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Compare Finland (2003) - United Kingdom (2001)

Compare Finland (2003) z United Kingdom (2001)

 Finland (2003)United Kingdom (2001)
 FinlandUnited Kingdom
Administrative divisions 6 provinces (laanit, singular - laani); Aland, Etela-Suomen Laani, Ita-Suomen Laani, Lansi-Suomen Laani, Lappi, Oulun Laani England - 47 boroughs, 36 counties*, 29 London boroughs**, 12 cities and boroughs***, 10 districts****, 12 cities*****, 3 royal boroughs******; Barking and Dagenham**, Barnet**, Barnsley, Bath and North East Somerset****, Bedfordshire*, Bexley**, Birmingham***, Blackburn with Darwen, Blackpool, Bolton, Bournemouth, Bracknell Forest, Bradford***, Brent**, Brighton and Hove, City of Bristol*****, Bromley**, Buckinghamshire*, Bury, Calderdale, Cambridgeshire*, Camden**, Cheshire*, Cornwall*, Coventry***, Croydon**, Cumbria*, Darlington, Derby*****, Derbyshire*, Devon*, Doncaster, Dorset*, Dudley, Durham*, Ealing**, East Riding of Yorkshire****, East Sussex*, Enfield**, Essex*, Gateshead, Gloucestershire*, Greenwich**, Hackney**, Halton, Hammersmith and Fulham**, Hampshire*, Haringey**, Harrow**, Hartlepool, Havering**, Herefordshire*, Hertfordshire*, Hillingdon**, Hounslow**, Isle of Wight*, Islington**, Kensington and Chelsea******, Kent*, City of Kingston upon Hull*****, Kingston upon Thames******, Kirklees, Knowsley, Lambeth**, Lancashire*, Leeds***, Leicester*****, Leicestershire*, Lewisham**, Lincolnshire*, Liverpool***, City of London*****, Luton, Manchester***, Medway, Merton**, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, Newcastle upon Tyne***, Newham**, Norfolk*, Northamptonshire*, North East Lincolnshire****, North Lincolnshire****, North Somerset****, North Tyneside, Northumberland*, North Yorkshire*, Nottingham*****, Nottinghamshire*, Oldham, Oxfordshire*, Peterborough*****, Plymouth*****, Poole, Portsmouth*****, Reading, Redbridge**, Redcar and Cleveland, Richmond upon Thames**, Rochdale, Rotherham, Rutland****, Salford***, Shropshire*, Sandwell, Sefton, Sheffield***, Slough, Solihull, Somerset*, Southampton*****, Southend-on-Sea, South Gloucestershire****, South Tyneside, Southwark**, Staffordshire*, St. Helens, Stockport, Stockton-on-Tees, Stoke-on-Trent*****, Suffolk*, Sunderland***, Surrey*, Sutton**, Swindon, Tameside, Telford and Wrekin****, Thurrock, Torbay, Tower Hamlets**, Trafford, Wakefield***, Walsall, Waltham Forest**, Wandsworth**, Warrington, Warwickshire*, West Berkshire****, Westminster***, West Sussex*, Wigan, Wiltshire*, Windsor and Maidenhead******, Wirral, Wokingham****, Wolverhampton, Worcestershire*, York*****; Northern Ireland - 24 districts, 2 cities*; Antrim, Ards, Armagh, Ballymena, Ballymoney, Banbridge, Belfast*, Carrickfergus, Castlereagh, Coleraine, Cookstown, Craigavon, Down, Dungannon, Fermanagh, Larne, Limavady, Lisburn, Derry*, Magherafelt, Moyle, Newry and Mourne, Newtownabbey, North Down, Omagh, Strabane; Scotland - 32 council areas; Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Angus, Argyll and Bute, The Scottish Borders, Clackmannanshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Dundee City, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Lothian, East Renfrewshire, City of Edinburgh, Falkirk, Fife, Glasgow City, Highland, Inverclyde, Midlothian, Moray, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, Orkney Islands, Perth and Kinross, Renfrewshire, Shetland Islands, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, Stirling, West Dunbartonshire, Eilean Siar (Western Isles), West Lothian; Wales - 11 county boroughs, 9 counties*, 2 cities and counties**; Isle of Anglesey*, Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff**, Ceredigion*, Carmarthenshire*, Conwy, Denbighshire*, Flintshire*, Gwynedd, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire*, Neath Port Talbot, Newport, Pembrokeshire*, Powys*, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Swansea**, Torfaen, The Vale of Glamorgan*, Wrexham
Age structure 0-14 years: 17.7% (male 468,077; female 450,785)


