¹     Finland is an amazing country. Because it is so far north, it has many unique features. There are people, places, and even animals found in Finland that are hard to find anywhere else. Here, you'll read about a place covered by lakes and forests, Finland's cities, and a beautiful animal known as the reindeer.
 
²     Finland is in northern Europe. It is in a part of Europe known as Scandinavia. Other countries found in the Scandinavian region are Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Finland is in Eastern Scandinavia, between Sweden and Russia. Finland is in the far north. It is so far north, that parts of Finland lie inside the Arctic Circle.
 
³     If you think that it can be cold in Finland, you would be right! During Finland's long winter it gets as cold as -15 degrees Celsius in the south and as cold as -30 degrees Celsius in the north. Many thousands of years ago, it was even colder in Finland. Ice covered much of the country. As the world got warmer, a lot of the ice melted. The melting ice left behind many lakes. Today, Finland is covered in lakes and waterways.

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