Changes

{{Country

{{Country

|name          =''Suomi''

|name          =''Suomi'' <br /> ''Finland''

|map         =Finland rel96.jpg

|map         =Finland rel96.jpg

|flag         =Flag of Finland.png

|flag         =Flag of Finland.png

|government =Parliamentary democracy

|government =Parliamentary democracy

|government-raw =

|government-raw =

|language =Finnish

|language =Finnish, Swedish

|king         =

|king         =

|queen         =

|queen         =

|tld            =

|tld            =

}}

}}

'''Finland''' (''Suomi'' in Finnish) is a country of northern [[Europe]] known for its largely [[social democracy|social democratic]] economic system. The Finnish [[conservative]] party, the [[National Coalition]] led by [[Jyrki Katainen]], is its principal conservative organization.

'''Finland''' (''Suomi'' in Finnish, ''Finland'' in Swedish) is a country of northern [[Europe]] known for its largely [[social democracy|social democratic]] economic system. The Finnish [[conservative]] party, the [[National Coalition]] led by [[Jyrki Katainen]], is its principal conservative organization.

The state capital is [[Helsinki]] and the principal exports are machines, electronics (for example mobile phones) and forestry products. [[Finnish]] is the principal language spoken, a [[Finno-Urgic]] language, it is difficult for speakers of English and Romance languages to learn, so many Finns speak English to facilitate communication with other countries. Finland is known as "the land of lakes."

The state capital is [[Helsinki]] and the principal exports are machines, electronics (for example mobile phones) and forestry products. [[Finnish]] is the principal language spoken, a [[Finno-Urgic]] language, it is difficult for speakers of English and Romance languages to learn, so many Finns speak English to facilitate communication with other countries. The second official language is Swedish, which has the same status as Finnish in the country. Finland is known as "the land of lakes".

== History ==

== History ==

The Finns have in the past resisted [[communism]], first declaring independence after the [[Russian Revolution]] in 1917, and then inflicting very heavy and humiliating losses on the [[Soviet Union]] in the [[Winter War]] of 1939-40. Because of many Soviet miscalculations, including using troops from the [[Caucasus]] who were not habituated to the cold (it was one of the coldest winters on record, too), and because the Finns were able to adopt tactics centered around fast-moving guerrilla units, the Finnish army was able to kill some 120,000 Soviets while only losing 25,000 of their own men. This has been considered by many as a sign that [[Stalin's]] purges had weakened the Red Army high command, and that guerrilla warfare could be very effective against even modern mechanized forces. The defensive line built to protect Finland was known as the [[Mannerheim]] Line, after Marshal Mannerheim, the Finnish President. Eventually, the line was breached and Finland was made to cede territory in [[Karelia]]. In 1941, Finland joined the [[Nazi Germany]] in attacking the Soviet Union, but its forces didn't participate in the [[Siege of Leningrad]]. Mannerheim also refused to cut the Murmansk railway, which the citizens of Leningrad, nowadays St.Petersburg, remember even today. In 1944 Finland made a separate peace with the Soviet Union, ceding the Arctic Ocean port of [[Petsamo]], and undertaking to maintain a policy of strict neutrality in the post-war years (the so-called [[Finlandisation]] policy).  

The Finns have in the past resisted [[communism]], first declaring independence after the [[Russian Revolution]] in 1917, and then inflicting very heavy and humiliating losses on the [[Soviet Union]] in the [[Winter War]] of 1939-40. Because of many Soviet miscalculations, including using troops from the [[Caucasus]] who were not habituated to the cold (it was one of the coldest winters on record, too), and because the Finns were able to adopt tactics centered around fast-moving guerrilla units, the Finnish army was able to kill some 120,000 Soviets while only losing 25,000 of their own men. This has been considered by many as a sign that [[Stalin's]] purges had weakened the Red Army high command, and that guerrilla warfare could be very effective against even modern mechanized forces. The defensive line built to protect Finland was known as the [[Mannerheim]] Line, after Marshal Mannerheim, the Finnish President. Eventually, the line was breached and Finland was made to cede territory in [[Karelia]]. In 1941, Finland joined the [[Nazi Germany]] in attacking the Soviet Union, but its forces didn't participate in the [[Siege of Leningrad]]. Mannerheim also refused to cut the Murmansk railway, which the citizens of Leningrad, nowadays St.Petersburg, remember even today. In 1944 Finland made a separate peace with the Soviet Union, ceding the Arctic Ocean port of [[Petsamo]], and undertaking to maintain a policy of strict neutrality in the post-war years (the so-called [[Finlandisation]] policy).