Summers

=**__//Finland//__**= ==

//**Report Criteria:**//
//**The major reigion practiced in Finland is Lutheranism**// //**The languages spoken are Finland is Finnish and Swedish**// //**President Tarja Halonen is currently the president 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.**// //**The euro replaced the markkaa as the official currency in 2002. The euro is divided into 100 cents. There are coins in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 50 cents and 1 euro and 2 euros. There are notes of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, and 500 euros.**//
 * **__Major Government__**
 * Finland is parliamentary republic, with a president and a prime minister.**
 * __**Major Religions**__
 * __**Languages Spoken**__
 * __**Current leader or president**__
 * __**Brief history of the country including any important people and major wars**__
 * **__//Currency//__**

//**Finland's holidays include New Year's Day(January 1), May Day(May 1), Independence Day(December 6), and Christmas(December 25-26). Movable holidays incude Good Friday, Easter Monday, Whitsun, and Midsummer Day(late June).**// //**The population of Finland is estimated to be about 5,167,486.**// //**Finland has an area of 130,128 square miles, slightly smaller than the state of Montana.Finland borders on Rusia to the East, Sweden to the West, and Norway to the South. The Gulf of Finland lies on the South East, the Baltic Sea to the South West, and the Gulf of Bothnia to the West.**// //**The major resources in Finland are milk, hogs, beef cattle, barley, sugar beets ,potatoes, oats, birch, pine, spruce, paper products, machinery, ships, wood products, electronics, iron ore, copper, and zinc.**//
 * __**Major cultural traditions (holidays/foods etc..)**__
 * __**Climate**__
 * Finland's climate is comparatively mild for the hig altitude.**
 * **__Population__**
 * __**Geography**__
 * __**Major resources**__
 * __**Major tourist attractions and or historical sights**__
 * The historical and religous sights of Finland are the Lutheran Cathedral, the Temmpeliaukio, and the Uspenski Cathedral.**

//**The unemployment rate of Finland is 8.2%.**// =//**__Sources__**//= // **Worldmark Encyclopedia of National Economies.** Ed. Sara Pendergast and Tom Pendergast. Vol. 4: Europe. Detroit: Gale, 2002. p127-140. // //   **Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practices.** Ed. Thomas Riggs. Vol. 2: Countries: A-L. Detroit: Gale, 2006. p366-371. // //     **Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations.** Ed. Timothy L. Gall and Jeneen M. Hobby. Vol. 5: Europe. 12th ed. Detroit: Gale, 2007. p199-215. // //**     Clark, Geri. Finland: Enchantment of the World. Canada & U. S. A. : Children's Press, 2009. **//
 * //__**Median Family Income**__//
 * //__**Must include a Work Cited Page with a minimum of 4 resources (1 book 3 websites)**__//