Finland Facts

In Finland, PhD graduates receive a doctoral top hat and a ceremonial sword at their conferment ceremony, a tradition dating back to the 1600s.

In Finland, fines are income-based. In 2002, a Nokia executive received a US$103,000 speeding ticket.

In Finland, Valentine's Day is called "Ystävänpäivä" which translates into "Friend's day".

There's a wife-carrying championship that takes place in Finland every year where the winner receives his wife's weight in beer.

Nokia was once famous as a manufacturer of toilet paper.

In 2005, the Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, insulted Finnish cuisine and joked that Finns ate “marinated reindeer”. In 2008, Finland won an international pizza contest, beating Italy. The name of the winning pizza was “Pizza Berlusconi” and it was made of smoked reindeer.

Nearly every baby born in Finland gets a government-issued cardboard box. Inside: clothes, diapers, a sleeping bag, a mattress, and supplies. The box itself is the baby's first bed. Finland has given it to new families since 1938. Its infant mortality rate has since dropped from one of Europe's worst to one of the world's lowest, though researchers say the box alone can't explain it.