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90 Finland Trivia Questions, Answers, and Fun Facts

How much do you know about Finland? This category is for trivia questions and answers related to Finland (Geography). Each one is filled with fun facts and interesting information.
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1 From which country did Finland gain its independence in 1917?
Answer: Russia

Finland was part the Swedish kingdom until 1809 when it was conquered by Russia, the Russian tsar serving as Grand Duke of Finland. Finland achieved independence in 1917 in the wake of the revolutions in Russia.
    Your options: [ Sweden ] [ Russia ] [ Denmark ] [ Norway ]
  From Quiz: Fantastic Finland
2 What is the highest point of Finland?
Answer: Halti

Halti is 1, 327 m high arctic hill in Northern Finland.
  From Quiz: A Tour around Finland
3 What is the Swedish name for Helsinki?
Answer: Helsingfors

Swedish is also an official language in Finland.
  From Quiz: Helsinki, The Beautiful Capital
4 With an area of 130,000 square miles, Finland is smaller than Montana, USA, but larger than the fifth-largest US state, New Mexico. Which European Union country is only marginally larger than Finland?
Answer: Germany

Finland is the world's 65th-largest country, between Republic of Congo and Vietnam. In 63rd place and only 7,000 square miles larger is Germany.
The alternatives are all significantly larger: at 173,000 square miles, in U.S. comparison terms, Sweden is larger than Montana and California. At 195,000 square miles, Spain is also larger than California but still smaller than Texas. France, including its overseas regions but not its overseas territories, has an area of 247,000 square miles, which is just a little smaller than Texas (268,000 sq miles).
    Your options: [ France ] [ Sweden ] [ Spain ] [ Germany ]
  From Quiz: So Suomi!
5 This one may be a little more difficult. It is a holiday in Finland, which is celebrated on May the 1st.
Answer: Vappu

Vappu, in English May Day, is celebrated on May the 1st. It is the feast of spring, graduates and the working class. The usual decorations include balloons, streamers and other carnival decorations. On May Day people drink mead, which is a mild alcoholic beverage made of honey, water and yeast, and some people put raisins in it.
Other festive foods on this day are funnel breads, doughnuts, potato salads and frankfurters (which are usually first boiled in water before eating).
    Your options: [ Juhannus ] [ Vappu ] [ Joulu ] [ Helluntai ]
  From Quiz: Finnish Words
6 Finland has two official languages. One is Finnish, what is the other?
Answer: Swedish

Finnish is spoken by about 92% of the population with about 5.5% speaking Swedish.
  From Quiz: Fantastic Finland
7 What does the Finnish flag look like?
Answer: A blue cross on a white background

In 1870, a poet described the flag as "The blue of our lakes and the white snow of our winters." Well put!
  From Quiz: Fabulous Finland
8 What is the largest lake in Finland?
Answer: Saimaa

Saimaa is the biggest lake in Finland. It has 1147 sq km surface.
  From Quiz: A Tour around Finland
9 When was Helsinki founded?
Answer: 1550

Helsinki was founded by Sweden's King Gustav Vasa. He founded Helsinki to compete for Baltic Sea trade with Tallinn, then called the Hanseatic town of Reval. The city was actively built up throughout the 17th century, yet it remained a somewhat sleepy, wooden housing town for a long town.
  From Quiz: Helsinki, The Beautiful Capital
10 Finland has land borders with Norway, Sweden and Russia. Which country lies immediately south of Finland's capital, Helsinki, across the Gulf of Finland?
Answer: Estonia

The Gulf of Finland is an arm of the Baltic Sea, stretching eastwards as far as St Petersburg in Russia. It is 250 miles from St Petersburg to where the Gulf enters the Baltic. On the northern shore of the Gulf lies Finland, and on the southern shore is Estonia. The Gulf is 43 miles across at its narrowest point and 81 miles at its widest.
    Your options: [ Poland ] [ Germany ] [ Latvia ] [ Estonia ]
  From Quiz: So Suomi!
11 This is considered to be sort of a "holiday" in Finland and other Scandinavian countries. Every person in the country has one of their own, and it depends on what the person's name is.
Answer: Nimipäivä

