21. Finland and its neighbours
Introduction
Finland is part of the European continent. The image on the right shows a map of Europe. You can find Finland near the top of the map, distinguishable by its blue and white flag. Finland shares its borders with three different nations: Sweden (yellow and blue flag), Norway (red flag with a blue and white cross) and Russia (the large country on the right side of the map with a white, blue and red flag).
On the southern side of the Gulf of Finland, we find Estonia (a small nation with a blue, black and white flag).
Previously, Finland has been a part both of Sweden and Russia. Finland became an independent nation over one hundred years ago, in 1917. Since then, Finland has had its own president and government.
The region of Åland is autonomous, which means that it has its own government. Despite this, it is still a part of Finland.
Use the interactive map below to locate Finland and its neighbouring countries: Sweden, Norway, Russia and Estonia.
Interactive map
Finland and its neighbours in a satellite image
On the right, you can find a simulated satellite image of Northern Europe. Areas of land are coloured green, whereas bodies of water such as lakes and oceans can be distinguished in blue. The white areas consist of snow and ice. Can you find Finland and Sweden from the image on the right?
Sweden is located to the west of Finland, separated by the Gulf of Bothnia. Estonia is found to the south of Finland, separated by the Gulf of Finland. Russia is located to the east of Finland. It is the largest nation in the world.
Finland, Sweden, Russia and Estonia are located on the shores of the Baltic Sea.
There are a lot of islands in the Baltic Sea. Åland is one of these islands. It is a large island that belongs to Finland. It is located in the middle of the Baltic Sea, between Finland and Sweden.
The Nordic countries
Finland, Sweden and Norway are considered part of the Nordic countries. Other Nordic countries include Iceland and Denmark. The Nordic countries are located in Northern Europe, and they share many features with one another. For example, they have a shared history, their languages are related to one another, and they have similar cultures.
The Finnish language is different from the other languages of the Nordic countries. Unlike Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and Icelandic, which are all Germanic languages, Finnish is closely related to the Estonian language and belongs to the Fenno-Ugric language group.
Terminology
| Term | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Europe | One of the seven continents. |
| autonomous region |
A region that belongs to a certain nation but has its own government. For example, the Finnish region of Åland is autonomous. |
| the Nordic countries | A region that is comprised of five Northern European nations: Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland. |