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 Finnish man named Ari Kivikangas who spends his life 24/7 in front of his webcam.

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.

Every baby born in Finland gets a government-issued cardboard box. Inside: clothes, diapers, sleeping bag, mattress, and supplies. The box itself is the baby's first bed. Finland started this in 1938 — and its infant mortality rate dropped from one of Europe's worst to one of the world's best.