The Republic of Finland is a Nordic country in northern Europe, with an area of 130,596 square miles (338,424 square kilometers), bordering Sweden, Norway, and Russia. Numbering 5.4 million, Finland's residents live mostly in the southwest portion of the country, near the capital city of Helsinki. The national languages of [Page 286]Finland include both Finnish and Swedish. Approximately 83 percent of the population are Christians. Finland has been a member of the United Nations since 1955, the European Union since 1995, and the euro zone since its launch in 1999. With a 2010 gross domestic product (GDP) of $239.2 billion and growth rate of 3.1 percent, the Finnish economy is largely reliant on exports and manufacturing, specifically in the wood, metal, engineering, telecommunications, and electronics ...