198 TILG Finland ceo networks

After having lived for decades in the shadow of the Soviet Union, Finland is now well settled in the European Union.

Following its defeat at the hands of the Soviet Union in the Second World War, the country endured strong influence from Moscow during the Cold War, though retaining its sovereignty.

When the Soviet Union collapsed Finland joined the EU and is the only Nordic EU member to use the euro as its national currency.

The country spends heavily on education, training and research - investment which pays dividends by delivering one of the best-qualified workforces in the world.

Two pillars of the Finnish economy have been in serious decline in recent years: the timber industry, amid a drop in global demand for paper, and Nokia, once a source of national pride but which lost its spot as world leader in mobile phones in 2012, before its mobile phone unit was finally sold.

The Beautiful Finland You Have to Visit to appreciate

Republic of Finland
Capital: Helsinki
Population 5.4 million
Area 338,145 sq km (130,559 sq miles)
Major languages Finnish, Swedish
Major religion Christianity
Life expectancy 77 years (men), 83 years (women)
Currency euro

TRAVEL & ECONOMY

Finland has a highly industrialised, mixed economy with a per capita output similar to that of other western European economies such as France, Germany and United Kingdom but slightly lower than Sweden. The largest sector of the economy is services at 72.7 percent, followed by manufacturing and refining at 31.4 percent.