Arctic Finland Facts Land Area 60,000 square miles Regions Lapland, Northern Upland # of Lakes 187,888 Population 200,000 Indigenous Groups Saami (4%) Languages Finnish, Saami Govt. Republic Mineral Resources Copper, nickel, iron Largest City Oulu Economy Forestry & wood processing, mining, agriculture, tourism Highest Point Mt. Halti (1328 m) Free E-Newsletter Receive Arctic News, Weather and Travel Information Click Here! Did you know? Arctic Finland has a population density of 3 people per square mile The sauna is an essential element of Finnish culture. It is considered as much a courtesy to invite a guest into a sauna as to invite them to a meal. Thanks to the tempering effects of the Gulf Stream Current, the climate in Finland is generally milder than in other places of similar latitude, such as Greenland or Alaska.

Northern Finland is a region of great scenic beauty and rich cultural heritage. Covering one-third of the country, Arctic Finland, also known as Lapland, shares borders with Sweden, Norway, and Russia. The northern upland, much of which lies north of the Arctic Circle, has poor soils and is the most sparsely populated region of Finland. In the far north, arctic coniferous forests and swamps give way to tundra -- a frozen, forestless region. Much of the region is dominated by water: marshes, ponds, muskeg bogs, rivers, streams and lakes which cover about 10% of the land area. There are high hills or "tunturi" in the far north (adjacent to highlands of Norway and Sweden) but no real mountainous areas. The human population is slightly above 200,000 inhabitants, of whom half live in the largest cities in the south. There are nearly 7,000 Saami in Finland, of whom 4,000 live in northern Lapland.

Winters are cold but relatively dry. Snow may fall as early as September and last into May or even June in the northermost regions. Summers are mostlty warm and dry though freak snowstorms do occur.

Service and tourism are the most rapidly growing industries in Lapland, often connected to natural attractions and winter sports. In rural areas, traditional ways of life include a mixture of livelihoods, such as reindeer herding, animal husbandry, small-scale agriculture, forestry, fishing, and service. Heavy industry is concentrated in the Kemi-Tornio area on the coast of Bothnian Bay with forest-product and metal factories; and in southeastern Lapland, with the forest industry.

The diet in northern Finland is similar to that in other parts of Finland, although local products such as reindeer, fish (river trout, brown trout, and whitefish), and a variety of natural berries and mushrooms play a large role. Fish are imported from the Gulf of Bothnia and the Arctic Ocean.

In rural areas, housing standards are lower than elsewhere in Finland. Age-adjusted mortality is higher in Lapland than in the rest of Finland. Leading causes of death are circulatory diseases, cancer, accidents, and violence.

Although unemployment is higher, the standard of living in Lapland equals that of the rest of Finland. Government assistance and development measures have an important role in the economy. Essential infrastructure, such as water supply and waste treatment, and services, such as education and health care, reach all population groups.