ABSTRACT
Though it lies geographically just to the east of the Scandinavian peninsula and 93 percent of its 5.1 million inhabitants speak a Finno-Ugric language (Finnish), Finland is both governmentally and culturally one of the five Scandinavian (more properly Nordic) democracies and maintains close consultative relations at the ministerial level with its western neighbors: Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Iceland. Finland is also a member of the European Union.
