Traveling in Finland

Facts About Finland

Official Languages:
Finnish, Swedish

Time Zone:
GMT + 2 hrs

Population:
5.4 million

Capital:
Helsinki

Lakes:
188 000

Islands:
180 000

National parks:
37

Geographic size:
338,000 km2, of which 33 000 km2   water

Traffic and driving:

  • Right-hand traffic
  • No road tolls.
  • Headlights must be used at all times.
  • Snow tires are required from December to February.

Cities by Population:

  • Helsinki (590 000 ;  metropolitan area: 1,25 million)
  • Espoo (250 000)
  • Tampere (215 000)
  • Vantaa (200 000)
  • Turku (180 000)
  • Oulu (145 000)
  • Vaasa (67 000)

Swedish Speaking Finland

Svenska Österbotten

Svenska Österbotten, or Swedish Ostrobothnia, is a coastal region in western Finland where the majority of the population speaks Swedish as their first language; the region is also known for its unique dialects, which vary from village to village.  In the region you can also discover the Kvarken Archipelago, Finland’s sole Natural World Heritage Site on the UNESCO list, is renowned for showcasing the land uplift phenomenon from the last Ice Age. Along with Sweden’s High Coast, it offers the world’s best setting to observe and understand this geological process. Vaasa is the largest city in the region, serving as a cultural and economic hub.

Åland Islands

Åland consists of nearly three hundred habitable islands, of which about eighty are inhabited, across about 600 square miles of sea. Cropping up in between are nearly 6,000 islets and rocks. Ninety per cent of the Ålanders live on Fasta Åland (the Main Island), which is also the site of the capital town of Mariehamn. 90% of Ålanders speak Swedish.  Linguists believe that their dialect is more closely related to Uppland Swedish than Finland’s Swedish.

Åboland

Åboland is a coastal region in southwestern Finland, known for its archipelago, which includes thousands of islands and skerries. It is part of the larger Archipelago Sea, with Turku (Åbo) being the main city nearby. Turku is the administrative, economic and cultural center of Åboland. The region is also known for its natural beauty, with several national parks and conservation areas protecting its unique marine and island ecosystems.

Nyland

Nyland (New land) is the Swedish-speaking area in Finland which runs from Lovisa on the east clear to Hangö, which was the last bit of land seen by emigrants sailing westward from Finland. Today, Nyland is the most densely populated area of Finland, including the capitol Helsingfors  or Helsinki.

Summer Travel Precaution

Tick Born Encephalitis and Lyme disease

written by Gunnar Damstrom

When travelling in Europe and Asia, you need to be aware about tick born infections. Two types are prevalent: Lyme disease and TBE (tic born encephalitis). TBE is not endemic in the United States, although some of its mosquito-borne relatives, such as West Nile and St. Louis encephalitis, are. As far as I know there is no known protection against Lyme disease. However, if you happen to be infected, the infection can be efficiently treated by antibiotics (amoxicillin). The nastier infection that we need to worry about is TBE (tick born encephalitis). TBE cannot be treated with antibiotics and patients often are debilitated for life. The good news is that there is effective inoculation against TBE. One effective vaccine is Encepur. My wife and I obtained Encepur inoculation in Finland many years ago. It was not available in Seattle at that time; however I have heard that people go up to Canada to obtain the vaccine. You need to have three Encepur inoculations about four weeks apart for it to be efficient.

It is said that if you discover and remove the tick within 24 hours, you won’t get infected by Lyme disease. With TBE you get infected instantly. I get bit by ticks three or four times per summer. Mostly I don’t worry about getting antibiotics; however last year I discovered a tick in my navel. Not knowing how long it had been there, I got myself a ten day amoxicillin cure just to be safe.

Useful information can be found on the Columbia University Medical Center website.

Reprinted with permission from The Quarterly