Finnish-American

I am 100% Finn. All of my ancestors came from Finland and I still consider it to be my ancestral homeland. (I am, first and foremost, an American, however.) I am very proud to be of Finnish descent. Because the US doesn't have a large, or widely dispersed, population of Finns, many people don't know a lot about the country or its people. Here are some things to know about Finland and Finns:

--16% of the population of the UP of Michigan is of Finnish descent. The UP has the largest concentration of Finns outside of Europe.

--The UP of Michigan is very close in climate and geography to Finland. This is one of the reasons so many Finns settled here.

--Finland has about 5.2 million people.

--According to the World Audit study, Finland is the least corrupt and most democratic country in the world as of 2006.

--Finland is home to the world's leading mobile phone company: Nokia. (Guess what kind of cell phone I own! :))

--In the Finnish language, every letter of every word is pronounced. The first syllable of every word is accented. The rules of pronunciation are consistent. The Finnish language is quite easy to read--I was able to read it when I was in elementary school--but it is a difficult language to understand and speak.

--Finland is the only/first country to pay its war debt to the United States.

--Finland has a woman president.

--Most Finns are members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland.

--Reindeer are herded by the Sami (Lapp) people of northern Finland (Lapland.)

--Some famous Finns:

--Linus Torvald, creator of the Linux computer operating system.

--Paavo Nurmi, Olympic champion long distance runner.

--Jean Sibilius, composer.

--Alvar Aalto, architect.

--Eero Saarinen, architect.

--Renny Harlin, director and producer.

--While Finland has an ancient history, it has embraced the modern world in many ways. Much of the architecture and design is very modern. Marimekko Corporation is a leading textile and clothing design company. Bright colors and bold designs are 'very Marimekko.'

--Iittala is another company that produces very modern design items.

"Iittala creates objects that are thought through in form, function and quality. Objects with a clear thought, created to achieve long lasting everyday use and inspiration. Whether in metal, wood, porcelain or glass, Iittala design objects are tools for contemporary living."

My favorite Iittala design is Ultima Thule. Gorgeous!

--The Finnish sauna is a very big part of Finnish culture. The first thing built when a Finn had his piece of land was a sauna. Here is a very good article on the sauna--much of it I can relate to. And, no, entire families DIDN'T sauna together when I was growing up--nor do they today. :)

--There are 40 or more Finnish born NHL players.

--Both Sweden and Russia 'owned' Finland during its history.

--Finland declared its independence in 1917.

--Finnish and Swedish are both official languages of Finland.