Nimipäivä, or Name Day, is something every person has on a certain day. For example on December 24th is Eeva's name day (comparison to the name Eve), and December 31st is Sylvester's name day.
Of course there are names that do not have a name day, so usually a family has that person's name day on the day they were christened.
    Your options: [ Syntymäpäivä ] [ Nimipäivä ] [ Sukujuhla ] [ Juhannus ]
  From Quiz: Finnish Words
12 What is the currency of Finland?
Answer: Euro

Finland adopted the euro in 1999 (notes and coins came along in 2002) along with eleven other EU member countries. The previous currency was the markka.
  From Quiz: Fantastic Finland
13 What is considered to be Finland's national instrument?
Answer: kantele

The kantele is classified as a cordophone, and has been found to be the oldest Finnish instrument. In the story of the epic hero Vainamoinen, the kantele is made up of the jawbone of a pike. However, the instrument was originally made of the hollow trunk of a spruce, pine or alder, and usually had 5 strings. Today, you can get a kantele with 30 or 40 strings, a large difference from the small hand-held instruments.
  From Quiz: Fabulous Finland
14 What is the biggest city in Finland?
Answer: Helsinki

Helsinki, the capital of Finland, is the biggest city with more than 500, 000 inhabitants.
  From Quiz: A Tour around Finland
15 When was Helsinki promoted to the capital of the Grand Duchy of Finland?
Answer: 1812
  From Quiz: Helsinki, The Beautiful Capital
16 The five highest peaks in Finland are all found in which northern county?
Answer: Lapland

Finland is divided into 19 counties or maakunta, and Lapland is its northernmost. Its highest point is a slope of Mount Halti at 4478 feet (1365 meters); the peak of the mountain, which is typically called a fell in Finland, is actually in Norway, less than a mile from its border with Finland. Although there was some discussion in Norway to give the peak to Finland in 2017 as a way to help celebrate its one hundred years of independence from the Russian Empire, it was ultimately decided that the land of Norway could not be divided. The highest peak entirely in Finland is the extremely remote Ridnitsohkka, which has an elevation of 4321 feet (1317 meters).

Lapland is the country's northernmost maakunta and its largest. Even though the area experiences a long winter season, it is an important tourist destination. Approximately 3% of Finland's population lives there.
    Your options: [ Central Ostrobothnia ] [ Uusimaa ] [ Southwest Finland ] [ Lapland ]
  From Quiz: A Field Trip Through Finland
17 What is the Finnish main population called in Finnish?
Answer: Suomalaiset

97% of people living in Finland are Finnish (suomalaiset).
0,16% are Swedish (ruotsalaiset).
0,47% are Russian (venäläiset).
0,29% are Estonian (virolaiset).
The largest minority groups in Finland are Swedish-speaking-Finns, Roma People and the Sami people.
  From Quiz: Finnish Words
18 Finland has coasts on the Gulf of Finland and which other arm of the Baltic Sea?
Answer: Gulf of Bothnia

The Gulf of Bothnia lies to the west of Finland and separates it from Sweden. The Gulf of Finland lies to the south and separates Finland from Estonia.
    Your options: [ Skaggerak ] [ Gulf of Bothnia ] [ Kattegat ] [ Gulf of Riga ]
  From Quiz: Fantastic Finland
19 What is Finland's largest lake?
Answer: Saimaa

The Saimaa lake flows from the north by its outflow channel the Vuoski into Europe's largest lake, Lake Ladoga. Lake Saimaa is very large, with almost 15,000 km of shoreline.
  From Quiz: Fabulous Finland
20 Upon his election in 1994, Ahtisaari became the ____ president of Finland since independence?
Answer: 10th

The presidents of Finland were: 1. Stahlberg 1919-1925 2. Relander 1925-1931 3. Svinhufvud 1931-1937 4. Kallio 1937-1940 5. Ryti 1940-1944 6. Mannerheim 1944-1946 7.P aasikivi 1946-1956 8. Kekkonen 1956-1982 9. Koivisto 1982-1994 10. Ahtisaari 1994-2000. Halonen became the 11th in 2000.
  From Quiz: A Tour around Finland
21 The Olympic Games also were held in Helsinki. In what year were they held?
Answer: 1952

