According to petwithsupplies, Finland is a Nordic country located in Northern Europe, and it is home to some of the largest cities in the region. The capital city of Finland is Helsinki, which is also the largest city in the country. Helsinki has a population of 642,045 people and covers an area of 715 km2 (276 sq mi). It is a vibrant city with modern infrastructure and attractions such as its beautiful harbor, numerous museums, art galleries and theaters. Helsinki also serves as an important cultural center for Finland with its many festivals, events and concerts. The second largest city in Finland is Espoo, located just west of Helsinki. Espoo has a population of 280,023 people and covers an area of 528 km2 (204 sq mi). It is home to numerous technology companies such as Nokia and Microsoft as well as several universities. Espoo also has plenty to offer visitors with its many parks, sports facilities and shopping centers. Tampere is the third largest city in Finland with a population of 238,140 people occupying an area of 212 km2 (82 sq mi). It is known for its industrial heritage with many factories that were built during the 19th century still standing today. Tampere also boasts plenty of cultural attractions such as its large theater district, art galleries and museums. Turku is Finland’s fourth largest city with a population of 184,861 people occupying an area of 741 km2 (286 sq mi). Located on the southwestern coast near the Baltic Sea it was once the capital city before Helsinki took over that role in 1812. Turku still retains much of its medieval charm with cobbled streets lined by old buildings that have been preserved since their construction centuries ago. Oulu rounds out Finland’s top five cities with a population of 132,741 people covering an area 822 km2 (318 sq mi). Oulu lies on the shores of both Lake Oulujarvi and Gulf Of Bothnia making it one of Finland’s most idyllic cities surrounded by nature yet still offering plenty to do for visitors including shopping centers and nightclubs. In 2008, Finland was a parliamentary republic with a President as its Head of State. The President was elected by the people and had the power to appoint government ministers and dissolve parliament. The Prime Minister was the head of government and was appointed by the President. Finland is located in Northern Europe, bordered by Sweden to the west, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east. Finland is also a member of both NATO and the European Union (EU) since 1995. Since Finland’s independence in 1917, it has remained neutral in international conflicts. It did not join World War II on either side, but allowed Germany to use Finnish territory for its operations against Soviet forces during that conflict. After World War II ended, Finland maintained good relations with both East and West blocs but leaned towards neutrality during the Cold War period. In 2008, Finland continued to pursue a policy of neutrality as part of its foreign policy agenda. This included maintaining good relations with its neighbours such as Sweden and Norway as well as taking part in various international peacekeeping operations around the world such as UNIFIL in Lebanon or EUFOR Tchad/RCA in Chad/Central African Republic. Finland also took an active role in promoting regional security cooperation through organizations such as OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) or NATO’s Partnership for Peace program which aimed at strengthening ties between European states through joint military exercises or arms control agreements. Economically speaking, Finland was one of Europe’s most prosperous countries due to its strong manufacturing sector which produced high quality products such as electronics or engineering goods that were exported all over Europe and beyond. In 2008, Finland’s GDP per capita ranked amongst highest in EU countries at $37,800 USD (€29 700). At the same time however unemployment rate stood at 8%. Overall, despite some economic challenges facing it at that time due to global recessionary trends, Finland still enjoyed relative political stability thanks largely to its foreign policy agenda which focused on neutrality combined with strong economic performance from the manufacturing sector which enabled it to remain one of Europe’s most prosperous countries even during difficult times such as those seen at the start of 21st century. Check eningbo for Finland in 2012.