ABSTRACT
The deepening of the social division of labour has lead to increasing regional diversification of the rural areas. Finland is one of the most northerly countries in which agriculture is carried on and, despite its sparse habitation, Rural Finland has a comprehensive infrastructure and network of social services. The countryside of northern Finland as a whole is marginal area from geometrical, ecological, economic, social and political point of view. The deepest-level structure is made up by the zonal differences in the primary production; these differences are remarkable in a country as large as Finland. The development of Finland’s countryside takes place in distinctive phases, initiated by waves of change. From a Western European viewpoint, urbanisation and industrialisation in Finland took place rather late but with exceptional pace. Agriculture and forestry, the principal rural livelihoods, are areal industries very much dependent on natural conditions, particularly the climate.
