FINLAND

Visitors who come to Finland for the first time, arriving by sea at the port of Helsinki, are immediately captured by the charm of nature, which seems to take the upper hand even in the city. It is a feeling that is sensed throughout this northern land. From Lapland, with its centuries-old customs and traditional clothing, to the Baltic Sea, travelling in Finland means moving through a people and way of life bound by a double thread to nature. "Land of 60,000 Lakes", this is the traditional phrase found in travel guides. Actually, Finland has many other faces: it is above all the country of forests, larger than those found in any other country in Europe; an open-air zoo in which, from the beaver to the eagle, numerous animal species in danger of extinction in the rest of the continent run free and wild; the land of Santa Claus, but also that of good-natured folk, as confirmed by a citizenry of marked maturity, possessing a tenacious but flexible nature, who have known how to integrate modernity and technology, achieving a distinguished cultural heights - such as the music of Jean Sibelius, the architectural works of Alvar Aalto, and the films of Aki Kaurismaki. With engaging words and sensitive images, this work illustrates the riches of a nation with an inimitable magnetism, capable of extraordinary magic in winter and surprising charm in summer. It is a land where nature is the shaping force, where men nurture feelings of pride and boldness, but also tolerance and freedom of spirit. In full colour throughout, this is the latest title in the "Countries of the World" series.