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Portal:Finland/Selected article/1
Turku
(
Finnish:
[?turku]
ⓘ
;
Swedish
:
Abo
[?oːbu]
ⓘ
) is a
city
in
Finland
, founded in the
13th century
. Turku is the fifth largest city in Finland, with a population of 175 286 (2007), and is located in the south-west of the country at the mouth of the
Aura river
. It is the
capital city
of both the region of
Finland Proper
and the province of
Western Finland
, as well as being the centre of the country's third largest
urban area
with over 300,000 inhabitants.
Turku is the former capital and oldest city in Finland, having been founded on an as yet undetermined date during the late
13th century
. It has a long history as the country's largest city and administrative centre, but has during the last two centuries lost that status to
Helsinki
. As a remnant of its long history, the city hosts a number of important historical landmarks, such as the
Turku Castle
and the
Cathedral of Turku
.
Due to the city's location, the sea is also an important part of its history and present. Today the
Port of Turku
is possibly the most important seaport in the whole of Finland.
Portal:Finland/Selected article/2
The
Finnish Civil War
was a part of the national and social turmoil caused by
World War I
in Europe. The war was fought from January 27, 1918 to May 15, 1918, between the forces called the "Reds" led by the
People's Deputation of Finland
under the control of the Finnish
Social Democrats
, and the forces called the "Whites", led by the
Senate of Vaasa
representing the
Senate of Finland
formed by the bourgeois parties. The defeat in World War I and the
February
and
October revolutions
in 1917 caused a total collapse of the
Russian Empire
; and the destruction of the mother country resulted in a corresponding breakdown of Finnish society during 1917. As there were no generally accepted police and army forces to keep order in Finland after March 1917, the left and right began building security groups of their own, leading to the emergence of two independent armed military troops, the
White
and
Red Guards
. The Whites were the victors in the war that followed. The Civil War remains the most controversial and emotionally loaded event in the history of modern Finland. Approximately 37,000 people died during the conflict, including casualties at the war fronts, and deaths from political
terror
campaigns and high prison camp mortality. The turmoil destroyed the economy, split the political apparatus, and divided the Finnish nation for many years. (
more...
)
Portal:Finland/Selected article/3
The
Kauhajoki school shooting
was a
school shooting
that occurred on 23 September 2008, at
Seinajoki University of Applied Sciences
in
Kauhajoki
, a city in
Western Finland
. The gunman, 22-year-old
culinary arts
student Matti Juhani Saari, shot and fatally injured ten people with a
semi-automatic pistol
, before shooting himself in the head. He died a few hours later in
Tampere University
Hospital. One woman was injured but was in a stable condition.
The shooting took place at the Kauhajoki School of Hospitality, owned by the Seinajoki Municipal Federation of Education. The facilities and campus were shared between the Seinajoki University of Applied Sciences and the Seinajoki Vocational Education Centre - Sedu. Saari was a second-year student in a Bachelor of Hospitality Management degree programme.
The incident was the second school shooting in less than a year in Finland, the other being the
Jokela school shooting
in November 2007, in which nine people including the gunman were killed. Before that, only one other school shooting had taken place in the country's history, in
Rauma
in 1989, leaving two people dead.
Portal:Finland/Selected article/4
Gyromitra esculenta
is an
ascomycete
fungus from the genus
Gyromitra
, widely distributed across Europe and North America and one of several species of fungi known as
false morels
. It normally sprouts in sandy soils under
coniferous
trees, in spring and early summer. The
fruiting body
, or mushroom, is an irregular brain-shaped
cap
dark brown in colour which can reach 10 cm (4 in) high and 15 cm (6 in) wide, perched on a stout white
stipe
up to 6 cm (2.4 in) high. Although potentially fatal if eaten raw,
Gyromitra esculenta
is a popular delicacy in
Scandinavia
, Eastern Europe, and the upper
Great Lakes region
of
North America
. It may be sold fresh in
Finland
, but it must be accompanied by warnings and instructions on correct preparation. It is eaten in
omelettes
, soups, or
sauteed
in
Finnish cuisine
. Once popular in the
Pyrenees
, it is now prohibited from sale for consumption in Spain. Although it is still commonly consumed after
parboiling
, recent evidence suggests that even this procedure may not make the fungus entirely safe; thus raising concerns of risk even when prepared properly. When consumed, the false morel's principal active agent,
gyromitrin
, is metabolized into the toxic compound
monomethylhydrazine
. The toxin affects the
liver
,
central nervous system
, and sometimes the
kidneys
. (
more...
)
Portal:Finland/Selected article/5
Personent hodie
is a
Christmas carol
originally published in the 1582
Finnish
song book
Piae Cantiones
, a volume of 74 Medieval songs with Latin texts collected by Jaakko Suomalainen, a Swedish
Lutheran
cleric, and published by T.P. Rutha. The song book had its origins in the libraries of
cathedral song schools
, whose repertory had strong links with medieval
Prague
, where
clerical
students from Finland and Sweden had studied for generations. A melody found in a 1360 manuscript from the nearby
Bavarian
city of
Moosburg
in Germany is highly similar, and it is from this manuscript that the song is usually dated.
