Finland Genealogy



Part of the Nordic group of northern Europe, Finland, has a cold climate that is made moderate by the surrounding waters of the Baltic Sea and North Atlantic. Most of the population are Finns, about 93 percent of the population. People originally from Sweden make up 6 percent of the population. There are then two official languages, Finnish and Swedish. Most of the citizens are of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland.

Being Nordic rather than Scandinavian the Finnish language is different from Danish and Swedish. The language is more closely related to the Estonian language. The Finns do share some common values and appearances with their neighbors. Most Finns have Nordic blonde hair and blue eyes.

One of their main characteristics is their modest and the downplaying of any of their achievements. They do not believe in calling attention to themselves and always expect courteous behavior.

Families, especially the nuclear or immediate family, have always been important in the Finnish culture, an important aspect in Finland genealogy. One of their great joys is spending time with family and friends in a sauna. Millions of private and public saunas are throughout the country.

Traditionally the Finns accept everything at face value and this is a culture where “a man’s word is his bond” and would be treated as seriously as a written contract, making verbal commitments as good as written agreements.

Over the centuries Finland has been influenced by the neighboring Baltic and Germanic regions as well as the dominating powers from Sweden and Russia.

Many Finns are emotionally connected to the countryside and nature. Besides having assets to the sauna, they love to be near a lake or river, where they fish, hike and be with nature.

They express this in the love of music and dance. There is also the famous opera singers of Finland performing the many opera houses of Finland.

The Finns with a population of about 5.4 million enjoy being competitive with others, especially in games, dance and sports. A personal trait related to Finland genealogy is that they are known for quiet determination, with the strength to face adversity head on. Over the years, no matter the political or economic situation they have learned to not give up and to quietly go about ones business in trying times.

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