15-64 years: 66.9% (male 1,753,760; female 1,719,253)


65 years and over: 15.4% (male 312,883; female 486,027) (2003 est.)
0-14 years:
18.89% (male 5,778,415; female 5,486,114)

15-64 years:
65.41% (male 19,712,932; female 19,304,771)

65 years and over:
15.7% (male 3,895,921; female 5,469,637) (2001 est.)
Agriculture - products barley, wheat, sugar beets, potatoes; dairy cattle; fish cereals, oilseed, potatoes, vegetables; cattle, sheep, poultry; fish
Airports 150 (2002) 489 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 74


over 3,047 m: 2


2,438 to 3,047 m: 27


1,524 to 2,437 m: 10


914 to 1,523 m: 23


under 914 m: 12 (2002)
total:
349

over 3,047 m:
10

2,438 to 3,047 m:
33

1,524 to 2,437 m:
162

914 to 1,523 m:
89

under 914 m:
55 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 76


914 to 1,523 m: 4


under 914 m: 72 (2002)
total:
140

1,524 to 2,437 m:
1

914 to 1,523 m:
23

under 914 m:
116 (2000 est.)
Area total: 337,030 sq km


land: 305,470 sq km


water: 31,560 sq km
total:
244,820 sq km

land:
241,590 sq km

water:
3,230 sq km

note:
includes Rockall and Shetland Islands
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Montana slightly smaller than Oregon
Background Finland was a province and then a grand duchy under Sweden from the 12th to the 19th centuries and an autonomous grand duchy of Russia after 1809. It finally won its complete independence in 1917. During World War II, it was able to successfully defend its freedom and resist invasions by the Soviet Union - albeit with some loss of territory. In the subsequent half century, the Finns made a remarkable transformation from a farm/forest economy to a diversified modern industrial economy; per capita income is now on par with Western Europe. As a member of the European Union, Finland was the only Nordic state to join the euro system at its initiation in January 1999. Great Britain, the dominant industrial and maritime power of the 19th century, played a leading role in developing parliamentary democracy and in advancing literature and science. At its zenith, the British Empire stretched over one-fourth of the earth's surface. The first half of the 20th century saw the UK's strength seriously depleted in two World Wars. The second half witnessed the dismantling of the Empire and the UK rebuilding itself into a modern and prosperous European nation. As one of five permanent members of the UN Security Council, a founding member of NATO, and of the Commonwealth, the UK pursues a global approach to foreign policy; it currently is weighing the degree of its integration with continental Europe. A member of the EU, it chose to remain outside of the European Monetary Union for the time being. Constitutional reform is also a significant issue in the UK. Regional assemblies with varying degrees of power opened in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland in 1999.
Birth rate 10.54 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) 11.54 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Budget revenues: $36.1 billion


expenditures: $31 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
revenues:
$555.2 billion

expenditures:
$510.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $37.7 billion (FY00)
Capital Helsinki London
Climate cold temperate; potentially subarctic, but comparatively mild because of moderating influence of the North Atlantic Current, Baltic Sea, and more than 60,000 lakes temperate; moderated by prevailing southwest winds over the North Atlantic Current; more than one-half of the days are overcast
Coastline 1,126 km (excludes islands and coastal indentations) 12,429 km
Constitution 1 March 2000 unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice
Country name conventional long form: Republic of Finland


conventional short form: Finland


local long form: Suomen Tasavalta


local short form: Suomi
conventional long form:
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

conventional short form:
United Kingdom

abbreviation:
UK
Currency euro (EUR)


