Votre ami Finlande [antikvár]

Finland's NatureThe forests and lakes are important elements to the Finns. Forest industry products are still Finland's most important export articles.Of the country's entire surface area, 69 % is covered by forests, of which 3.2 % is conservation area. Today, concerted efforts are being made to protect the forests and diversify their use. The forests in southern Finland are mature after 80 years of growth, and in Lapland only after 150 years. About 70 % of the forests is privately owned.Finland has 188,000 lakes, but most of them are small, making a total of only 10 % of the country's entire surface area. On the coastline, there are 28,000 islands. The total extent of the country's lake shorelines is 300,000 km. The rivers are fairly short and narrow. Kemijoki is Finland's longest river. The biggest lakes are Iso-Saimaa, 4380 km2, and Inarinjárvi, 1017 km2.As a whole, Finland consists mainly of lowlands, with an average altitude of 152 meters above the sea level. The only mountains surpassing 1000 meters are the northern fells Haiti (1328 m), Kahperusvaarat (1144 m), and Saana (1029 m). In spite of its low relief, the Finnish landscape is very varying. Most of the bedrock is among the oldest in the world. The age of the gneiss bedrock of eastern Finland is estimated to be 2700 million years. The soil consists mostly of moraine, clay and peat, the most common rock being granite. About 25 % of the entire land area is covered with mires.The Finnish winters are cold, and there is rainfall at any time of the year. In southern Finland, the temperature averages between -6 °C in February and +17,5 °C in July. In Lapland, people have to endure -14 °C in January, but in July the temperature rises to an average of+14,4 °C.The most common trees are pine, spruce, birch, alder, and aspen. In the south, you can also find maples, linden and oak trees. Back in the olden days, rowan was considered a holy tree by the Finns. There are over 200 nesting bird species. Most common mammals are elk, fox, hareand squirrel. Major predators such as brown bears, wolves, wolverines and lynx can also be found, but in limited numbers. The wolverine and the arctic fox are endangered species. The reindeer, a semi-wild animal, gives many people in the north their livelihood. Its kin, the wild reindeer is rare.In Finland, the so called public right of access applies, which means that you can roam about in the woods and forests, but you may not light fires or cause any damage to the natural environment. Berries and mushrooms can be picked freely.Finland is one of the world's northernmost agricultural countries. About 65 % of the country is covered by forests, the agricultural area being about 8 %. The total area under cultivation is about 2.41 million hectares. Most of the farms are smaller than 10 hectares, but the present trend is towards bigger units. Agriculture and cattle breeding are highly mechanised. The main crops are wheat, rye, barley, oats, oleiferous plants, potatoes and sugarbeet. The growth period is about 170 days in southwest Finland and only 100 days in Lapland. Cultivating in these circumstances requires tenacity and an entrepreneurial spirit.It is not an easy task, but the land rewards those who work hard. The Finnish State grants considerable subsidies to agriculture, and nowadays farmers get agricultural support from the European Union. To be granted these subsidies, the applicant country must fulfil certain environmental criteria.In Finland the most serious environmental concerns are the acidification of the soil and global warming caused by fossil fuels. These are international problems, to which Finland is also looking for solutions at the EU-level. In 1994, Finland ratified the Rio de Janeiro international agreement concerning biodiversity, and in 1995, the Ministry of the Environment decided to establish a national environmental action programme. In order to preserve the diversity of nature, individual attitudes and actions are just as important as these public efforts.