Country Information FINLAND About the country Name of the country: Finland, local pronunciation: Suomi Area: 337,030 km 2 Population: 5,421,827 (2012 estimate) Capital: Helsinki. Population: 605,523 (2013 estimate) Government: Parliamentary Republic, independent since 1917. Finland is a Western democracy, with a President elected for a 6-year term (with a maximum of two terms), and a 200-member, single-chamber parliament elected every four years by direct elections on the basis of proportional representation. Language: Finland is officially bilingual: Finnish is the first language of 92% and Swedish of 5.5% of the population. About 1,700 people in Lapland speak Sami (Lapp) languages. English is widely spoken, next to German or other European languages. Time: GMT +2 (GMT +3 from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October). Religion: Mainly Roman Catholic (75%), with small Protestant and Jewish communities. Electricity: 230 volts, 50Hz. European-style two-pin plugs with receptacle and male grounding pin can be used. Money Currency: Euro (EUR; symbol €) = 100 cents. Notes are in denominations of €500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10 and 5. Coins are in denominations of €2 and 1, and 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 cents. Exchange Rates: Currency Exchange Rates* €1.00 = US$ 1. 28320 £ 0.847526 CHF 1. 21654 * Rate as on: 2nd of April 2013 Banking hours: Mon-Fri 09:00am – 4:30pm Tipping: Service charges are included in bills and tipping is not necessary, unless for exceptional service. Porters, coatroom and bathroom attendants are generally tipped. 1 | P a g e International Airports • Helsinki-Vantaa International Airport (HEL) The airport is situated about 20km from Helsinki city centre. Flights to Helsinki Vantaa International Airport are available from many destinations worldwide, including London, Moscow, Berlin, Athens, Edinburgh, Paris, Toronto, New York, Hong Kong, BeiJing, Seoul and Dubai. Regular bus services to Helsinki City and the Tikkurila railway station to the airport. From the city centre, catch bus #615 and from Tikkurila bus # 61. Both Journeys take around 30 minutes. Bus transfers from the airport to local hotels and parking areas is free of charge. The Finnair City Bus also transfers passengers to downtown Helsinki. Taxis to the city centre cost around €30 and take half an hour. Passport/Visas Finland is a signatory to the 1995 Schengen Agreement. The Schengen visa is requested for non EEA members. Non-EEA members should hold return/onward tickets, and the necessary travel documentation for their next destination. Passengers not holding onward tickets may be asked for proof of sufficient funds for their return/onward Journey. A Schengen visa is valid within the 25 following European countries: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. A Schengen visa issued by an Embassy or Consulate of the above countries allows the holder to travel freely in all of these countries. To view Visa requirements for a different country visit the following website: http://www.visahq.com Participants are responsible for their own travel to and from the event. After confirmation of the event a visa support letter will be made available for the participants by IB. Health & Safety There are no health risks attached to travel to Finland, accept for mosquito and tick bites in open nature during the spring/summer months. EU citizens can make use of Finland’s health services provided they have a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). Participants are advised to arrange an adequate health and travel insurance before departure. Climate Finland has a milder climate than one might expect. In general Finland has an extreme swing between summer and winter, with bitterly cold winters when temperatures drop to -4F (-20C) in many areas, 2 | P a g e particularly in northern Lapland. Summer, by contrast, can be surprisingly warm with temperatures rising to 68ºF (20ºC) or more. Temperatures as high as 86F (30C) are possible in the south and east of the country. The capital, Helsinki, remains fairly temperate varying between an average of 63F (17C) in July to 23F (-5C) in February. Communications The international access code for Finland is +358. The outgoing code is 00 followed by the relevant country code (e.g. 0044 for the United Kingdom). City codes are required for all calls within Finland; the area code for Helsinki is (0)9, for Turku (0)2. Emergencies: 112 Useful links • Visit Finland http://www.visitfinland.com/ • Ministry of Foreign Affairs http://formin.finland.fi/ • World Travel Guide http://www.worldtravelguide.net/finland For information regarding the venue and the accommodation, please refer to the IB Professional Development calendar 3 | P a g e .