When our ancestors arrived in Finland, the natural landscapes of the peninsula were quite different from what they are today. Both the living and non-living Finnish environments have changed significantly during the last few millennia.


When the glacial ice retreated thousands of years ago, plants began to grow in the Finnish soil.

The most significant causes of changes in the Finnish environment have been the end of the Ice Age and the warming climate. Humans have also changed the Finnish environment significantly. Many of the nutrient-rich forests of Southern Finland have been cleared for agricultural use and human habitation has spread all over the nation.


Tampere. Notice how the forests have been cut in order to make room for human habitation.