note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries
British pound (GBP)
Death rate 9.82 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) 10.35 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Debt - external $30 billion (December 1993) $NA
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Bonnie McELVEEN-HUNTER


embassy: Itainen Puistotie 14A, FIN-00140, Helsinki


mailing address: APO AE 09723


telephone: [358] (9) 616250


FAX: [358] (9) 174681
chief of mission:
Ambassador Philip LADER

embassy:
24/31 Grosvenor Square, London, W1A1AE

mailing address:
PSC 801, Box 40, FPO AE 09498-4040

telephone:
[44] (0) 207499-9000 (switchboard)

FAX:
[44] (171) 409-1637

consulate(s) general:
Belfast, Edinburgh
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Jukka Robert VALTASAARI


chancery: 3301 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 298-5800


FAX: [1] (202) 298-6030


consulate(s) general: Los Angeles and New York
chief of mission:
Ambassador Sir Christopher J. R. MEYER

chancery:
3100 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:
[1] (202) 588-6500

FAX:
[1] (202) 588-7870

consulate(s) general:
Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco

consulate(s):
Dallas, Denver, Miami, Orlando (reports to Atlanta), San Juan, and Seattle
Disputes - international none Northern Ireland issue with Ireland (historic peace agreement signed 10 April 1998); Gibraltar issue with Spain; Argentina claims Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas); Argentina claims South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; Mauritius and the Seychelles claim Chagos Archipelago (UK-administered British Indian Ocean Territory); Rockall continental shelf dispute involving Denmark and Iceland; territorial claim in Antarctica (British Antarctic Territory) overlaps Argentine claim and partially overlaps Chilean claim; disputes with Iceland, Denmark, and Ireland over the Faroe Islands continental shelf boundary outside 200 NM
Economic aid - donor ODA, $379 million (2001) ODA, $3.4 billion (1997)
Economy - overview Finland has a highly industrialized, largely free-market economy, with per capita output roughly that of the UK, France, Germany, and Italy. Its key economic sector is manufacturing - principally the wood, metals, engineering, telecommunications, and electronics industries. Trade is important, with exports equaling almost one-third of GDP. Except for timber and several minerals, Finland depends on imports of raw materials, energy, and some components for manufactured goods. Because of the climate, agricultural development is limited to maintaining self-sufficiency in basic products. Forestry, an important export earner, provides a secondary occupation for the rural population. Rapidly increasing integration with Western Europe - Finland was one of the 11 countries joining the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) on 1 January 1999 - will dominate the economic picture over the next several years. Growth in 2003 was held back by the global slowdown but will pick up in 2004 provided the world economy suffers no further blows. The UK, a leading trading power and financial center, deploys an essentially capitalistic economy, one of the quartet of trillion dollar economies of Western Europe. Over the past two decades the government has greatly reduced public ownership and contained the growth of social welfare programs. Agriculture is intensive, highly mechanized, and efficient by European standards, producing about 60% of food needs with only 1% of the labor force. The UK has large coal, natural gas, and oil reserves; primary energy production accounts for 10% of GDP, one of the highest shares of any industrial nation. Services, particularly banking, insurance, and business services, account by far for the largest proportion of GDP while industry continues to decline in importance. The economy has grown steadily, at just above or below 3%, for the last several years. The BLAIR government has put off the question of participation in the euro system until after the next election, in June of 2001; Chancellor of the Exchequer BROWN has identified some key economic tests to determine whether the UK should join the common currency system, but it will largely be a political decision. A serious short-term problem is foot-and-mouth disease, which by early 2001 had broken out in nearly 600 farms and slaughterhouses and had resulted in the killing of 400,000 animals.
Electricity - consumption 76.18 billion kWh (2001) 333.012 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports 1.81 billion kWh (2001) 265 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports 11.77 billion kWh (2001) 14.5 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production 71.2 billion kWh (2001) 342.771 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel: 39%


