Right now, it is dark outside, but not just because it is the night! Being this close to the arctic circle in winter, the sun may only come up for three to four hours a "day" or even less further north. Extreme climate and snowy weather, as well as the beauty of the northern lights, may be the two most common images of Finland's environment. However, there are all four seasons in Finland, especially in the south, and this past summer, it got so hot that even the reindeer headed to the beaches to cool down! Global warming is especially apparent this far north, and Finns do all they can to stay green and preserve the environment.
Most of Finland is sub-arctic which means, while we do not have polar bears, we do have extreme freezing temperatures, arctic storms and almost total darkness in the winter. Finland also bears a striking resemblance to its sister nation, Norway, "land of the midnight sun," in summer, where the sun can shine for nearly 24 hours a day because of the Earth's tilt. However, the sub-arctic climate means we get other seasons too, here: beautiful foliage in the fall, plenty of fun at the beach or water park in summer and beautiful, vast forests, lakes and shady, mossy hills to explore in late spring.
