PISA
Finland
Maija: Hi! My name is Maija and he is Matti. We are
15-year-old Finnish pupils and we are in the ninth grade. You will meet
us
in this section which presents some facts about Finland and
in the section which introduces you to the
Finnish school.
Matti: By the way, we belong to a PISA-age group and we
had the honor to do the test. I wonder how Finland will come off this time…On two
previous rounds Finland succeeded very well.
It is said that there are three things that the Finns miss when they go abroad: Sauna, Sisu and Sibelius. Behind those words seems to hide the essence of the Finnish identity. The fourth “S” which is presented besides Sauna, Sisu and Sibelius is Sampo. It is a mystical thing and it is part of the identity as well. On these pages you can read more about these Finnish icons and what they reflect. These pages will also familiarize you with some Finnish innovations and prominent persons selected from different fields, such as literature, sports and science. Innovations express Finnish know-how and creative thinking at its best. Prominent persons have for their part promoted our country by their work and achievements. The collection of important persons and innovations constitutes certain kind of Finnish canon which condenses the essence of our nationality. Building a national canon is a current issue in some countries and there have been attempts to name the building blocks of national culture. Check out our canon. Perhaps there you can find an explanation for our PISA-results …
Finland’s position
Finland is geographically positioned between the 60th and 70th northern parallels in the Eurasian continent. Finland’s nearest neighbors are Russia, Sweden and Norway.