of thousands of lakes. Finland has an estimated 168,000 lakes of at least 500 square metres. Of them, the largest is Saimaa in Eastern Finland. In Central and Eastern Finland, especially many lakes can be seen. Rivers and streams run between the lakes. Water makes many Finnish landscapes very recognisable.
Forest can often be seen around the lakes. More than 70 percent of Finland's surface area is forest. In many forests, pine, spruce, and birch grow. Finland also has many mires and other wetlands. Forests, waters, and mires together form a typical Finnish landscape. The landscape can look green and blue in the same place.
Finland's coast is long, and there are archipelagos off it. The archipelagos have thousands of islands, skerries, and small rocks. In Southwest Finland, the Archipelago Sea (Saaristomeri) is an important part of the landscape. On the coast, the sea meets forests, islands, and small skerries. The southern and western coast connects Finland to the Baltic Sea. Therefore, Finland's landscape includes both lakes and the sea.
Finland is not completely flat, but large mountains are absent. Most areas are fairly flat or gently rolling. Eastern Finland has higher hills than many other areas. In Lapland, the landscape includes rounded fells (tunturi). The tops of many fells are treeless. Halti is Finland's highest point, 1,324 metres above sea level.
The trace of the Ice Age is still visible in Finland's geography. Thick ice pressed the Earth's crust downward thousands of years ago. When the ice melted, the Earth's crust began to rise slowly. The uplift continues even today. In the Kvarken region (Merenkurkku), the land rises nearly one centimetre per year. Therefore, new land gradually emerges from the sea on the coast.
Finland's long north-south extent is also visible in the seasons. Winter begins in Lapland earlier than in the south. In Southwest Finland, winter lasts about 100 days. In Lapland, it lasts about 200 days. North of the Arctic Circle, the sun does not rise for part of the winter. In summer, there, by contrast, the sun does not set at all.
Finland's waters do not remain only in lakes. Streams flow into lakes, and from the lakes the water continues into rivers. Rivers eventually carry water to the Baltic Sea. In this way, the waters of the inland and the coast connect with each other. From south to north, the landscape changes many times. A journey from lakes to fells shows the country's many landscapes.
Word bank
Every word as it appears in the text, its base form, what the ending does, and the meaning.
Pohjois-Euroopassa
in Northern Europe
noun
The singular of Pohjois-Eurooppa — the form you look up. It stands in Inessiivi (the inessive case).
Pohjoismaihin
into/to the Nordic countries
noun
The plural of Pohjoismaat — the form you look up. It stands in Illatiivi (the illative case).
maaraja
land border
noun
This is the dictionary form itself, standing in Nominatiivi (the nominative case).
rannalla
on the shore/coast
noun
The singular of ranta — the form you look up. It stands in Adessiivi (the adessive case).
etelästä
from the south
noun
The singular of etelä — the form you look up. The ending -stä marks Elatiivi (the elative case).
pohjoiseen
to the north
noun
The singular of pohjoinen — the form you look up. It stands in Illatiivi (the illative case).
järvien
of lakes
noun
The plural of järvi — the form you look up. The ending -en marks Genetiivi (the genitive case).
arviolta
approximately / by estimate
adverb
suurin
largest
adjective
The singular of suuri — the form you look up. The ending -n marks Nominatiivi (the nominative case).
puroja
streams
noun
The plural of puro — the form you look up. The ending -ja marks Partitiivi (the partitive case).
metsää
forest
noun
The singular of metsä — the form you look up. The ending -ä marks Partitiivi (the partitive case).
kuusta
spruce
noun
The singular of kuusi — the form you look up. It stands in Partitiivi (the partitive case).
soita
mires/bogs
noun
The plural of suo — the form you look up. It stands in Partitiivi (the partitive case).
saaristoja
archipelagos
noun
The plural of saaristo — the form you look up. The ending -ja marks Partitiivi (the partitive case).
luotoja
skerries
noun
The plural of luoto — the form you look up. The ending -ja marks Partitiivi (the partitive case).
tunturit
fells
noun
The plural of tunturi — the form you look up. The ending -t marks Nominatiivi (the nominative case).
puuttomia
treeless
adjective
The plural of puuton — the form you look up. It stands in Partitiivi (the partitive case).
korkein
highest
adjective
The singular of korkea — the form you look up. It stands in Nominatiivi (the nominative case).
maankuorta
the Earth's crust
noun
The singular of maankuori — the form you look up. It stands in Partitiivi (the partitive case).
suli
melted
verb
nousta
to rise
verb
A verb in its basic form — the one a dictionary lists, before it is tied to a person.
jatkuu
continues
verb
vuodenajoissa
in the seasons
noun
The plural of vuodenaika — the form you look up. It stands in Inessiivi (the inessive case).
aikaisemmin
earlier
adverb
Napapiirin
of the Arctic Circle
noun
The singular of napapiiri — the form you look up. The ending -n marks Genetiivi (the genitive case).
lopulta
eventually
adverb
Practice
Choose a way to practise this story.
Comprehension quiz
0/0
Question 1 of 4
Which countries share a land border with Finland?
Question 2 of 4
Which lake is the largest in Finland according to the reader?
Question 3 of 4
What is still continuing after the Ice Age?
Question 4 of 4
About how long does winter last in Lapland?
Fill in the gap
0/0
Niistä on Saimaa Itä-Suomessa.
Of them, the largest is Saimaa in Eastern Finland.
Nousu vielä nykyäänkin.
The uplift continues even today.
Match the words
0/0
Pick a Finnish word, then pick its meaning.
Dictation
0/0
Ready to listen
Listen closely, then write the Finnish sentence you hear. You can listen again as many times as you need.
Enter to check or go to the next sentence · Shift + Enter for a new line
