5 - History of Finland
ACTUAL REPUBLIC In order to understand Finland today, one must first discover the history of Finland and its neighbouring countries such as Sweden and Russia. Finland is a republic with a president elected by universal suffrage, unlike its neighbouring countries such as Sweden, Norway and Denmark, which are constitutional monarchies. Moreover, I did not even know who the president was until not very long ago, and it was while talking with friends that I realized that I had forgotten. The current president has been Sauli Niinistö since 1 March 2012. FINLAND AND SWEDEN Until the 11th century, people living on Finnish territory were at peace and had no political cohesion. But at the beginning of the 12th century, Finland became a strategic gateway to the East for the new kingdoms of Sweden and Denmark. As a result, Finland became part of the Kingdom of Sweden. During its rule, Sweden tried to convert Finland to Catholicism. TURKU In 1229 Turku (Åbo in Swedish, the city w