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| 3297 |
Much of the geography of Finland is explained by the Ice Age. The glaciers were thicker and lasted longer in Fennoscandia compared with the rest of Europe. Their eroding effects have left the Finnish landscape mostly flat, covered largely (86% of land area) by coniferous taiga forests and fens, with little cultivated land. Finland is known also as "the land of the thousand lakes", because it has about 188,000 lakes, among which the largest is Saimaa, the fourth largest in Europe. The area with the most lakes is called Finnish Lakeland.
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| 2026 |
Nothing is more Finnish than spending summer holidays at a lakeside or island cottage, known in Finnish as a mökki. Most mökki are constructed from wooden logs on lakesides or beaches and usually contain a sauna, boat dock, and a outdoor cooker. Around a fifth of Finns own their own cottages, with many more renting one during the summer season. Many people also visit cottages owned by their friends and relatives, particularly just in time for the Midsummer holiday.
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