Finland–Norway relations

Finland–Norway relations are the foreign relations between Finland and Norway. The states share the Finland-Norway border.

Finnish-Norwegian relations
Map indicating locations of Norway and Finland

Norway
Finland
King of Norway Olav V during his visit to Finland in Suomenlinna. Behind him, President Urho Kekkonen in 1961

Both countries established diplomatic relations in 1917, after Finland's independence. Finland has an embassy in Oslo. Norway has an embassy in Helsinki.

For some decades surrounding 1900, many in Norway feared the Finnish immigration and Kven people in Northern Norway, coining the term "the Finnish danger". For a period, interests in Norway wanted to annex parts of Lapland (most notably the "arm" protruding from the north-west and into Storfjord) as buffer zones. The controversy around Finns in Norway subsided over time, and the land claim never evolved into open conflict.[1]

Both countries are full members of the Nordic Council, Council of the Baltic Sea States, NATO and of the Council of Europe. There are around 2,000 Norwegians living in Finland and around 6,665 Finns (15-60,000 including Kvens) living in Norway.[2]

Country comparison
Embassy of Finland in Oslo
Embassy of Norway in Helsinki
Sami Bridge are the national Finnish–Norwegian border crossing point which is located in Utsjoki
Three-Country Cairn is the point at which the international borders of Sweden, Norway and Finland meet
Memorial monument in honour of Norwegian volunteers who lost their lives in the Winter War between the Soviet Union and Finland in 1939-1940
Official Name Republic of Finland Kingdom of Norway
Common Name Finland Norway
Flag Finland Norway
Coat of Arms
Population 5,553,000 5,425,270
Area 338,455 km2 385,207 km2
Population Density 16/km2 14.0/km2
Capital city Helsinki Oslo
Largest Cities Helsinki – 621,863 (1,420,576 Metro)
Tampere – 223,035 (389,896 Metro)
Turku – 184,123 (318,168 Metro)
Oulu – 196,260 (241,106 Metro)
Jyväskylä – 135,762 (179,410 Metro)		 Oslo – 634,463 (1,502,604 Metro)
Bergen – 272,520 (403,730 Metro)
Stavanger – 130,426 (319,822 Metro)
Trondheim – 181,513 (267,132 Metro)
Kristiansand – 85,681 (155,648 Metro)
Government Parliamentary representative democratic republic Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Legislature Parliament of Finland Storting
First Leader Pehr Evind Svinhufvud Haakon VII of Norway
Current Leader Sauli Niinistö (President)

Petteri Orpo (Prime Minister)

 Harald V (Monarch)

Jonas Gahr Støre (Prime Minister)

Main Language Finnish and Swedish Norwegian
Main Religions 76.5% Christian
22.1% Non-Religious
1.4% Other		 82% Christian
13% Non-Religious
5% Other
GDP (nominal) US$267 billion $522 billion
GDP (nominal) per capita US$49,265 $103,586
GDP (PPP) $218.3 billion $425 billion
GDP (PPP) per capita US$40,045 $64,363
Real GDP Growth Rate -0.6% 1.6%
HDI 0.940 0.961
Military Expenditure 1.47% of GDP 1.4% of GDP
Military Finnish Defence Forces Norwegian Armed Forces
Military Personnel 365,000 69,700
Labour Force 2,685,000 2,707,000

European Union

Finland joined the EU in 1995. Norway has never been a member of EU.

NATO

Both Norway and Finland are full member of NATO.

Resident diplomatic missions
  • Finland has an embassy in Oslo.
  • Norway has an embassy in Helsinki.

See also

References
  1. Eriksen, Knut Einar; Niemi, Einar (1981). Den finske fare. Sikkerhetsproblemer og minoritetspolitikk i nord 1860–1944 (in Norwegian). Oslo: Universitetsforlaget. ISBN 82-00-05574-4.
  2. Statistics Norway
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