Portal:Finland/Selected article/6
Helsinki
(in
Finnish
;
listen
ⓘ
), or
Helsingfors
(in
Swedish
;
listen
ⓘ
) is the
capital
and largest city of
Finland
. It is in the southern part of Finland, on the shore of the
Gulf of Finland
, by the
Baltic Sea
. The population of the
city
of Helsinki is 569,892 (2008), making it the most populous municipality in Finland by a wide margin. The foreign-born population stands at around 10%.
Helsinki, along with the neighbouring cities of
Vantaa
,
Espoo
, and
Kauniainen
, constitutes what is known as the capital region, with over 1,000,000 inhabitants. The
Greater Helsinki
area contains 12 municipalities and has a population of over 1,300,000. The Greater Helsinki accounts for a quarter of the population of Finland, 29% of jobs, and a third of the GDP.
Helsinki is Finland's capital for business, education, research, culture, and government. Greater Helsinki has eight universities and six technology parks. Some 70% of foreign companies operating in Finland have settled in the Helsinki region. The immigration of rural residents has made it one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in Europe.
Finland's main international airline hub,
Helsinki-Vantaa airport
is 40 minutes from the city center, with direct flights around the world. The busy Helsinki-
Tallinn
route takes 1.5 hours by sea and 18 minutes by helicopter. Two other big cities in Finland,
Tampere
and
Turku
, can be reached in 1.5 - 2 hours by train and 1.5 - 2.5 hours by car.
Portal:Finland/Selected article/7
Tampere
(
Finnish:
[?t?mpere]
ⓘ
;
Swedish
:
Tammerfors
[t?mːær?forsː]
ⓘ
) is a city in southern
Finland
located between two lakes,
Nasijarvi
and
Pyhajarvi
. Since the two lakes differ in level by 18 metres, the rapids linking them,
Tammerkoski
, has been an important power source throughout history, most recently for generating electricity. Tampere is dubbed the "
Manchester
of Finland" for its industrial past.
The Tampere region, or
Pirkanmaa
, which includes outlying municipalities, has around 470,000 residents, 230,000 employed, and 25 billion euro turnover as of 2007.
Tampere is the most populous inland city in any of the
Nordic countries
. The city has a population of 209,000, and Tampere's metropolitan area has a population of over 340,000. Tampere is the third most-populous municipality in Finland, after the
Greater Helsinki
municipalities of
Helsinki
and
Espoo
. Helsinki can be reached in 1.5 - 2 hours by train and 2 - 2.5 hours by car. The distance to
Turku
is approximately the same.
Tampere airport
is the second busiest international airport in Finland with 800,000 passengers annually.
Portal:Finland/Selected article/8
Finnish
(
suomi
ⓘ
, or
suomen kieli
) is the language spoken by the majority of the population in
Finland
(92% as of 2006
[update]
) and by
ethnic Finns
outside of Finland. It is one of the two
official languages
of Finland and an official minority language in
Sweden
. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and
Meankieli
, a Finnish dialect, are spoken. The
Kven language
, which is closely related to Finnish, is an official minority language in
Norway
.
Finnish is a member of the
Finno-Ugric language family
and is
typologically
between
fusional
and
agglutinative languages
. It modifies and
inflects
the forms of
nouns
,
adjectives
,
pronouns
,
numerals
and
verbs
, depending on their roles in the
sentence
.
Portal:Finland/Selected article/9
The
Flag of Finland
(
Finnish
:
Suomen lippu
,
Swedish
:
Finlands flagga
), also called
Siniristilippu
("Blue Cross Flag"), dates from the beginning of the 20th century. It features a blue
Nordic cross
on a white background. Blue represents lakes and the sky, and white represents snow and the white nights of the Finnish summer. The state flag has a
coat of arms
in the centre, but is otherwise identical to the civil flag. The swallow-tailed state flag is used by the military. The presidential standard is identical to the swallow-tailed state flag but also has in its upper left corner the Cross of Liberty after the
Order of the Cross of Liberty
, which has the President of Finland as its Grand Master.
Like Sweden's, Finland's national flag is based on the Scandinavian cross. It was adopted after independence from Russia, when many patriotic Finns wanted a special flag for their country, but its design dates back to the 19th century. The blue coloring is said to represent the country's thousands of lakes and the sky, with white for the snow that covers the land in winter. This color combination has also been used over the centuries in various Finnish provincial, military, and town flags.
Portal:Finland/Selected article/10
The
Coat of Arms of Finland
were granted at the burial of
Gustav Vasa
in
1560
and still remain the arms of the
Republic of Finland
. The arms were also used as the official symbol of the
Grand Duchy of Finland
.
The blazon as described in the act on the arms of Finland (381/78) may be translated as follows:
"Gules, among nine roses argent, a lion rampant crowned Or, having for its dexter forepaw a human arm armoured, brandishing a sword and in base a falchion fesswise reversed, both of the second hilted of the third."