hydro: 18.7%


nuclear: 30.4%


other: 11.8% (2001)
fossil fuel:
69.38%

hydro:
1.55%

nuclear:
26.68%

other:
2.39% (1999)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m


highest point: Halti 1,328 m
lowest point:
Fenland -4 m

highest point:
Ben Nevis 1,343 m
Environment - current issues air pollution from manufacturing and power plants contributing to acid rain; water pollution from industrial wastes, agricultural chemicals; habitat loss threatens wildlife populations continues to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (has meet Kyoto Protocol target of a 12.5% reduction from 1990 levels and hopes to reduce even more); small particulate emissions, largely from vehicular traffic, remain a problem; solid waste continues to rise and recycling is very limited
Environment - international agreements party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling


signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
party to:
Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified:
Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Ethnic groups Finn 93%, Swede 6%, Sami 0.11%, Roma 0.12%, Tatar 0.02% English 81.5%, Scottish 9.6%, Irish 2.4%, Welsh 1.9%, Ulster 1.8%, West Indian, Indian, Pakistani, and other 2.8%
Exchange rates euros per US dollar - 1.06 (2002), 1.12 (2001), 1.09 (2000), 0.94 (1999) British pounds per US dollar - 0.6764 (January 2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998), 0.6106 (1997), 0.6403 (1996)
Executive branch chief of state: President Tarja HALONEN (since 1 March 2000)


head of government: Prime Minister Matti VANHANEN (since 24 June 2003) and Deputy Prime Minister Antti KALLIOMAKI (since 17 April 2003); note - former Prime Minister Anneli JAATTEENMAKI resigned


cabinet: Council of State or Valtioneuvosto appointed by the president, responsible to Parliament


elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term; election last held 16 January 2000 and 6 February 2000 (next to be held NA February 2006); prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed from the majority party by the president after parliamentary elections


election results: Tarja HALONEN elected president; percent of vote - Tarja HALONEN (SDP) 51.6%, Esko AHO (Kesk) 48.4%


note: government coalition - KESK, SDP, and SFP
chief of state:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); Heir Apparent Prince CHARLES (son of the queen, born 14 November 1948)

head of government:
Prime Minister Anthony C. L. (Tony) BLAIR (since 2 May 1997)

cabinet:
Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the prime minister

elections:
none; the monarch is hereditary; the prime minister is the leader of the majority party in the House of Commons (assuming there is no majority party, a prime minister would have a majority coalition or at least a coalition that was not rejected by the majority)
Exports 101,000 bbl/day (2001) $282 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Exports - commodities machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals; timber, paper, pulp (1999) manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals; food, beverages, tobacco
Exports - partners Germany 11.8%, UK 9.6%, US 9%, Sweden 8.5%, Russia 6.6%, Netherlands 4.6%, France 4.5% (2002) EU 58% (Germany 12%, France 10%, Netherlands 8%), US 15% (1999)
Fiscal year calendar year 1 April - 31 March
Flag description white with a blue cross extending to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag) blue with the red cross of Saint George (patron saint of England) edged in white superimposed on the diagonal red cross of Saint Patrick (patron saint of Ireland) and which is superimposed on the diagonal white cross of Saint Andrew (patron saint of Scotland); known as the Union Flag or Union Jack; the design and colors (especially the Blue Ensign) have been the basis for a number of other flags including other Commonwealth countries and their constituent states or provinces, as well as British overseas territories
GDP purchasing power parity - $133.8 billion (2002 est.) purchasing power parity - $1.36 trillion (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 4%


industry: 34%


services: 62% (2002 est.)
agriculture:
1.7%

industry:
24.9%

services:
73.4% (1999)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $25,800 (2002 est.) purchasing power parity - $22,800 (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 1.6% (2002 est.) 3% (2000 est.)
Geographic coordinates 64 00 N, 26 00 E 54 00 N, 2 00 W
Geography - note long boundary with Russia; Helsinki is northernmost national capital on European continent; population concentrated on small southwestern coastal plain lies near vital North Atlantic sea lanes; only 35 km from France and now linked by tunnel under the English Channel; because of heavily indented coastline, no location is more than 125 km from tidal waters
Heliports - 11 (2000 est.)
Highways total: 77,943 km


