FINLAND - NATURE

Lakes

Finland is the country with the most waters in the whole world. 10% of Finland's surface is covered by lakes. There are 187,888 lakes in Finland larger than 5 ares (500 square metres). Most are small, but there are 309 lakes or reservoirs larger than 10 km².

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nice stamps.

Received from: Winkkara

Winter greetings

Winter usually begins in mid-October in Lapland and during November in the rest of Finland, though not until December in the southwestern archipelago. It thus takes about two months for winter to proceed from Lapland to Åland. The sea and large lakes slow down the progress of winter. Winter is the longest season in Finland, lasting for about 100 days in southwestern Finland and 200 days in Lapland. North of the Arctic Circle, part of winter is the period known as the "polar night", when the sun does not rise above the horizon at all. In the northernmost corner of Finland, the polar night lasts for 51 days. In southern Finland, the shortest day is about 6 hours long.

 

A nice stamp.

Received from: Siru62

 

 

Tourist centre at Sallatunturi Fjeld

A beautiful stamp.

Received from: gimaho

 

Forests

Finland is the most extensively forested country in Europe. Forests cover 86 percent of its land area. There are about four and half hectares of forest to every Finn.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nice stamps.

Received from: Aqality

Finland

The landscape is covered mostly (seventy-five percent of land area) by coniferous taiga forests and fens, with little arable land. The most common type of rock is granite. It is a ubiquitous part of the scenery, visible wherever there is no soil cover. Moraine or till is the most common type of soil, covered by a thin layer of humus of biological origin. Podzol profile development is seen in most forest soils except where drainage is poor. Gleysols and peat bogs occupy poorly drained areas.

 

 

 

A nice Moomin stamp.

Received from: Elmanaakka

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Baltic Sea

The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. The Baltic Sea occupies a basin formed by glacial erosion during the last few Ice Ages. During winter, fast ice, which is attached to the shoreline, develops first, rendering the ports unusable without the services of icebreakers. In spring, the Gulf of Finland and the Gulf of Bothnia normally thaw during in late April, with some ice ridges persisting until May in the eastern extremities of the Gulf of Finland. In the northernmost reaches of the Bothnian Bay, ice usually stays until late May; by early June it is practically always gone.

 

A nice stamp.

Received from: cicus

 

 

 

Autumn colours at Pallastunturi

Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park is Finland’s third largest National Park. Geologically Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park is located between Northern Finland, Forest Lapland and Fell Lapland, making it a very varied and interesting habitat. In the park’s forests and on its fells there is a mix of northern and southern species. It is also the area in which visitors can see the transition area where peoples livelihood changes from farming to reindeer husbandry. The picturesque beauty of the Pallastunturi Fells has made the area one of the Finnish national landscapes.  

 

 

A nice stamp.

Received from: Lilla

A Frozen Waterfall

Waterfalls are one of nature’s most dynamically beautiful phenomena, even when the water isn’t falling. This postcard of a frozen waterfall shows what happens when Mother Nature decides to take a snapshot of her most moving creations. Finland in winter is a frozen waterfall paradise.

A nice stamp.

Received from: Sami