Finland is located in Northern Europe bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia and Gulf of Finland. It has an area of 337,030 square kilometres. Its capital city is Helsinki. Finland had a population of 5,158,000 in 1999 with a growth rate of 0.15%. The population is concentrated in the southwest coastal plains.

The country has two official languages. Finnish and Swedish. There are small Russian speaking minorities. The main religion is Evangelical Lutheran.

Finland has a cold climate, sometimes sub arctic, however the influence of the North Atlantic Current and Baltic Sea moderate temperatures. The terrain is mostly flat with lakes and low hills. 76% of the land is forest and woodland.

Finland gained independence from Russia in 1917 and is governed as a republic. The executive branch of government consists of a President, Prime Minister and Council of State or Valtioneuvosto appointed by the president. The members of the parliament are elected by popular vote based on proportional representation.

Finland has a highly industrialised economy centred on wood, metals and engineering. Agriculture is limited due to the cold climate. The majority of the labour force are employed in public services and industry. The currency of Finland is the Euro.

Franchising is growing in Finland. The Finnish Franchise Association is a member of the European Franchise Federation.

There is no specific franchise law in Finland.