Finland
Finland, officially the Republic of Finland is a Nordic country bounded by the Baltic Sea to the southwest, the Gulf of Finland to the southeast and the Gulf of Bothnia to the west. Sweden, Norway and Russia have land border with Finland. After World War I earned Finland a strip of land along the Norwegian border on the North Arctic Ocean, so that Norway in the interwar period had no common border with Russia.
Finland’s nearly 700-year partnership with the Swedish monarchy began in 1154 with the introduction of Christianity by the Swedish king Erik. Swedish became the dominant language in the classroom and in administration. After the release of the Finnish national epic Kalevala and a subsequent Finnish nationalism in the 19th century was replaced by Swedish Finnish also in administration.
In 1809, Finland was conquered by Czar Alexander 1st and then became an autonomous grand duchy in personal union with the Russian Empire with particular own stamps and currency, the markka until the end of 1917. On 6 December 1917, shortly after the Russian Revolution, Finland declared itself independent. In 1918 the country experienced a brief but bitter civil war that characterized the country for years thereafter. During the second World War Finland fought against the Soviet Union twice: the first time in the Winter War 1939-40 and again in the Continuation War in 1941-44. The last war was followed by the Lapland War of 1944-45, when Finland fought against the German forces in northern Finland.
Finland 1920-1940
Treaties signed in 1947 and 1948 with the Soviet Union contained strong commitments to the country and a number of conditions for its territorial boundaries. Finland was in 1952 co-founder of the Nordic Council. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, it was possible for Finland to pursue a different foreign policy and the country joined the EU in 1995.
France & Fiji
