People
In the sauna, everyone is equal. Perhaps that's why equality and democracy are so important in Finland. There is also a great deal of equality between the sexes - more than 40% of the Members of Parliament are women. The same Finnish word is used for both "he" and "she".
Most people speak Finnish as their mother tongue, while six per cent speak Swedish. A few thousand people in Lapland speak Sami. As you travel around the country, whether you're in a Swedish, Finnish or Sami speaking area, you'll find that most people speak at least a little English. So don't worry, you don't need to learn Finnish, except for one important word: Kiitos . Thank You.
The Sami in Finland
The Sami ("sapmelas" in Sami) are the indigenous people of northern Europe, with their own history, language, culture and way of life. There are over 75,000 Sami living in the Sami homeland ("Sapmi" in Sami). This area stretches from northernmost Finland westward into Norway and Sweden and eastward into the Kola Peninsula in Russia. Their way of life is based on herding reindeer, which the round up once a year. On special occasions they dress in the colorful traditional Sami national dress.
The Sami in Finland
The Sami ("sapmelas" in Sami) are the indigenous people of northern Europe, with their own history, language, culture and way of life. There are over 75,000 Sami living in the Sami homeland ("Sapmi" in Sami). This area stretches from northernmost Finland westward into Norway and Sweden and eastward into the Kola Peninsula in Russia. Their way of life is based on herding reindeer, which the round up once a year. On special occasions they dress in the colorful traditional Sami national dress.
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Living in Finland brings out people's creativity in technology, science and the arts. Maybe the secret is that the Finns don't take themselves over-seriously.
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