female: 18 years (2008)
Education expenditures:
5.4% of GDP (2007) country comparison to the world: 51
Government ::Finland
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Finland
conventional short form: Finland
local long form: Suomen tasavalta/Republiken Finland
local short form: Suomi/Finland
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Helsinki
geographic coordinates: 60 10 N, 24 56 E
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Administrative divisions:
20 regions (maakunnat, singular - maakunta (Finnish); landskapen,
singular - landskapet (Swedish)); Aland (Swedish), Ahvenanmaa
(Finnish); Etela-Karjala (Finnish), Sodra Karelen (Swedish) [South
Karelia]; Etela-Pohjanmaa (Finnish), Sodra Osterbotten (Swedish)
[South Ostrobothnia]; Etela-Savo (Finnish), Sodra Savolax (Swedish)
[South Savo]; Kanta-Hame (Finnish), Egentliga Tavastland (Swedish);
Ita-Uusimaa (Finnish), Ostra Nyland (Swedish) [East Newland]; Kainuu
(Finnish), Kajanaland (Swedish); Keski-Pohjanmaa (Finnish),
Mellersta Osterbotten (Swedish) [Central Ostrobothnia]; Keski-Suomi
(Finnish), Mellersta Finland (Swedish) [Central Finland];
Kymenlaakso (Finnish), Kymmenedalen (Swedish); Lappi (Finnish),
Lappland (Swedish); Paijat-Hame (Finnish), Paijanne-Tavastland
(Swedish); Pirkanmaa (Finnish), Birkaland (Swedish) [Tampere];
Osterbotten (Swedish), Pohjanmaa (Finnish) [Ostrobothnia];
Pohjois-Karjala (Finnish), Norra Karelen (Swedish) [North Karelia];
Pohjois-Pohjanmaa (Finnish), Norra Osterbotten (Swedish) [North
Ostrobothnia]; Pohjois-Savo (Finnish), Norra Savolax (Swedish)
[North Savo]; Satakunta (Finnish and Swedish); Uusimaa (Finnish),
Nyland (Swedish) [Newland]; Varsinais-Suomi (Finnish), Egentliga
Finland (Swedish) [Southwest Finland]
Independence:
6 December 1917 (from Russia)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 6 December (1917)
Constitution:
1 March 2000
Legal system:
civil law system based on Swedish law; the president may request the Supreme Court to review laws; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Tarja HALONEN (since 1 March 2000)
head of government: Prime Minister Mari KIVINIEMI (since 22 June 2010); Deputy Prime Minister Jyrki KATAINEN (since 19 April 2007)
cabinet: Council of State or Valtioneuvosto appointed by the president, responsible to parliament (For more information visit the World Leaders website ) elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 15 January 2006 (next to be held in January 2012); the president appoints the prime minister and deputy prime minister from the majority party or the majority coalition after parliamentary elections and the parliament must approve the appointment; Prime Minister VANHANEN reelected on 17 April 2007
election results: percent of vote - Tarja HALONEN (SDP) 46.3%, Sauli NIINISTO (Kok) 24.1%, Matti VANHANEN (Kesk) 18.6%, Heidi HAUTALA (VIHR) 3.5%; a runoff election between HALONEN and NIINISTO was held 29 January 2006 - HALONEN 51.8%, NIINISTO 48.2%; Matti VANHANEN reelected prime minister; election results 121–71
note: government coalition - Kesk, KOK, VIHR, and SFP
Legislative branch:
unicameral Parliament or Eduskunta (200 seats; members elected by popular vote on a proportional basis to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held on 18 March 2007 (next to be held in April 2011)
election results: percent of vote by party - Kesk 23.1%, Kok 22.3%, SDP 21.4%, VAS 8.8%, VIHR 8.5%, KD 4.9%, SFP 4.5%, True Finns 4.1%, other 3.4%; seats by party - Kesk 51, Kok 50, SDP 45, VAS 17, VIHR 15, SFP 9, KD 7, True Finns 5, other 1 (the constituency of Aland)
Judicial branch:
general courts - deal with criminal and civil cases (include district courts, Courts of Appeal, and the Supreme Court or Korkein Oikeus, whose judges are appointed by the president); administrative courts
Political parties and leaders:
Center Party or Kesk [Mari KIVINIEMI]; Christian Democrats or KD
[Paivi RASANEN]; Green Party or VIHR [Anni SINNEMAKI]; Left Alliance
or VAS [Paavo ARHINMAKI]; National Coalition Party or Kok [Jyrki
KATAINEN]; Social Democratic Party or SDP [Jutta URPILAINEN];
Swedish People's Party or SFP [Stefan WALLIN]; True Finns [Timo
SOINI]
International organization participation:
ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Arctic Council,
Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU,
FAO, FATF, G-9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU,
ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD,
OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, Schengen Convention, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMOGIP, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WCO,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Pekka LINTU
chancery: 3301 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 298–5800
FAX: [1] (202) 298–6030
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Bruce J. ORECK
embassy: Itainen Puistotie 14B, 00140 Helsinki
mailing address: APO AE 09723
telephone: [358] (9) 616250
FAX: [358] (9) 6162 5800
Flag description:
white with a blue cross extending to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag); the blue represents the thousands of lakes scattered across the country, while the white is for the snow that covers the land in winter