Finland trivia: 48 questions and answers

Helsinki. Helsinki, on the Gulf of Finland, is the capital and largest city. Stockholm is the capital of Sweden.

Finnish and Swedish. Finnish and Swedish are the two national languages. Three Sámi languages also have official status in the Sámi homeland in the north.

True. True. Finland joined NATO on 4 April 2023, after decades of military non-alignment.

6 December. On 6 December 1917 Parliament approved the Declaration of Independence, and 6 December is Finland's Independence Day.

Sweden. Finland was part of the Kingdom of Sweden from the Middle Ages until 1809, when it became a Grand Duchy within the Russian Empire.

Turku. The capital moved from Turku to Helsinki on 8 April 1812, on the orders of Emperor Alexander I, to bring it closer to St Petersburg.

Elias Lönnrot. Elias Lönnrot compiled the Kalevala from folk poems. Sibelius was a composer, Agricola translated the New Testament and Tove Jansson created the Moomins.

True. True. The Soviet Union invaded on 30 November 1939. The war ended with the Moscow Peace Treaty on 13 March 1940; Finland kept its independence but lost about 9 percent of its land.

False. False. Women won the vote in 1906, while Finland was still a Grand Duchy. It was the first place in Europe where all adult women could vote, and 19 women were elected to parliament in 1907.

Rice porridge. Today most Karelian pasties have a thin rye crust around rice porridge, and they are served with egg butter.

A rye crust, like a loaf of bread. Kalakukko is fish and pork baked for hours inside a rye crust, like a loaf of bread, so that the fish bones soften.

Reindeer. Poronkäristys is thinly sliced reindeer meat, fried and simmered, and served with mashed potatoes and lingonberries.

False. False. Mämmi is an Easter dessert, eaten cold with cream and sugar.

True. True. In a public vote around Finland's 100th year of independence, dark rye bread was chosen as the national food.

Johan Ludvig Runeberg. The tortes are named after the national poet Johan Ludvig Runeberg, and 5 February is Runeberg Day. Legend says he liked one for breakfast.

Vappu, on 1 May. Sima is made for Vappu, on 1 May, the May Day festival, and is served with doughnuts or funnel cakes.

Tampere. Tampere grew around textile mills powered by the Tammerkoski rapids, which earned it the nickname 'Manchester of the North'.

True. True. Oulu, the largest city in northern Finland, shares the title for 2026 with Trenčín in Slovakia.

The Sámi. The Sámi: Inari is known as the capital of Sámi culture, with the Siida museum and the Sajos cultural centre.

False. False. Jyväskylä is inland, in the lake district, on the northern shore of Lake Päijänne.

Sweden. Sweden began building the fortress, then called Sveaborg, in 1748 as a defence against Russia. It surrendered to Russia in 1808.

It is built directly into solid rock. It is built directly into solid rock, with a copper dome and skylights, which is why it is also called the Rock Church.

Old Rauma. Old Rauma, the wooden old town of Rauma, was inscribed in 1991. The other three are famous, but they are not World Heritage Sites.

Pine logs. The church was built of pine logs from 1763 to 1765, and it is on the World Heritage List for its Nordic wooden church architecture.

True. True. The castle stands on an island in a strait between two lakes in Savonlinna and is the stage of the Savonlinna Opera Festival.

True. True. Alvar Aalto designed it down to the last detail, and it opened in 1971. In 2026 it became part of the 'Aalto Works' World Heritage Site.

Sámi culture and the nature of northern Lapland. Siida is about Sámi culture and the nature of northern Lapland: it is home to the Sámi Museum and the Northern Lapland Nature Centre, and won the European Museum of the Year Award in 2024.

About 188,000. Finland has about 188,000 lakes larger than 500 square metres (187,888 by one official count).

About 3.3 million. UNESCO counts about 3.3 million saunas in a country of about 5.5 million people.

True. True. Finland has been ranked first every year since 2018. The ranking is based on how people rate their own lives from 0 to 10.

False. False. The land is still rising after the Ice Age, so Finland gains about 7 square kilometres of land each year.

Fox fires. Revontulet means 'fox fires', from an old belief that the lights were the glow of a fire fox's fur.

Wife carrying. Wife carrying began in Sonkajärvi in 1992: a runner races along a course carrying a partner.

Swedish. Tove Jansson, a Finland-Swedish writer, wrote the Moomin books in Swedish.

Grit and determination. Sisu means grit and determination, the strength to keep going when things are hard. It is seen as part of the Finnish character.

Suomi. Finland is Suomi in Finnish. Sisu means grit, saari means island and sauna is the same in English.

The steam that rises when water is thrown on the hot stones. Löyly is the steam that rises when water is thrown on the hot stones of the sauna stove, and the heat that comes with it.

False. False. Kiitos means 'thank you'.

Kippis!. Kippis! means cheers. Kiitos is thank you, moi is hi and anteeksi is excuse me.

Missä on vessa?. Missä on vessa? means where is the toilet. The others mean how are you, how much is this, and do you speak English.

True. True. Tervetuloa means welcome, and you will see it on many signs and doormats.

True. True. The main stress is on the first syllable, as in KEE-tohs (kiitos) and HÜ-vaa (hyvää).

On the right. In Finland people drive on the right, and headlights must be on whenever you drive.

True. True. Headlights must be on while driving, in every season.

112. The emergency number in Finland is 112. It is free from any phone, and help is available in Finnish, Swedish and English.

True. True. Everyone's right lets you walk in the countryside and pick wild berries and mushrooms, even in private forests, but not close to people's homes.

False. False. Finns usually go to the sauna without clothes, but at a home sauna a swimsuit or towel is fine, and mixed public saunas usually ask you to wear a swimsuit. Only the saunas at swimming pools usually ask you to go without one.

Swedish. Helsinki is a bilingual city, so signs are in Finnish and Swedish. Its Swedish name is Helsingfors.