Finland Country Profile (Essay Sample)

[Name]
[Class]
[Institution]
[Lecturer]
[Date]
-338302118241
This essay contains Finland’s country profile. It starts with brief background information of the country including its history. There is Information on the country’s economy and an economic indicator listing included. It has information on Finland’s transport system including road, railway, water transport and air transport. It examines the state and nature of the country’s transport system. Communication systems including telephones, media and internet are also examined. The paper explores the prevalence of internet usage and its level of penetration among the masses.
The writing includes information on the nature and design of Finland's education system. There is a brief listing of the levels of Education. The paper finishes with information on the outlook of Finland’s Energy grid.
Finland Background Information
With approximately 5.5 million people, Finland is a located in Europe. A heavily forested country, it is known for the many lakes, rivers and marshlands that dot its landscape. Since the 12th century, Finland was part of Sweden as a province up until the 19th centuries. After 1809, it became a self-governing grand duchy of Russia. It became completely independent in 1917. Finland successfully defended its sovereignty and also managed to ward off an invasion from the soviets during the Second World War. It achieved this by cooperating with Germany. Finland has grown into a modern industrial economy and transformed from just a farm and forest economy. It has one of the highest per capita incomes in Western Europe and has been a European Union Member since 1995. It was the only Nordic nation to join the euro single currency union at its initiation in January 1999. It features as one of the modern welfare states with a high quality of education, support of equality, and a robust national social welfare system. Challenges facing these gains include an aging population and fluctuations of an export-driven economy (indexmundi.com, 2012)
Finland Economy
Finland has a well industrialized, free market economy with a high per-capita output more or less like that of other western European nations like the United Kingdom, Italy and Germany. Its key economic sector is industrial production, mainly the engineering, telecommunications, metals, wood, and electronics industries. Finland also produces high-quality technological products like mobile phones. Apart from timber and some minerals, Finland imports most of the raw material used for energy and in manufacturing. (Economy Watch, 2013) 
Finland’s Economic Indicator Listing for Finland in year 2013 (EconomyWach.com)
INDICATOR CATEGORY

INDICATOR VALUE

GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT

GDP Growth (Constant Prices, National Currency)

0.508 %

GDP (Current Prices, National Currency)

EUR 199.759 Billion.

GDP Per Capita (PPP), US Dollars

US$ 37,012.46

GDP Share of World Total (PPP)

0.231 %

Implied PPP Conversion Rate

0.99

Investment (% of GDP)

19.241 %

Gross National Savings (% of GDP)

17.541 %

INFLATION DATA

Inflation, Average Consumer Prices (Year 2000 index)

121.182 (Index, Base Year 2000 = 100)

Inflation (Average Consumer Price Change %)

2.898 %

Inflation, End of Year (Year 2000 index)

122.333 (Index, Base Year 2000 = 100)

Inflation (End of Year Change %)

2.835 %



Import Volume of All Items (Percent Change)

0.585 %

IMPORTS / EXPORTS DATA

Import Volumes of Goods Only (Percent Change)

-0.54 %

Export Volume of All Items (Percent Change)

-0.381 %

Export Volumes of Goods Only (Percent Change)

0.2 %

Value of Oil Imports

US$ 12.803 Billion

Value of Oil Exports

US$ 7.525 Billion

EMPLOYMENT DATA

Unemployment Rate (% of Labor Force)

8.061 %

Employment

2.463 Million

Population

5.451 Million

BUDGET (USING NATIONAL CURRENCY)

General government revenue (National Currency)

EUR 108.248 Billion.

General government revenue (% of GDP)

54.189 %

General government total expenditure

EUR 112.321 Billion.

General government total expenditure (% of GDP)

56.228 %

Total Government Net Lending/ Borrowing

EUR -4.073 Billion.

Total Government Net Lending/ Borrowing (% of GDP)

-2.039 %

General Government Balance (National Currency)

EUR -4.335 Billion.

General Government Balance (% of GDP)

-2.17 %

DEBT DATA


Total Government Net Debt

EUR -94.975 Billion.

Total Government Net Debt (% of GDP)

-47.545 %

Total Government Gross Debt

EUR 113.632 Billion.

Total Government Gross Debt (% of GDP)

56.885 %

List obtained from EconomyWach.com
FINLAND’S INFRASTRUCTURE
Roads
Road transport is the most preferred method of transportation in Finland especially in the rural areas. Finland's road network is excellent and un-surfaced roads are only in remote forests and rural areas. As of 2010 there were 78,161 kilometers of public roads with 50,985 kilometers paved. 63% of all traffic on public roads is on the main roads, which have two divisions, class I and class II main roads. Motorways have existed in the country from the 1960s. However, they are still rare because of low traffic volumes. There are 765 kilometers of motor-ways.
Train
Trains of Finland’s State Railways are reliable, fast, efficient, clean and usually on schedule. They provide the best form of public transport covering major routes
Air transport
Concrete or asphalt surfaces, grass, earth, sand or gravel covers the surfaces Finland’s airports’ runway surfaces. They may include closed or abandoned installations. Accommodations for maintenance, air-traffic control, or re-fuelling services are not available in all Airports. Most airlines fly both internationally and domestically.
Bicycle
Finland is largely a flat country making it bicycle friendly with plenty of bike paths that cyclists use with skaters. Most trains, buses and ferries carry bicycles. The law requires the use of helmets.
Lake & river transport
Lake and river ferryboats work during the summer when there are cruises in between Finland’s towns. Several kinds of ferries serve various islands and coastal destinations.
Education
The Finnish welfare society bases on culture, education and knowledge. Education is a major factor that drives enhancement the country’s competitiveness. Finnish education policy aims at achieving high quality, efficient, equal and international standards of education.
The educational system offers equal opportunities of education to all and is free up-to under-graduate level to citizens
Our educational system consists of:
• One year of pre-primary education (voluntary)
• Nine years of primary education (compulsory)
• Upper secondary education consists of vocational and general education
• Higher Education at the universities and polytechnics is free for Finns.
Finland is formally a bilingual country. The chief language of instruction is either Finnish or Swedish. Additionally the Finnish higher educational institutions provide many degrees and...