Category: Finnish Nature

10 Fun Facts about Perch

Here are some fun facts about Finland’s national fish

What do you known about perch (Perca fluviatilis)?
It’s a fish?
Yep!
And here are some more fun facts about perch.

10 Fun Facts about Perch

1. Perch is Common in Finland

Perch is not too picky fish. It thrives in lakes, ponds, rivers and coastal waters. Therefore perch are found throughout the country, with the exception of the northernmost part.

2. Perch is Easy to Recognize

Perch is quite easy to recognize thanks to its red fins and dark stripes on its side.

3. What Do Perch Eat?

Small perch eat zooplankton. As perch grows, it also eats insects, benthic organisms and other fish.

4. Perch is “Ahven” in Finnish

In Finnish, perch is called “ahven”.

5. Perch is Finland’s National Fish

Perch is Finland’s national fish.

6. Perch is a Common Catch in Finland

If you go fishing in Finland, your first catch might be perch. The total catch of perch by recreational fishermen is usually over 10 million kg (22 million pounds) a year

7. How to Catch a Perch?

The most common methods of fishing in Finland are angling with a hook and line, spinning, fishing net and ice fishing (in winter).

8. How Big is Perch?

Perch grows quite slowly. Perch can be 20 years old, weight 3 kg and be over 50 cm long. But if you catch a perch in Finland, most often the weight is less than 0.5 kg and the length is about 15 to 35 cm.

9. Finland’s Biggest Perch

The biggest perch caught in Finland weighted 2.87 kg. It was caught in the Åland islands in 2010.

10. Perch is a Tasty Fish

Perch is a great to eat. It can be fried, smoked or grilled. In Finland perch is also used for traditional food called “kalakukko”, which is a bit like a round rye bread filled with fish.

More info about perch:
Fishing in Finland
Pro Fish ry (in Finnish)
Federation of Finnish Fisheries Associations (in Finnish)
Image by Pro Kala ry

10 Fun Facts about Finnish Forests

Forests are very important to Finns.

Forests are important to Finns. Here are some fun facts about Finnish forests.

Fun Facts About Finnish Forests

1. Finland is the Most Forested Country in Europe

Forest areas cover about about 75 percent of Finland’s area. This makes Finland the most forested country in Europe.

2. About 13 % of Finland’s Forests are Protected

There are 2.94 Million hectares of protected forests in Finland. This means that about 13 percent of Finland’s forests are protected.

3. Finland’s National Tree is Birch

Silver Birch is Finland’s national tree.

4. Pine is the Most Common Tree in Finland

In Finland, there are about 30 domestic tree species. Most common are pine, spruce and birch. Pine is the most dominant. About 65 % of Finland’s forests are dominated by pine.

5. Over 100 Million Tree Seedlings a Year

Finnish forests keep growing. About 150 000 000 tree seedlings are planted in Finland every year.

6. Finnish Forests are Full of Berries

In Finnish forests grows about 50 varieties of wild berries. Of these, 37 are edible and about 20 are suitable for picking. The total amount of berries in Finnish forests is estimated to be over 500 million kg a year, but just about 3-10 % are picked.

7. Finnish Forests are Made for Mushroom Hunting

Finnish forests are great for mushroom hunting. The total yield of edible mushrooms in Finnish forests is estimated at 1000 million kg a year.

8. Bear is the King of the Finnish Forest

Brown bear is Finland’s national animal. In Finnish, bear is “karhu”. It is also referred as the king of the forest (metsän kuningas in Finnish) as it’s the biggest predator in the finnish forests.

9. Tapio is the God of the Finnish Forest

According to Finnish mythology, the god of the forrest was called Tapio. He ruled the forest with his wife Mielikki. As the bear was the biggest animal in the forest, it was sometimes thought to be a manifestation of Tapio.

10. Finns Live Near the Forest

Although most of the Finns live in cities, they haven’t moved too far from the forest. On average, Finns live about 700 meters from the nearest forest.

Sources:
Forest Finland
Arktiset Aromit

10 Fun Facts about Finnish Lakes

Here are fun and interesting facts about Finnish lakes

Here are some fun and interesting facts about Finnish lakes.

Fun Facts About Finnish Lakes

1. Finland is the land of 168 000 Lakes

Finland is often called the land of a thousand lakes. In total there are 168 000 lakes in Finland (with size larger than 500 m²). If we count just the big ones, with a size one hectare or larger, than the number of lakes is 57 000.

2. Saimaa is the Largest Lake in Finland

Saimaa is the largest lake in Finland covering an area of 1393 km².

3. Päijänne is the Deepest Lake in Finland

Finnish lakes are fairly shallow, even the big ones. For example the average depth of Lake Saimaa is just about 10 meters. The deepest Finnish lake is Päijänne with a maximum depth of 95 meters.

4. Koddejärvi is at the Highest Altitude

Lake Koddejärvi in Enontekiö is at the altitude of 987 meters. It is at the highest altitude of the lakes in Finland.

5. Lappajärvi is the Largest Crater Lake in Europe

Lake Lappajärvi is the largest lake crater lake in Finland, and in Europe. It was created by a meteorite that hit Earth about 78 million years ago.

6. Lokka is the Largest Reservoir

In Finland there are also some man-made reservoirs. the largest is the Lokka reservoir in Lapland. It covers an area of 441 km².

7. Siedgaladdy in the Northernmost Lake in Finland

Siedgaladdu is the northernmost lake in Finland. It is located in Enontekiö, not far from the Finland’s northernmost point in Utsjoki.

8. Black Pond is the Most Common Lake Name

Mustalampi (= Black pond) is the most common name for a lake in Finland. Finnish word for lake is järvi. The most common lake name that includes the word järvi is Saarijärvi, which could be translated as island lake.

9. Riihilampi the largest “Pond” in Finland

In Finland there are some quite large lakes which are called ponds. Finnish word for pond is lampi. The largest lake in Finland that is called a pond is the Riihilampi in Liperi. It covers an area of 287 hectare.

10. Inari has the Most Number of Lakes

Inari municipality in Lapland has more lakes than any other Finnish municipality. In Inari there are a total of 8033 lakes. Inari is also the largest municipality in Finland which might explain its large number of lakes. One of these lakes is Lake Inari, which is the third largest lake in Finland.

Sources:
Järviwiki
Statistics Finland
European Network for Rural Development