Post Series: Finland

The Finnish Reformation Today we are visiting Finland and in particular its historical capital, Turku. Located in the south-western region of Finland Proper, Turku was founded at the end of the thirteenth century and is thus the oldest city of Finland. While Helsinki is the present capital of Finland, Turku remains an important city, particularly…

Finland is one of the richest nations in the world. And yet, as Indian philosopher Vishal Mangalwadi once noted, Finland has never been a colonial Empire. Neither can we attribute its prosperity to its natural resources… So what made this prosperity possible? A closer look into the past of this country will reveal the enormous…

What elements are needed to build the sense of being a nation? Do we need a common language, a common culture, a common history, a common law, or a combination of all these things? In this episode I will be exploring one of the main elements that built the Finnish nation.  First of all, in…

The Finnish education system is recognized as one of the best of the world today. And yet, a person from the 17th century would consider this to be nothing short of a miracle. So how did Finland become one of the most educated nations in the world? To explore this, we will continue our journey…

A hostile climate didn’t keep Finland from improving its living conditions and becoming one of the most thriving democracies on earth. But what made this achievement possible? To find a clue, we will visit a small village in the region of Ostrobothnia near the Baltic Sea called Nedervetil in Swedish and Alaveteli in Finnish. The…