Facts about Finland Independence day

Finland has 179,888 islands and 187,888 lakes Finland Independence day Facts

Finland is the most sparsely populated country in the European Union, with only 16 inhabitants per square km Finland Independence day Facts

Finns drink the most coffee per person than any other country. They each drink 12kg of coffee every year, that is twice as much as Italians and three times more than Americans. Finland Independence day Facts

The only commonly used English word taken directly from Finnish is 'sauna'. Finland Independence day Facts

There are more saunas than cars in Finland. Finland Independence day Facts

'Saippuakivikauppias', which is the Finnish word for a dealer in soapstone, is the world's longest one word palindrome (it reads the same backwards as forwards). Finland Independence day Facts

Finland has more heavy metal bands per capita than any other country in the world. Finland Independence day Facts

Despite it being often referred to as one of the Scandinavian countries, Finland is not part of Scandinavia. It is part of Fennoscandia, a larger region that includes the Scandinavian Peninsula, Finland, Karelia and the Kola Peninsula. Finland Independence day Facts

Finland was part of Sweden from the 12th century. From 1809 until independence in 1917, it was part of the Russian Empire. Finland Independence day Facts

Finland's capital Helsinki is the most northerly city to stage the Summer Olympics, which it did in 1952. It had been chosen for the 1940 event which was cancelled because of the Second World War. Finland Independence day Facts

The first Grand Duke of Finland as part of the Russian Empire was Alexander I, who was also Emperor of Russia and later became King of Poland. Finland Independence day Facts

In Finland on National Sleepy Head Day (July 27th), the last sleeping member of the family must be woken with water. You can pour a bucket of water over their head or throw them into a lake, river or the sea. This holiday is related to the legend of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus. It began in the middle ages with the belief that the person in the household who slept late on this day would be lazy and non-productive for the rest of the year. Finland Independence day Facts