paved: 50,305 km (including 750 km of expressways)


unpaved: 27,688 km (2001)
total:
371,603 km

paved:
371,603 km (including 3,303 km of expressways)

unpaved:
0 km (1998 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 4.2%


highest 10%: 21.6% (1991)
lowest 10%:
2.6%

highest 10%:
27.3% (1991)
Illicit drugs - gateway country for Latin American cocaine entering the European market; major consumer of synthetic drugs, producer of limited amounts of synthetic drugs and synthetic precursor chemicals; major consumer of Southwest Asian heroin; money-laundering center
Imports 318,300 bbl/day (2001) $324 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Imports - commodities foodstuffs, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, transport equipment, iron and steel, machinery, textile yarn and fabrics, grains (1999) manufactured goods, machinery, fuels; foodstuffs
Imports - partners Germany 14.5%, Sweden 10.9%, Russia 9.9%, UK 5.7%, France 4.3%, Denmark 4.2% (2002) EU 53% (Germany 14%, France 9%, Netherlands 7%), US 13%, Japan 5% (1999)
Independence 6 December 1917 (from Russia) England has existed as a unified entity since the 10th century; the union between England and Wales was enacted under the Statute of Rhuddlan in 1284; in the Act of Union of 1707, England and Scotland agreed to permanent union as Great Britain; the legislative union of Great Britain and Ireland was implemented in 1801, with the adoption of the name the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland; the Anglo-Irish treaty of 1921 formalized a partition of Ireland; six northern Irish counties remained part of the United Kingdom as Northern Ireland and the current name of the country, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, was adopted in 1927
Industrial production growth rate 5% (2002 est.) 2% (2000)
Industries metal products, electronics, shipbuilding, pulp and paper, copper refining, foodstuffs, chemicals, textiles, clothing machine tools, electric power equipment, automation equipment, railroad equipment, shipbuilding, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, electronics and communications equipment, metals, chemicals, coal, petroleum, paper and paper products, food processing, textiles, clothing, and other consumer goods
Infant mortality rate total: 3.73 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 4.21 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 3.23 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
5.54 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 1.9% (2002 est.) 2.4% (2000 est.)
International organization participation AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM (guest), NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOGIP, UNMOP, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WEU (observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, C, CCC, CDB (non-regional), CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECA (associate), ECE, ECLAC, EIB, ESA, ESCAP, EU, FAO, G- 5, G- 7, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SPC, UN, UN Security Council, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNTAET, UNU, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 3 (2002) 245 (2000)
Irrigated land 640 sq km (1998 est.) 1,080 sq km (1993 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme Court or Korkein Oikeus (judges appointed by the president) House of Lords (highest court of appeal; several Lords of Appeal in Ordinary are appointed by the monarch for life); Supreme Courts of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland (comprising the Courts of Appeal, the High Courts of Justice, and the Crown Courts); Scotland's Court of Session and Court of the Justiciary
Labor force 2.6 million (2000 est.) 29.2 million (1999)
Labor force - by occupation public services 32%, industry 22%, commerce 14%, finance, insurance, and business services 10%, agriculture and forestry 8%, transport and communications 8%, construction 6% agriculture 1%, industry 19%, services 80% (1996 est.)
Land boundaries total: 2,628 km


border countries: Norway 729 km, Sweden 586 km, Russia 1,313 km
total:
360 km

border countries:
Ireland 360 km
Land use arable land: 6.98%


permanent crops: 0.01%


other: 93.01% (1998 est.)
arable land:
25%

permanent crops:
0%

permanent pastures:
46%

forests and woodland:
10%

other:
19% (1993 est.)
Languages Finnish 93.4% (official), Swedish 5.9% (official), small Sami- and Russian-speaking minorities English, Welsh (about 26% of the population of Wales), Scottish form of Gaelic (about 60,000 in Scotland)
Legal system civil law system based on Swedish law; Supreme Court may request legislation interpreting or modifying laws; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations common law tradition with early Roman and modern continental influences; no judicial review of Acts of Parliament; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations; British courts and legislation are increasingly subject to review by European Union courts
Legislative branch unicameral Parliament or Eduskunta (200 seats; members are elected by popular vote on a proportional basis to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 16 March 2003 (next to be held NA March 2007)


