A Brief History of Finland

The first signs of human settlement in Finland go back to 10,000 years ago. Over the centuries, Finland has sat precariously between the Protestant Swedish empire and Eastern Orthodox Russia. From the 12th century until 1809, it was part of Sweden. Nationalism surged during the latter half of the 19th century and Finland gained autonomy as a Grand Duchy. The downfall of the tsar of Russia and the Communist revolution in 1917 made it possible for the Finnish senate to declare independence on 6 December 1917.

In the 1990s Finland's overheated economy went through a cooling off period marked by the floating of the Finn markka. Finland voted to join the European Union in late 1994 and became a full member in 1995. A UN survey in 1998 rated Finland fifth in the world in terms of quality of life.