Finland’s location and different areas

Finland is a country in northern Europe. Finland’s area is largely covered by forests and lakes. Finland’s total area is relatively big, but it is sparsely populated. The distance from north to south is long, which means that nature varies a lot in different parts of the country.

Life can be very different depending on whether you live in the city or in the countryside.

Finland is located in northern Europe

Finland is located in northern Europe and is one of the Nordic countries. The other Nordic countries are Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland.

Finland’s neighbouring countries are Russia, Norway, Sweden and Estonia. Finland shares a long land border with Russia in the east. To the north, Finland’s neighbour is Norway. To the west, Finland shares a land and sea border with Sweden. To the south, on the other side of the Gulf of Finland is Estonia. With Estonia, Finland does not have a land border.

Variation in natural environment has affected human activities in different regions of Finland

Finland is the eighth largest country in Europe by area. About 44 % of this area is forest, 27 % peatland, 10 % inland waterways, 8 % arable land and about 4 % built land. In Finland, there are many forests, swamps and lakes.

The regions in Finland differ from each other, which is due to different natural environments. Natural environments have affected population density and human activities, such as agriculture, industry and construction.

Below, there is a brief description of the different regions of Finland. This division is not based on administrative areas, but on variations in the landscape and natural environments.

Southern Finland is the most densely populated area in Finland

The climate in southern Finland is milder than in the northern parts of Finland. Southern Finland is a flat area. In terms of its climate and soil, it is the best agricultural area in Finland. There are more species of deciduous trees than in northern Finland.

Southern Finland is the most densely populated area in Finland. The largest cities of Finland, such as Helsinki, the capital of Finland, are located there. Helsinki is surrounded by the Helsinki metropolitan area, which, in addition to Helsinki, includes Espoo, Vantaa and Kauniainen. Other cities in southern Finland include Turku, Pori, Kotka and Hämeenlinna. Part of the coast of Southern Finland is bilingual, meaning that some of the population speaks Finnish, and some Swedish as their first language. Helsinki has Finland’s largest concentration of Swedish speakers.

Southern Finland has a diverse economic structure that includes agriculture, industry and services. There are also several ports with good maritime connections to the rest of the world.

In Finnish Lakeland, there are many lakes, but also important cities

In central and eastern parts of Finland, winters are often snowier and colder than in regions closer to the coast. There are many lakes of varied sizes, many of which have islands. The lakes are mostly surrounded by coniferous forests.

There are several fairly large cities in Finnish Lakeland, such as Tampere, Jyväskylä, Kuopio, Lahti and Lappeenranta. In summer, lakes attract holidaymakers to the area and there are many summer cottages in Finnish Lakeland. Tourism and the metal and forest industries, among others, are important livelihoods in the region.

Ostrobothnia has agriculture and diverse industries

The climate of Ostrobothnia, located on the west coast of Finland, is milder than the inland due to the proximity of the sea. Ostrobothnia is a very flat area. There are several rivers that divide the rich arable areas of Ostrobothnia. In spring, rivers flood the fields. There is quite a lot of wetland, especially in the northern parts of the region.

The largest cities are Oulu, Vaasa and Seinäjoki. Agriculture and diverse industries are important sources of livelihood. The Oulu region is especially known as a technology industry cluster. In some municipalities in Ostrobothnia the majority language is Swedish.

Eastern Finland (Vaara-Suomi) is a sparsely populated area

In the eastern part of Finland, north of Finnish Lakeland, winters are cold and very snowy. The terrain is hilly and there are fewer lakes. High forest-covered hills are called “vaara”. The forest is coniferous.

The population in Eastern Finland is sparse. The largest cities are Joensuu and Kajaani. Wooded landscapes attract tourists, and tourism is a significant industry in the region. Forest and other biotechnology, mining and technology are also important industries.

Lapland is a popular tourist destination

The northernmost part of Finland is Lapland. In the northernmost parts of Lapland, the climate is so cold that trees do not grow, and snow covers the country for an average of seven months of the year. Elsewhere in Lapland, the landscape is coniferous and there are plenty of bogs. There are also high, treeless fells in Lapland.

The area of Lapland is large, but it is sparsely populated. The largest city is Rovaniemi. Tourism is an important industry, and especially in winter tourists come from around the world to visit Santa Claus, or Joulupukki. Lapland also includes Sámi homeland.

More information on Sámi people and self-government on the page Population of Finland. 

Finnish Archipelago is surrounded by the sea

Finnish Archipelago is located on the coast of Southwest Finland. The coastline is irregular and full of small islands. Because the area is in the south and is surrounded by the sea, winters are rather mild and less snowy.

One of the major archipelago areas is the Åland Islands. Åland has autonomy, but it belongs to Finland. The capital of Åland is Mariehamn. The main livelihoods of Finnish Archipelago are maritime transport and tourism. The only official language of Åland is Swedish, and Finnish Archipelago on the whole is partly Swedish speaking.

Urbanisation is ongoing in Finland, but the cities are relatively small

In 2020, 73 % of the population in Finland lived in cities. Compared to many other European countries, urbanisation in Finland started rather late. Rapid urbanisation began in Finland only after the second World War in the 1950s. There are currently nine cities in Finland with a population of more than 100 000 inhabitants.

By area, many Finnish cities are large, and the dense city centre is somewhat small. Outside the city centre, you will find low buildings, forests and fields. By population, even the largest cities in Finland are small if you compare them to the world’s major cities.

Urbanisation continues in Finland. The concentration of people in cities makes the production of services more efficient. At the same time, however, the availability of services has weakened in small municipalities and outside city centres.