election results: percent of vote by party - Kesk 24.7%, SDP 24.5%, Kok 18.5%, VAS 9.9%, VIHR 8%, KD 5.3%, SFP 4.6%; seats by party - Kesk 55, SDP 53, Kok 40, VAS 19, VIHR 14, KD 7, SFP 8, others 4
bicameral Parliament comprised of House of Lords (consists of approximately 500 life peers, 92 hereditary peers and 26 clergy) and House of Commons (659 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms unless the House is dissolved earlier)

elections:
House of Lords - no elections (some proposals for further reform include elections); House of Commons - last held 7 June 2001 (next to be held by NA May 2006)

election results:
House of Commons - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Labor 412, Conservative and Unionist 166, Liberal Democrat 52, other 29

note:
in 1998 elections were held for a Northern Ireland Parliament (because of unresolved disputes among existing parties, the transfer of power from London to Northern Ireland came only at the end of 1999 and was rescinded in February 2000); in 1999 there were elections for a new Scottish Parliament and a new Welsh Assembly
Life expectancy at birth total population: 77.92 years


male: 74.28 years


female: 81.68 years (2003 est.)
total population:
77.82 years

male:
75.13 years

female:
80.66 years (2001 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 100% (1980 est.)


male: NA%


female: NA%
definition:
age 15 and over has completed five or more years of schooling

total population:
99% (1978 est.)

male:
NA%

female:
NA%
Location Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, and Gulf of Finland, between Sweden and Russia Western Europe, islands including the northern one-sixth of the island of Ireland between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea, northwest of France
Map references Europe Europe
Maritime claims continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation


exclusive fishing zone: 12 NM; extends to continental shelf boundary with Sweden


territorial sea: 12 NM (in the Gulf of Finland - 3 NM)
continental shelf:
as defined in continental shelf orders or in accordance with agreed upon boundaries

exclusive fishing zone:
200 NM

territorial sea:
12 NM
Merchant marine total: 93 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,181,687 GRT/1,185,653 DWT


ships by type: bulk 9, cargo 24, chemical tanker 5, container 1, passenger 2, petroleum tanker 11, roll on/roll off 32, short-sea passenger 9


note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Germany 1, Sweden 1 (2002 est.)
total:
200 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,934,776 GRT/3,760,240 DWT

ships by type:
bulk 4, cargo 31, chemical tanker 11, combination ore/oil 1, container 47, liquefied gas 3, passenger 14, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 52, refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 19, short-sea passenger 10, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 2

note:
includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Denmark 1 (2000 est.)
Military branches Army, Navy, Air Force, Frontier Guard (including Sea Guard) Army, Royal Navy (includes Royal Marines), Royal Air Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure $1.8 billion (FY98/99) $36.884 billion (FY97)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 2% (FY98/99) 2.7% (FY97)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49: 1,230,934 (2003 est.) males age 15-49:
14,599,199 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49: 1,016,693 (2003 est.) males age 15-49:
12,139,930 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - military age 18 years of age (2003 est.) -
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males: 31,926 (2003 est.) -
National holiday Independence Day, 6 December (1917) Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, celebrated on the second Saturday in June (1926)
Nationality noun: Finn(s)


adjective: Finnish
noun:
Briton(s), British (collective plural)

