Show Fin lands lanas economic program Is based on farm and forest r 01 1 MP W J 3 q J 7 3 16 f ax T n f A aa A 01 f X FINNISH WOMEN have had the privilege of voting since 1 1906 jand and through t the years have assumed many tasks normally assigned to men in other countries here a group of them are arc laying paving stones in front of the new post office and station in Helsing fors the nations center of government european republic plays important international role prep prepared ged by notional national geographic society washington ashington D C service finland suomi to finns is represented in the american melting pot of races by native born finns or residents of finnish ancestry it is bet ter known however for the prompt payments on its debts the loan from the united states was not truly a war debt since finland during the world war did not exist as a nation that could incur debts it was still a p part art of the crumbling russian empire the money was borrowed to establish the new finnish national regime set up in 1918 after a successful revolution though one of Eu ropes dwindling family of war baby nations finland is not small with the dismemberment of poland the republic takes its place as the sixth largest country on the continent it is two thirds the size of france three times the size of england it would rank next to california and texas in the united states throughout Fin lands square miles however the finns are scattered with semi pioneer spacing in no district does the population density exceed 0 one ne sixth of that for england and the count rys average is only a awen ty fifth of En glands average northernmost nation finland is the worlds farthest north nation it lies within the latitudes of greenland which is sheathed in ice but finland is is covered instead with forests principally the pine and spruce in international demand for timber and a smaller quantity of the birch which makes Fin lands superior plywood with its intricate network of lakes V and waterways to float logs to the coast and as a leading industry finland can lead all europe in the export of sawn timber more than four fifths of Fin lands exports comes from the forests as lumber wood pulp cellulose paper plywood or wood manufactures such as matches spools skis and airplane propellers forest conservation insures that man shall not cut more timber than a years growth can replace the ice age has left still fresh footprints in its northward retreat across finland lakes of them they occupy almost a tenth of the area within the count rys boundaries on the southern border between finland and the soviet union stretches broad ladoga cadoga the largest lake in europe the farmer as a rule is a forester and a fisherman as well with woods around his land except where t water gives him a broader blue horizon th the e forest farmer is typical of suomi where more than three fourths of the people are rural and only five cities have more than inhabitants less than a tenth of the land is cultivated but it yields the thrifty finn a sufficiency of rye and potatoes with enough fodder for his live stock the cattle in turn supply butter and cheese distributed throughout northern european i countries largely by coop co op societies e women outnumber men alen like england and other countries 1 c that suffered heavily from the world war finland has more women than men having had the privilege of voting since 1906 the women have assumed the responsibility of work which men do in other countries hod carrying bricklaying brick laying lumber jacking street car Fin lands men have been particularly outstanding in athletics giving their nation a preeminence pre eminence in sports like that of ancient greece three of the world records set by the flying finn paavo nurmi one of the fastest things on feet are still unbroken north of the glacier carved lakes and deep forests stretches Fin lands arctic where the midnight sun for six weeks makes summer hotter than it is miles south in the capital city helsinki the small pet samo stretch of arctic seacoast thanks to the gulf stream is is ice ice free and of great potential value for shipping in case of baltic sea hazards due to ice or hostilities |