POLITICS
According to the Constitution of July 17, 1919, amended several times, Finland is a parliamentary republic. Head of State is the President of the Republic, elected for 6 years by universal suffrage, who enjoys extensive powers in foreign policy. Legislative power belongs to the unicameral Parliament, whose 200 members are elected for 4 years by universal suffrage with the proportional system; the executive one belongs to the State Council made up of the Prime Minister and the ministers appointed by the President of the Republic. The government must have the confidence of Parliament. The bodies that make up the armed forces are: Army, Navy, Air Force and Border Guard. Military service is mandatory. The judicial system is based on Swedish law. School attendance is compulsory from 7 to 16 years old.
ECONOMY
Despite the unfavorable natural environment and the rather marginal geographical position compared to the rest of Europe, Finland presents a very advanced economic situation. Industrial development took place entirely in the course of the last century, especially after World War II, as the complex historical events of the previous periods, in which the country had been a land of conquest by Swedes and Russians, did not allow to proceed. to an overall organization of the economy and trade. After independence, the Finns were able to demonstrate the extraordinary ability to make the most of the limited natural resources available to the country. The very lively post-war industrial dynamics mainly affected the wood and metalworking sectors, which in the Eighties, a time of great movement of products and capital, recorded the greatest successes. The recession of the 1990s dealt a violent blow to Finland’s economic fortunes. Furthermore, the collapse of the Communist bloc and the disintegration of the historical Soviet partner caused the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs (with the unemployment rate rapidly passing from 3 to 20%) and a significant increase in the deficit. Government intervention has played a fundamental role in improving this situation, with the application of strong cuts in public spending, investments in technological research and support for the development of private companies. Furthermore, the entry of the State into Furthermore, the collapse of the Communist bloc and the disintegration of the historical Soviet partner caused the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs (with the unemployment rate rapidly passing from 3 to 20%) and a significant increase in the deficit. Government intervention has played a fundamental role in improving this situation, with the application of strong cuts in public spending, investments in technological research and support for the development of private companies. Furthermore, the entry of the State into Furthermore, the collapse of the Communist bloc and the disintegration of the historical Soviet partner caused the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs (with the unemployment rate rapidly passing from 3 to 20%) and a significant increase in the deficit. Government intervention has played a fundamental role in improving this situation, with the application of strong cuts in public spending, investments in technological research and support for the development of private companies. Furthermore, the entry of the State into The European Union, which took place in 1995, allowed the country to receive subsidies from the Union and to establish new commercial relations. The resilience was so rapid that Finland already met the requisites for the adoption of the single currency in 1999. In 2017, the country recorded a GDP of US $ 275,321 million, divided between 2% of the primary sector, 30% of the secondary sector and 68% of the tertiary sector, and inflation settled at around 1.2% ( 2017). Economic growth slowed to 2.4% in 2018 and should confirm this trend in 2019-20 as well. Private consumption and investment support the economy, especially in the construction sector. It is also at the top of the rankings for quality of life and international competitiveness. Visit petwithsupplies for Finland Economy.
AGRICULTURE, LIVESTOCK AND FORESTS
Agriculture, which affects a small part of the territorial surface (less than 8% of the total territory is occupied by fields and pastures) and of the active population, tries to make up for the evident difficulties with the high mechanization and rationalization of crops. climatic. The development of the sector is partly held back by the prevalence of companies of limited size. Despite this, the country has achieved self-sufficiency as regards agricultural products, at least for basic ones. The Nordic productive areas, even beyond the Arctic Circle, are cultivated with barley (covering about a quarter of the arable land) and potatoes; at lower latitudes there are oats, widely used for feeding livestock, and wheat; in progress is the production of sugar beet, which occupies the best soils. Cattle breeding is also very well-kept, especially cattle, which produce very high quantities of milk, butter and cheeses, and pork. In Lapland, reindeer are of particular importance, for the grazing and maintenance of which Lapp farmers are guaranteed by special laws. The breeding of fur animals is also of some importance. A further resource is represented by fishing, both sea and lake; Baltic herring prevails in the catch, while the quantities of trout and salmon are lower. Finland has very rich forest resources, which extend over a large part of the territory (in proportion it is the European state that possesses the largest wooded area) which also feed a thriving pulp and paper industry. Among the species, the Pinus silvestris, which is mainly used for cutting and sawmill wood; followed by spruce, which is used in the paper industry, and birch, used for plywood.