By 1952 Helsinki had recovered sufficiently from the burdens of the Second World War to host the Olympic Games, which helped create Helsinki's international reputation as a well-organised and welcoming host city.
  From Quiz: Helsinki, The Beautiful Capital
22 Helsinki is the capital of Finland and also has been given which nickname?
Answer: Daughter of the Baltic

Also called the Pearl of the Baltic, Helsinki is located on the tip of a peninsula, as well as on many small islands. It is surrounded by the sea on three sides, and, over time, has become an important maritime center. Originally founded in 1550 as a trading post to rival the Hanseatic League's trade center, Reval (Tallinn), the city became Finland's capital in 1812. Ruled by Czar Alexander I at the time, the city did not really begin to grow until 1827, when the Royal Academy of Turku was relocated there after a destructive fire.

Some sources also call Helsinki the White City of the North, presumably due to the use of lightly colored native granite for its buildings.
    Your options: [ The Granite City ] [ Venice of the North ] [ City of Lights ] [ Daughter of the Baltic ]
  From Quiz: A Field Trip Through Finland
23 Which animal appears on the Finnish coat of arms?
Answer: Lion

The coat of arms of Finland depicts a crowned lion on a red background. Created in the late 16th century, the lion is shown brandishing a sword and trampling on a sabre. The lion is a common symbol in Nordic heraldry, dating back to the Danish coat of arms in the 1100s.
    Your options: [ Horse ] [ Eagle ] [ Reindeer ] [ Lion ]
  From Quiz: So Suomi!
24 The part of Finland, where Santa Claus lives, is called what in Finnish?
Answer: Lappi

Even though some people think Santa lives in the North Pole, in reality he lives in Lappi (Lapland), in Korvatunturi.
There are two places where you can meet Santa, at Santa Park and Santa's workshop in Rovaniemi.
  From Quiz: Finnish Words
25 From the 12th to the 19th centuries, Finland belonged to a different country. Which country was it?
Answer: Sweden

In 1809 it came under the power of Russia, and, with the Russian revolution in 1917, it finally attained its own independence.
    Your options: [ Russia ] [ Spain ] [ England ] [ Sweden ]
  From Quiz: Fabulous Finland
26 Who was elected President of Finland in 2000?
Answer: Tarja Halonen

Eeva is Martti Ahtisaari's wife and Tellervo is wife of Mauno Koivisto. Pentti is the husband of Tarja Halonen, who was elected the President of Finland in 2000.
  From Quiz: A Tour around Finland
27 In what year was Helsinki an European City of Culture?
Answer: 2000

In 2000 Helsinki celebrated also its 450th anniversary.
  From Quiz: Helsinki, The Beautiful Capital
28 The town of Rovaniemi is a popular tourist destination in Finland. What do visitors expect to see there?
Answer: Santa Claus

Rovaniemi, the capital of Lapland, is called the Official Hometown of Santa Claus. Santa Claus Village, which is an amusement park, is found there. Places to visit include Santa Claus's Office and Santa's House of Snowmobiles, but there are also natural sights to enjoy, such as the line in town that denotes the Arctic Circle, and the Northern Lights that can be viewed from mid-August to April. Another tourist destination is SantaPark, which is open from mid-June through August in the summer, and late November through January in the winter. Visitors may enjoy viewing Santa's Office, the Elf Workshop, the Magic Train, and several other attractions there.
  From Quiz: A Field Trip Through Finland
29 Besides mobile phones, what product is also called Nokia?
Answer: Kumisaappaat

There are Nokia rubber boots, the best known brand of rubber boots in Finland. One of our Finnish "games" is Saappaanheitto (throwing the rubber boot), sometimes referred to as Nokian heitto (which some people think at first to be throwing the mobile phone).
  From Quiz: Finnish Words
30 Finland's first female prime minister was elected in 2003. However, she only served for a couple of months before resigning. What was her name?
Answer: Anneli Jaatteenmaki

Mrs Jaatteenmaki was forced to resign, after just two months in office, as a result of a scandal relating to leaked government documents. However, a court later cleared her of any wrongdoing. In 2004 she was elected as a Member of the European Parliament.

