Fantastic Facts From Finland

Finland is a wonderful country nestled above most of mainland Europe and attached at the hip to Sweden like a pair of disgruntled, but civil, twins. I figure now, right as the offseason is about to begin, is the perfect time to learn about this lovely place for no particular reason at all. So, without further ado, here are some fun facts from Finland*.

*Please note that any jokes made about Finland or their people are made with zero intended malice or offense, if you find any of these jokes offensive please reach out to me on twitter or just yell at Joe.

• Finland gained it’s autonomy within the Russian Empire in 1807 and gained it’s independence from the Soviet Russia on December 6th, 1917.
• The population of the country, as of September of 2018, is 5,520,535 lovely people.
• The earliest example of the word “Finland” was on ancient runestones found in Sweden dating back to the 13th century. Three years before Chris Chelios was born.
• The national bird of Finland is the Whooper Swan.
• The capital of Finland is also their most populated city, Helsinki with a population of 650,058.
• Finland is the home of former Rangers greats such as Olli Jokinen, Jussi Markkanen, Jari Kurri, and Rejio Ruotsalienen.
• Pesäpallo is the national sport of Finland and it appears to be a cricket/baseball hybrid, fun!
• Ice hockey is the most popular sport in Finland with their national team being nicknames Leijonat or “Lions.”
• Finland is often ranked as one of, if not the happiest countries in the world.
• In Finland, Santa delivers presents on a goat called Joulupukki. I guess because he’s so close he doesn’t need the whole reindeer and sled setup, which probably saves on wear and tear over the years.
• Kaapo Kakko calls Finland home. /

So there you have it; some fun, interesting and harmless facts about Finland a country we can all agree is great.