Finland                     courageand perceverance

GEOGRAPHY. Finland is part of Scandinavia, a geographical region in northern Europe, and shares land borders with Norway, Sweden, and Russia. The Baltic Sea borders the country to the south and southwest. The coastline in this part of the country is speckled with nearly 180,000 small islands.

A majority of the people living in Finland were born and raised in the country, and nearly 90 percent of the population speaks Finnish. Finland is also home to the Sami, a herding people once known as the Lapps. They live in Lapland, where they herd reindeer.

Many Finnish cultural customs reflect its forested landscape. While other European cultures historically viewed forests as dark and threatening, the Finns see forests as places of shelter and adventure. Today, many Finns have second homes in the woods to escape city life.