Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1921.djvu/883

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.

DifTfiUCTION 831

northern boundary of Finland, north-east of the Arctic Ocean. Finland took possession on February 13, 1921. The territory has been renamed Petsamo. The new territory has an area of 3,860 square miles, and a population of 1,700 (700 Finns, 300 Karelians, 400 Lapps, 300 Russians). The population is concentrated in village communities near Petchenga- fjord. Petsamo will constitute a separate province. The territory is in a very backward condition. Its formerly flourishing seal-fishery, agriculture, and reindeer rearing are practically at a standstill. An administration is being established which will make the necessary arrangements for developing the resources of the country, railways (there is only one bad road), posts, telegraphs, education, and other departments that will place the country on a level with Finland. The total area of Finland is thus 129,549 square miles. Population is shown as follows : —

Tears In Towns In Country Total Men Women

1914 504,337 2,765,064 3,269,401 , 1,626,856 1,642,545

1915 512,226 2,788,424 3,300,650 1,643,207 i 1,657,443

1916 521,208 2,803,795 3,325.003 1,655,911 j 1,669,092

1917 ! 528,515 2,818,338 3,346.853 1,667,210 1,679,643

1918 522,608 2,809,206 3.331.514 1.646.227 1,685,587

Of the total population there were at end of 1917 : — Lutherans, 3,283,035 ; Oreck Catholics and Raskolniks, 56, SI 5 ; Roman Catholics, 606 ; Baptists, etc., 6,397.

The chief towns, with population, of Finland are (1919) : — Helsinki (Helsingfors) (with Suomenlinna), 187,544 ; Turku (Abo), 56,168 ; Tampere (Tammerfors), 46,353 ; Viipuri (Viborg), 29,753 ; Oulu (Uleaborg), 21,940; Fori (Bjorneborg), 17,603; Waasa (Yasa). 24,776 ; Kuopio, 18,".

The movement of the population for three years was as follows : —

Tears

Marriages Births Deaths Excess of Births

1916 1917 1918

19,297 79,653 54,577 25.076 20,004 81,046 58,863 .83 15,008 79,494 95,102 -15,608

The births and deaths are exclusive of still births, numbering, in 1918, 2,001 or 2 46 per cent of total births.

Emigration, 1914, 6,474; 1915, 4,041; 1916, 5,325 ; 1917, 2,773; 1918, 1,900 ; 1919, 1,085.

Instruction.

In 1918 Finland had 1 university (at Helsingfors) (founded in 1640 at Abo, and removed to Helsingfors after having been burned down in 1827), with 2.563 students (774 women) : in 1919 a second university, entirelv Swedish, was opened at Abo. In 1918 there were also 1 technical high school, 609 students (19 women) ; 2 commercial high schools with 156 students. For secondary education there were in 1919 76 lvceums, with a curriculum of 8 or 9 years, 18,037 pupils (6,797 girls) : 36 "middle schools (the first five years of the curriculum), 3,401 pupils (1,803 girls) ; 24 girls* colleges (middle schools), 5,179 pupils; 17 extension classes (the last 3 years of the curriculum), 623 pupils. There were 8 training colleges for