Finland

Finland

Population:5,255,068 (July 2010 est.) Religion:Lutheran Church of Finland 82.5%, Orthodox Church 1.1%, other Christian 1.1%, other 0.1%, none 15.1% (2006) Language:Finnish 91.2% (official), Swedish 5.5% (official), other 3.3% (small Sami- and Russian-speaking minorities) (2007) Government type: Republic Capital: Helsinki

Map of Finland Finland's flag

__Places To Stay:__ Hostel Stadion- Located right in the Olympic Stadium of Helsinki. 10 minute train ride into town. $28/night.

Hotel Kamp- This Helsinki luxury hotel is near Esplanadi, Atheneum Art Museum, and Senate Square. $234/night (or higher).

Food in Finland Finnish food has always been firmly focused on natural ingredients, local produce and solid home-cooking. There meals are largely comprised of meat such as fish and reindeer, along with bread, berries, potatoes and other root vegetables.

Necessities in Finnish Cuisine:
 * Potatoes -- a daily necessity, potatoes with dill is a standard accompaniment to many a Nordic dish. Made in all forms-boiled, fried, baked or mashed. Different types of turnip are also particularly well-loved and formed a key part of the staple diet. Root vegetables are ever popular on their own, in stews, soups or casseroles.
 * Karelian Pie -- a small bread made of potato dough originally from Karelia in Eastern Finland.
 * Lingonberries - the latter similar to the cranberry, but smaller and more sour - to accompany elk, reindeer, even bear or beaver.
 * Breads -- Rye bread is very popular,along with a variety of whole wheat, oat,and barley combinations. Crisp cracker bread like Finn Crisps is also popular.
 * Hot dogs -- there's pork, beef and even deer available for all occasions
 * Fish-all types of fish, primarily perch and salmon in the spring, and crayfish in the summer. People are known to have crayfish parties in July and August.
 * Meat- game birds, and game reindeer, lean and healthy meat like venison. Roasted reindeer in sea buckthorn butter and dark game sauce is just one of many innovative recipes to feature on Helsinki menus. Other game includes a variety of birds such as wild duck, snow grouse and wood pigeon. Meat tartar is also extremely popular.

Reindeer Meat Dish

Potatoe Flat Bread

__Things to Do:__ 1. Finlandia Hall Helsinki's leading conert and congress center. It is located in the park next to Töölö Bay. It hosts concerts, conferences, and exhibitions.

2. Korkeasaari, The Helsinki Zoo The park is one of the oldest in the world. It is home to over 200 different species of animals as well was a thousand different species of plant life. The zoo is famous for it's efforts to protect endangered species. The zoo is located in a cove near the center of the city, and is accessible by a fifteen minute ride on a ferry.

3. Hame Castle This castle was built towards the end of the 13th century; it is surrounded by a moat and a lake. It was later converted into a prison in the late 1830’s. Hame castle remained a prison until the early 1970’s, but towards the later part of the 1980’s it was restored into a present day historical monument. The castle is now the host of a historical exhibit and contains a restaurant and summer café.

4. Tuomiokirkk, The Helsinki Cathedral This great piece of architecture was designed by Engel and was built between 1830 and the early 1850’s. The church which seats up to 1,300 has zinc statues of the apostles on the roof. These statues are the biggest zinc statues in the world.

5. Senaatintori, The Senate Square The Senate Square sits in the very center of Helsinki. The Square houses the palace of the Senate, as well as the main building of the University of Helsinki, both of which were designed by famed architect Carl L. Engel.

6. Ateneum Art Museum and National Museum The two top museums for visitors to see are the Ateneum Art Museum and National Museum. The Ateneum Art Museum houses the finest collection of Finnish art in the country. It is located near the Senate Square. Also located in the central part of the city is the National Museum. It holds a vast collection of Finnish pre-historic artifacts.