Finland (Finnish: Suomi, Swedish: Finland), officially the Republic of Finland (Finnish: Suomen tasavalta, Swedish: Republiken Finland), is one of the Nordic countries. It is situated in Northern Europe, bounded by the Baltic Sea with the Gulf of Finland to the south and the Gulf of Bothnia to the west. Finland has land frontiers with Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east. The Åland Islands, off the south-western coast, are under Finnish sovereignty while enjoying extensive autonomy.

Finland has a population of five million people spread over more than 330,000 km² (127,000 sq. mi) making it one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world (see list of countries by population density).

Finland is ranked thirteenth on the 2005 United Nations Human Development Index.

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NPR Topics: Visual Arts

At Beijing Olympics, Photographers Shine
Tue, 19 Aug 2008 16:31:00 -0400
Olympic photographers rely on talent, technology and strategic positioning to capture images that become signature moments of the games. Making those pictures happen in a fast-moving track event is a special challenge.
Waterboarding At Coney Island: The Thrill That Chills
Sat, 16 Aug 2008 00:01:00 -0400
It might not be surprising that waterboarding, the controversial interrogation technique that simulates drowning, would become the subject of satire. But it was shocking to many when artist Steve Powers created an attraction called the Waterboard Thrill Ride.
Finding Beijing's Not-So-Hidden Art Treasure
Thu, 07 Aug 2008 13:00:00 -0400
A few years ago a handful of renegade artists staked their claim just outside Beijing, away from the eye of the authorities. Now 798, as the area is called, is a bustling arts zone supported by the Chinese government.
A Cross-Country Road Trip Back In Time
Sun, 03 Aug 2008 20:54:00 -0400
In the summer of 1973, photographer Stephen Shore set out on a quintessential American adventure. Now, 35 years later, his journey has become the focus of a book titled A Road Trip Journal. It reflects an America when gas was about 43 cents a gallon.
Experts Uncover A Painting Van Gogh Covered Up
Sat, 02 Aug 2008 20:07:00 -0400
A work by Vincent Van Gogh was recently uncovered at a museum in the Netherlands. But it wasn't lost in some dusty corridor, it was hidden under the paint of another Van Gogh. Scientists found it by using a giant X-ray machine.
For Artists, Craigslist Is Both Medium And Message
Wed, 30 Jul 2008 16:51:00 -0400
Los Angeles-based collaborators went to the online bulletin board for inspiration — then took to the streets to ask Angelenos what Craigslist has done for them.

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