Finland is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden on the west, Norway on the north and Russia on the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland. The capital city is Helsinki.

Around 5.4 million people reside in Finland, with the majority concentrated in the southern part of the country. It is the eighth largest country in Europe in terms of area and the most sparsely populated country in the European Union.

Finland's population has always been concentrated in the southern parts of the country, a phenomenon even more pronounced after 20th century urbanisation.

The native language of most of the population is Finnish, which is part of the Finno-Ugric language family and is most closely related to Estonian.

Finland has a highly industrialized free-market economy with a per capita output equal to that of other European economies such as France, Germany, Belgium or the UK.

Outdoor activities range from Nordic skiing, golf, fishing, yachting, lake cruises, hiking, kayaking among many others. At Finland's northernmost point, in the heart of summer, the Sun does not completely set for 73 consecutive days. Wildlife is abundant in Finland.

All official holidays in Finland are established by acts of Parliament. The official holidays can be divided into Christian and secular holidays.