Tarja Halonen was elected President of Finland in 2000, the first woman to hold the post.
  From Quiz: Fantastic Finland
31 How many Regional State Administrative Agencies of Finland are there?
Answer: 6

The Regional State Administrative Agencies of Finland take care of basic yet essential public services and the administrative work involved in various licences. Finland is also divided into nineteen regions called maakunta. Their governance of these regions administer and plan for development on a more detailed level.
  From Quiz: Fabulous Finland
32 What is the oldest city in Finland?
Answer: Turku

Turku, the former capital of Finland, was founded in the 13th century.
  From Quiz: A Tour around Finland
33 What is the name of the northern and southern boulevard that will lead you to the Market Square and the harbour?
Answer: Esplanadi

Pohjoisesplanadi is the northern boulevard and Etelaesplanadi is the southern boulevard.
  From Quiz: Helsinki, The Beautiful Capital
34 What is the name of the Finnish national anthem, in Finnish?
Answer: "Maamme"

The song was composed by Fredrik Pacius (in 1848), the lyrics are originally by Julius Krohn (in 1867).
The Estonian national anthem is the same melody with pretty similar lyrics.
"Vårt Land" is "Maamme"-song in Swedish. And "Muumimamma" of course is a character in "Moomins".
  From Quiz: Finnish Words
35 In 1939-40 Finland fought the Winter War against which country?
Answer: USSR

Following defeat in the Winter War, Finland allied with Nazi Germany and took part in Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union, in 1941. The Finns refer to the war against the Soviet Union between 1941 and 1944 as the Continuation War. Between 1944 and 1945 Finland was at war with its erstwhile ally, Germany, in the Lapland War.
    Your options: [ Germany ] [ USSR ] [ Poland ] [ Sweden ]
  From Quiz: Fantastic Finland
36 What day is the Finnish Independence Day?
Answer: December 6

This is to mark their independence from Russia in 1917 on December 6, but their independence was not recognized by the Russian government until December 31 of that same year.
  From Quiz: Fabulous Finland
37 When was the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Helsinki held?
Answer: 1975

In 1969 Finnish government suggested to hold a Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE). It took place in 1975 and was hosted by president Kekkonen. CSCE changed its name to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) during the Budapest summit in 1994.
  From Quiz: A Tour around Finland
38 What is the name of the soccer club that plays all its matches in the Finnair Stadium near the Olympic Stadium?
Answer: HJK

HJK is also known as HJK Helsinki. Tampere United is from Tampere, FC Lahti from Lahti and IFK Goteborg is a Swedish team.
  From Quiz: Helsinki, The Beautiful Capital
39 Why was Rauma, Finland, chosen as a UNESCO World Heritage site?
Answer: Wooden architecture

Rauma is one of the few remaining medieval towns in Finland, and Old Rauma, the city center, has wooden buildings and a medieval layout that is well preserved. Fires destroyed many of the wooden buildings in 1640 and 1682, so the buildings that exist today date from the 1700s, but were built in the old style. About 800 people live in Old Rauma, and their one-story houses are a prominent feature on main street. There is also the Church of the Holy Cross, built in 1512, that survived the fires and still contains medieval paintings.
  From Quiz: A Field Trip Through Finland
40 What is the largest National Park in Finland?
Answer: Lemmenjoki National Park

Located in Lapland in northern Finland, Lemmenjoki National Park was one of the country's first National Parks, established in 1956 along with five others. It has been expanded twice since them, and covers 1,100 square miles (a bit bigger than Luxembourg), making it not only Finland's largest National Park but one of the largest in Europe. The park borders Øvre Anarjóhka National Park in Norway.

Established in 1983 and named for a former President of Finland, Urho Kekkonen National Park covers 985 square miles of Lapland. Ekenäs Archipelago National Park is a 20-square mile region of rock islets near Helsinki. It was established as a National Park in 1989 to protect aquatic birds' nesting areas. Pallas-Yllästunturi in Lapland is Finland's most visited at National Park, with in excess of 400,000 visitors annually. Covering 394 square mile of primeval forest, it is particularly popular with hikers.
  From Quiz: So Suomi!
The rest of the questions and answers can be found in our quizzes here:
Finland Quizzes