Europe · The modern states
Finland
1917–present
Finland declared independence from Russia on 6 December 1917. A short, bitter Civil War (1918) between socialist "Reds" and conservative "Whites" (the latter victorious under Mannerheim, with German help) shaped the new republic, which became a parliamentary democracy with a strong president.
- Existed
- 1917–present
- Shown on the map
- 1918–2024
- Peak area
- 444k km²
- Region
- Europe
Overview
Finland declared independence from Russia on 6 December 1917. A short, bitter Civil War (1918) between socialist "Reds" and conservative "Whites" (the latter victorious under Mannerheim, with German help) shaped the new republic, which became a parliamentary democracy with a strong president. Attacked by the USSR in the Winter War (1939–40), Finland's outnumbered forces inflicted heavy Soviet losses but had to cede territory (Karelia). Seeking to recover it, Finland fought the Continuation War (1941–44) alongside Germany, then turned against German forces in the Lapland War. Finland preserved its independence and democracy but ceded territory and paid reparations, adopting a policy of careful neutrality ("Finlandisation") during the Cold War. It joined the EU in 1995 and — decisively abandoning neutrality after Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine — joined NATO on 4 April 2023. Present status (Sept 2026): President Alexander Stubb (since March 2024); Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (National Coalition Party, since June 2023).
Common questions
- What was Finland?
- Finland declared independence from Russia on 6 December 1917. A short, bitter Civil War (1918) between socialist "Reds" and conservative "Whites" (the latter victorious under Mannerheim, with German help) shaped the new republic, which became a parliamentary democracy with a strong president.
- When did Finland exist?
- Finland existed 1917–present. On this map it is drawn 1918–2024.
- How large was Finland?
- At its greatest extent drawn on this map, Finland covered about 444,000 km². That is the largest area the border data gives it across the years it is drawn, not necessarily its greatest extent in history.
Sources
This compendium cites its sources once for the whole document rather than per territory. Its bibliography names the English Wikipedia articles for each state as the primary basis, cross-checked against Encyclopædia Britannica, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the ICTY and the 2004 Wiesel Commission for genocide and atrocity figures, and current news reporting (Reuters, AP, BBC, and others) for 2025–2026 political developments, which should be verified against live sources. The article this entry is anchored on:
- Wikipedia — Finland en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finland
This entry was last updated .
This entry was researched and drafted with AI from the sources above, and has not been reviewed by a historian. How entries are made
Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0: reuse it with a credit to The World Through Time and a link to this page. Passages drawing on the Wikipedia articles listed above are also licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 by their contributors.
Border geometry for the map itself comes from Cliopatria v0.12 (Seshat Global History Databank, CC-BY-4.0).
See Finland in its world
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