Portal:Finland/Selected article/11
Our Land
,
Maamme
(
Finnish
), or
Vart land
(
Swedish
), is the title of
Finland
's
national anthem
. Finnish law doesn't state anything about a national anthem so the song has an unofficial status.
The music was composed by the
German
immigrant
Fredrik Pacius
, with (original
Swedish
) words by
Johan Ludvig Runeberg
, and was performed for the first time on 13 May 1848. The original poem, written in 1846 but not printed until 1848, had 11
stanzas
and formed the prologue to the great verse cycle
The Tales of Ensign Stal
("Fanrik Stahls Sagner"), a masterpiece of
Romantic nationalism
. The current Finnish text is usually attributed to the 1889 translation of
Ensign Stal
by
Paavo Cajander
, but in fact originates from the 1867 translation by
Julius Krohn
.
The Tales of Ensign Stal
were much appreciated throughout all of
Scandinavia
. Up until the time of Finland's independence in 1917–18, when the song began to be recognized as specifically applying to Finland, Pacius's tune and Runeberg's text were often also sung in
Denmark
,
Norway
, and
Sweden
. Note that in the original Swedish text there is no reference to Finland (except for in verses 4 and 10, which are rarely sung), only to a country in the north, but the Finnish text explicitly refers to Finland. The poem's theme is, furthermore, remarkably similar to that of the national anthems of Sweden (
Du gamla, Du fria
) and Norway (
Ja, vi elsker dette landet
).
Some Finns have proposed that the Finnish national anthem be changed to
Finlandia
by
Jean Sibelius
, with lyrics by
V.A. Koskenniemi
(Finnish) and
Joel Rundt
(Swedish). It is also said that Pacius composed the tune in a mere fifteen minutes, with no idea that it would become so important to the people of Finland that they would eventually make it their national anthem. There are also those who simply prefer Finlandia as a musical piece, although critics call it difficult to sing.
The tune of Maamme has similarities with the German drinking song
Papst und Sultan
. Many believe that Fredrik Pacius intentionally or unintentionally copied parts of the tune. Another Finnish patriotic song,
Sotilaspoika
, composed by Pacius, also includes similarities with
Papst und Sultan
.
The melody of Maamme is also used for the national anthem of
Estonia
with a similarly themed text,
Mu isamaa, mu onn ja room
,
My Fatherland, My Happiness and Joy
(1869).
Portal:Finland/Selected article/12
The
Finland Plot
,
Finland Plan
,
Finland Strategy
or
Finland Declaration
(
Thai
:
???????????, ??????????????????, ??????????????
) are names of a controversial agenda espoused by
Sondhi Limthongkul
and supporters affiliated with the
People's Alliance for Democracy
(PAD) in May 2006 describing a plot allegedly developed by
Thai
Prime Minister
Thaksin Shinawatra
and former
Thai communist Party
members to make a regime change; the royal power severed or restrained, one-party system, authoritarian rule by one party. The 'plot' allegedly was planned in
Finland
in 1999 during Thaksin's visit.
However Thaksin admitted that he and his team were on vacation trip in Finland in 1997.
The allegations had a negative impact on the popularity of Thaksin and his government, despite the fact that no evidence was ever produced to verify the existence of a plot.
Thaksin
and his
Thai Rak Thai
party vehemently denied the accusations and sued the accusers. Thaksin's supporters blasted it as a propaganda to topple the premier's rule.
Portal:Finland/Selected article/14
Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne
is a
third-person shooter
video game developed by the Finnish
Remedy Entertainment
and produced by
3D Realms
. The game is a direct sequel to the 2001 video game
Max Payne
. It was released by
Rockstar Games
for
Windows
on October 15, 2003, for
Xbox
on November 25, 2003, and for
PlayStation 2
on December 2, 2003. In
Max Payne 2
, the player controls Max, a detective for the
New York City Police Department
(NYPD). In the game's predecessor,
Max Payne
, the developers played all the roles, except for Max. In
Max Payne 2
, however, professional actors were used to model and voice all the characters.
Max Payne 2
continues the story of Max Payne, who was a fugitive undercover cop framed for murder in
New York City
at the end of
Max Payne
. Two years after the events of the first game, Max has cleared his name and is now an NYPD detective. He reunites with Mona Sax, whom he first met in the previous game. Max meets his new NYPD partner, Valerie Winterson, who later tries to kill Mona because she is a fugitive and had stumbled upon secrets that were not meant for her to know. However, Max kills Winterson first, and he and Mona set out to resolve a conspiracy of death and betrayal, finding the mysterious Inner Circle in the center of it all.
Video game critics gave
Max Payne 2
generally favorable reviews. Praise focused on its action and story, while criticism targeted its short length. Despite the positive reception, the game sold poorly, leading Rockstar Games' parent company
Take-Two Interactive
to cite
Max Payne 2
'
s sales as a cause for the company's reforecasted finances of 2004.
Max Payne 2
received several industry awards, including Outstanding Art Direction at the
Golden Satellite Awards 2004
, and Editors' Choice Awards from
GamePro
,
IGN
, and
GameSpy
.