Finnish Fun Facts Trivia Quiz

Answer: forestry

Three-fourths of Finland is forest and its approximate 5.2 million people (2008) make up a population density of only about 17 per square kilometer. Electronics and technology products were the second most important resources, accounting for about 19 per cent of Finland's exports.

(King of Diamonds)

Answer: Finnair

Finnair was founded in 1923. Its main owner is the Government of Finland and it features 65 aircraft, with flights to the rest of Europe and America.

(Jack of Diamonds)

Answer: The Kalevala

The "Kalevala" was the inspiration for JRR Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings". The "Kalevala" story was part of the Finns' oral history and was first published in 1835 by Elias Lönrot. It is believed that the "Kalevala" was inspirational to the Finns' struggle for independence from Russia, which was finally achieved in 1917. The epic begins with the creation of the world and features as its main character Väinämöinen, a hero with the magical power of songs and music.

(Three of Spades)

Answer: Mikael Agricola, Bishop of Turku

Agricola's Bible was translated in 1642. It was the first document to be printed in Finnish.

(Six of Diamonds)

Answer: in church

A sauna is a type of steam bath. Socially unacceptable sauna behavior includes swearing, shouting, and other antics one might also call "locker room behavior".

(King of Hearts)

Answer: Motorsports

Häkkinen and Salo were on the Formula One Circuit, while Mäkinen and Vatanen were rally car drivers. Yes, this is a really tough question, and I certainly wouldn't have gotten it right, but I hoped there might be some motorsport fans out there who might recognize these names. Häkkinen was a two-time Formula One World Champion, while Mäkinen was a four-time World Rally Champion.

(Seven of Hearts)

Answer: Hungarian

Finnish belongs to a language family called Finno-Ugric. Magyar (Hungarian) is also a Finno-Ugrian language, although it shares few similarities to Finnish. Finno-Ugric languages are not Indo-European and are, therefore, not related to English, German, French, and Spanish. Romansh is a Romance language in Switzerland and Swedish is a Germanic language, both part of Indo-European. Basque, spoken in parts of Spain, is apparently unrelated to any contemporary language.

(Queen of Clubs)

Answer: Paavo Nurmi

I actually knew this one. Finnish distance runners became known collectively as "the Flying Finns," but Nurmi is perhaps best known. He won nine gold medals over three sets of Olympic Games, which would mean over a span of eight years. In 1920 he won the 10,000 meters, the cross country race and was on the winning cross country team. In 1924 he won the 1500 m, the 5000 m, and the cross country event along with two team races. In 1928 he won the 10,000 m again. He also set numerous world records.

(Jack of Spades)

Answer: Nokia

The Nokia Company began (where else?) in Nokia, Finland; well, actually it was in Tampere, when Fredrik Idestam built a pulp mill. Shortly thereafter, he moved his mill to Nokia. (Nokia in Finnish comes from noki, meaning soot, and refers to the marten, which is now extinct in Finland, which lived in the area of the town). Anyway, the company went from paper in 1865, through electricity generating, then rubber and galoshes, before hitting electronics after 1900. Whew, long story.

(Four of Hearts)

Answer: coffee

Well, I don't think I would have gotten this one right. Popular coffee blends include Juhla Mokka and Presidentti. The cards also say Finns rank third in Europe in eating fish. This is not counting what Finnish fishermen catch, which must be a lot, because fishing is their number one pastime.

(Ace of Diamonds)