Читать реферат по английскому: "Finland Essay Research Paper There is evidence" Страница 1

(Назад) (Cкачать работу)

Finland Essay, Research Paper

There is evidence of Finland being inhabited as early as 10.000 years ago. Those inhabitant`s main occupation was hunting and fishing. They came to Finland by different routes – through Karelia and over the sea from the west and the south. There are many language groups: the Finnish, the Finnish Swedish (coastal area, the ?land islands), the Lapps (Lapland) and the Romany. There are two official languages in Finland – Finnish and Swedish. At present the population amounts to a little over 5 million. 95 % is Finnish speaking, 6 % is Swedish speaking and less than 1 % speak other languages. The religion has been influenced both by the East and the West. About 86,4 % of the population belong to the Lutheran church and 1 % are Greek Orthodox.

HISTORY

Administratively Finland was a part of the Kingdom of Sweden until 1809, when Russia occupied the whole country in the Napoleonic Wars. Finland became an independent republic on Dec. 6, 1917, when Lenin recognized its independence. In 1918 a civil war broke out where the Reds, supported by the Russian Bolsheviks, fought against the Whites, whose allies were the Germans. The fierce civil war ended soon with the victory of the Whites and Finland became a Democratic Republic.

The Soviet Union attacked Finland in 1939, after Finland had refused the cession of its territory to the Soviet Union. The famous Winter War broke out. Although the enemy was superior in force, the Finnish Army repelled it by encircling the Soviet troops in extremely cold weather in the forests of Eastern Finland. The Soviets annexed Karelia, but the Finns won it back at the beginning of the Continuation War (1941-44), apart from which Finland occupied large areas of Soviet Karelia. The Soviet Army organized a new attack in the summer of 1944 with the intention of occupying the whole of Finland. They were stopped at Vyborg. According to the terms of peace, Finland was to drive the Germans, who had been their allies in the Continuation War, out of Northern Finland, give away a part of Karelia and pay heavy reparations. Nevertheless, Finland could keep the most precious thing of all – its independence.

After the wars a period of extensive reconstruction works and economic development began. In 1952 Helsinki hosted the Olympic Games. As a result of the neutrality policy, the European Security Council met in Helsinki in 1975. The 1980s witnessed a period of economic well-being, which was followed by a recession at the beginning of the 1990s.

CLIMATE

Finland has four clearly distinguishable seasons.

The summer lasts for 3 months, from June to August. On a warm day the temperature can be 25-30 C. The average summer temperature is 18 C. There may be quite a lot of mosquitos in June and July, but nowadays there are effective deterrents to keep them away.

The colourful autumn season attracts many tourists.

The first snow usually falls in December and the heaviest snowfall usually occurs in March. Central and Northern Finland have excellent facilities for winter sports like skiing, downhill skiing and motor sledging.

In the summertime Lapland is fascinating because of the midnight sun which never sets. In the same way, in winter there is a period of darkness with no sunlight

?land – a self-governing province

The ?land Islands are situated between Finland and Sweden. The self-government was appointed in the 1922 Geneva Convention of the League of Nations. Finland is committed to following the convention which guarantees the ?land Province`s right to self-government, language, culture and local customs. The self-governing ?land has the power of legislation and management of internal affairs. The people are represented by the Provincial Government of ?land. The province has been a demilitarized area since the Peace of Paris of 1856, following the attack on the Bomarsund fortification and its destruction in the Crimean War. The demilitarization means that no military troops may be brought to ?land and it may not be fortified.

The province is divided into 15 municipalities and one town, Marianhamn, in which nearly half of the ?land population lives. ?land has had its own flag since 1954 and its own stamps since 1984. The ?land

Province has a population of about 25000 and it consists of 6500 named islands, of which 65 are inhabited.

BOAT TRAFFIC

Due to the geographical location, boat traffic plays a significant part in goods and passenger traffic. Important links are Helsinki-Tallinn, Helsinki-L?beck, Helsinki-Rostock, Helsinki-Mariehamn-Stockholm, Turku-Mariehamn-Stockholm and Vaasa-Ume?. The large shipping companies guarantee a quick and comfortable journey across the Baltic Sea. In summer it is advisable to book the tickets in advance. The ship traffic between Finland and Sweden is quite busy and is operated by large ferries which provide the traveller with all the comfort a sea journey can. There are daily departures from Finland, ?land and Sweden.

The car ferries which operate between Germany and Finland are quick and comfortable, but there are not very many departures and they can be very full during the peak season. However, during the last few years cargo boats have made traffiking a lot easier.

The boat traffic between Finland and Estonia is expanding all the time. Now there are many connections a day. The crossing takes about 3,5 hours by ferry and only a little over an hour by hydrofoil

Helsinki (pop. 500 000) is a modern capital. Nevertheless, there are also parts of Helsinki which have preserved the old architecture and atmosphere.

Regional Ticket

The regional tourist ticket entitles you to unlimited travel on all buses, trams, trains and underground trains. It is sold in the offices of Helsinki Traffic Board at the Railway Station and Hakaniemi

Похожие работы