Finland Languages

Although there are many languages used in Finland, the official languages are Finnish and Swedish. The Finnish language is one of the Finnic languages and belongs to the family of Uralic languages. The Finnish language is also related to languages such as Nenets, a Samoyedic language, and Hungarian which is Ugric language. Around eight Finnic languages have been identified, and the widely spoken languages among them are the Estonian and the Finish languages. The Swedish Language is one of the North Germanic languages which is predominantly used in Sweden, and approximately 10 million people use the language in other countries. Swedish is mutually intelligible with both the Danish and Norwegian languages and is spoken by some residents of Finland.

More than 90% of Finland’s population speaks the Finnish language. The most significant percentage of the remaining population speaks Swedish. Apart from Finnish and Swedish, other commonly spoken languages in Finland are Romani, Sami languages, and Karelian. A large amount of the population can speak and understand English. Other minority languages include German, French, and Russian. Less than 10% percent of the total population of Finland use Finnish sign language and other minor languages.

Finnish is the most commonly used language in Finland. Other countries such as Sweden use the Finnish language. Some unique Finnish expressions are only in Finland. These phrases include “hei" for hello, "kiitos" for thank you. Other interesting phrases include “hotelli” which means a hotel and “huone” which means room.

Finland has a variety of minority languages that are common in the country, which include the Sami languages. The Sami language refers to a group of languages prevalent in Lapland, which are distantly related to Finnish. There are three variants of the Sami languages spoken in Finland, which include Inari Sami, Skolt Sami, and Northern Sami. These languages have a combined population of around 1,800 speakers. Another minority language is the Karelian language, which is understood by approximately 11,00 to 12,000 people. The Russian language is also a minority language in Finland.

This page was last modified on May 1st, 2018

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Published on 2019-11-06


Capital	Helsinki
Languages	Finnish (official) 88.3%, Swedish (official) 5.3%, Russian 1.4%, other 5% (2016 est.)
Ethnic Groups	Finn 93.4%, Swede 5.6%, Russian 0.5%, Estonian 0.3%, Romani 0.1%, Sami 0.1% (2006)
Religion	Lutheran 72%, Orthodox 1.1%, other 1.6%, unspecified 25.3% (2016 est.)
Government	Parliamentary republic
Independance	6 December 1917 (from Russia)
Area	338,145.00 km²
Water Area	34,330.00 km²
Land Area	303,815.00 km²
Population	5,498,211.00 The vast majority of people are found in the south; the northern interior areas remain sparsely poplulated
Location	Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, and Gulf of Finland, between Sweden and Russia
No. Bordering Countries	3
Bordering Countries	Norway 709 km, Sweden 545 km, Russia 1,309 km
GDP(PPP)	$226,000,000,000.00 (USD)
GDP (Per Capita)	$40,600.00 (USD)
Export Partners	Its major export partners are Germany, Sweden, and the United States.
Export Commodities	Its main exports are electrical and optical equipment, machinery, and transport equipment.
Import Partners	Its major import partners are Germany, Sweden, and Russia.
Import Commodities	Its major imports include foodstuffs, petroleum and petroleum products, and chemicals.
Climate	Cold temperate; potentially subarctic but comparatively mild because of moderating influence of the North Atlantic Current, Baltic Sea, and more than 60,000 lakes
Terrain	Mostly low, flat to rolling plains interspersed with lakes and low hills
Learn More	Finland

Finland Languages

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