adjective:
British
Natural hazards NA NA
Natural resources timber, copper, zinc, iron ore, silver coal, petroleum, natural gas, tin, limestone, iron ore, salt, clay, chalk, gypsum, lead, silica, arable land
Net migration rate 0.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) 1.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Pipelines gas 694 km (2003) crude oil (almost all insignificant) 933 km; petroleum products 2,993 km; natural gas 12,800 km
Political parties and leaders Center Party or Kesk [Matti VANHANEN]; Christian Democrats or KD [Bjarne KALLIS]; Green League or VIHR [Osmo SOININVAARA]; Left Alliance or VAS (Communist) composed of People's Democratic League and Democratic Alternative [Suvi-Anne SIIMES]; National Coalition (conservative) Party or Kok [Ville ITALA]; Social Democratic Party or SDP [Paavo LIPPONEN]; Swedish People's Party or SFP [Jan-Erik ENESTAM] Conservative and Unionist Party [William HAGUE]; Democratic Unionist Party (Northern Ireland) [Rev. Ian PAISLEY]; Labor Party [Anthony (Tony) Blair]; Liberal Democrats [Charles KENNEDY]; Party of Wales (Plaid Cymru) [Ieuan Wyn JONES]; Scottish National Party or SNP [John SWINNEY]; Sinn Fein (Northern Ireland) [Gerry ADAMS]; Social Democratic and Labor Party or SDLP (Northern Ireland) [John HUME]; Ulster Unionist Party (Northern Ireland) [David TRIMBLE]
Political pressure groups and leaders - Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament; Confederation of British Industry; National Farmers' Union; Trades Union Congress
Population 5,190,785 (July 2003 est.) 59,647,790 (July 2001 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% 17%
Population growth rate 0.14% (2003 est.) 0.23% (2001 est.)
Ports and harbors Hamina, Helsinki, Kokkola, Kotka, Loviisa, Oulu, Pori, Rauma, Turku, Uusikaupunki, Varkaus Aberdeen, Belfast, Bristol, Cardiff, Dover, Falmouth, Felixstowe, Glasgow, Grangemouth, Hull, Leith, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Peterhead, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Scapa Flow, Southampton, Sullom Voe, Tees, Tyne
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 186, shortwave 1 (1998) AM 219, FM 431, shortwave 3 (1998)
Radios - 84.5 million (1997)
Railways total: 5,850 km


broad gauge: 5,850 km 1.524-m gauge (2,400 km electrified) (2002)
total:
16,878 km

broad gauge:
342 km 1.600-m gauge (190 km double track); note - all 1.600-m gauge track, of which 342 km is in common carrier use, and is in Northern Ireland

standard gauge:
16,536 km 1.435-m gauge (4,928 km electrified; 12,591 km double or multiple track) (1996)
Religions Evangelical Lutheran 89%, Russian Orthodox 1%, none 9%, other 1% Anglican 27 million, Roman Catholic 9 million, Muslim 1 million, Presbyterian 800,000, Methodist 760,000, Sikh 400,000, Hindu 350,000, Jewish 300,000 (1991 est.)
Sex ratio at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.64 male(s)/female


total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years:
1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years:
1.02 male(s)/female

65 years and over:
0.71 male(s)/female

total population:
0.97 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: modern system with excellent service


domestic: cable, microwave radio relay, and an extensive cellular net provide domestic needs


international: 1 submarine cable; satellite earth stations - access to Intelsat transmission service via a Swedish satellite earth station, 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions); note - Finland shares the Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic countries (Denmark, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden)
general assessment:
technologically advanced domestic and international system

domestic:
equal mix of buried cables, microwave radio relay, and fiber-optic systems

international:
40 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 10 Intelsat (7 Atlantic Ocean and 3 Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region), and 1 Eutelsat; at least 8 large international switching centers
Telephones - main lines in use 2,847,900 (2001) 34.878 million (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular 3,728,600 (2001) 13 million (yearend 1998)
Television broadcast stations 120 (plus 431 repeaters) (1999) 228 (plus 3,523 repeaters) (1995)
Terrain mostly low, flat to rolling plains interspersed with lakes and low hills mostly rugged hills and low mountains; level to rolling plains in east and southeast
Total fertility rate 1.7 children born/woman (2003 est.) 1.73 children born/woman (2001 est.)
Unemployment rate 8.5% (2002 est.) 5.5% (2000 est.)
Waterways 6,675 km


note: includes Saimaa Canal; 3,700 km suitable for large ships
3,200 km
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