More Than an Exotic Land: Finland #i-TravelWorld
Finland is much more than an exotic land of midnight sun and innumerable lakes. The world may recognize the Finnish origins of “sauna” and “sisu” and pay homage to Jean Sibelius as a composer of genuine international stature, but these symbols of national identity cannot by themselves portray an image of Finland that does justice to the strength and diversity of the nation’s cultural and economic life. Finland is in the positive sense of the expression a land of contrasts. The country’s manufacturing base is firmly supported on two central pillars one of wood and the other of metal. Finland is Europe’s biggest exporter of paper and one of the world’s leading manufacturers of paper machines. The country has attained self-sufficiency in agricultural production and at the same time built up a fine international reputation for high technology. Finland is, for example, the world’s leading manufacturer of mobile phones and their base stations. Warm summers and severe winters ...