Finland

Finland, or Suomi in Finnish, is a republic in Northern Europe. The country comprises most of Finnish people's ancient homeland. A Proto-Finno-Ugric language was spoken in the region since around 8000-5300 BC. Finno-Ugric languages, including Finnish, are descendants of this proto language.

Finnish tradition and mythologies are, much like the Finnish people themselves, a combination on influences from multiple directions. The oldest layer of Finnish tradition lies in the shamanistic traditions and myths that were common in Northern Eurasia. This was during the time when Finns were hunter-gatherer people. The arrival of agriculture brought new beliefs with it: the old, shamanistic elements got mixed with later influences coming from other agricutural peoples, such as the Baltics and the Norse.

Regions
Finland is divided into 19 regions: Åland, Northern Karelia, Southern Karelia, Northern Savonia, Southern Savonia, Ostrobothnia, Southern Ostrobothnia, Central Ostrobothnia, Northern Ostrobothnia, Kainuu, Tavastia Proper, Päijät-Häme, Central Finland, Lapland, Pirkanmaa, Satakunta, Uusimaa and Southwestern Finland.

Finns elsewhere
Historical Finnish minorities have existed in nearby regions outside of Finland. These include:
 * Forest Finns (metsäsuomalaiset): Savonians who moved to Central Sweden and Norway in the late 16th century and early 17th century. Have largely assimilated into Swedes and Norwegians: the last known Finnish-speaking Forest Finn died in 1969.
 * Finns of Finnmark (ruijansuomalaiset): Finns who moved to Finnmark in Northern Norway in the 1700s and 1800s. Some have developed their own identity as Kvens, who were officially granted minority status in Norway in 1996. Some would call themselves Finns, some as Kvens only as a separate identity.
 * Ingrian Finns (inkeriläiset or inkerinsuomalaiset): Finns who moved to Ingria in the 1600s when it came under the rule of the Kingdom of Sweden. In the late 1600s, Finns were the majority in Ingria. The flow of Finnish migration to Ingria lessened when the area came back under Russian rule in 1703. Ingrian Finns were heavily oppressed under the Soviet regime, and nowadays the largest Ingrian Finnish population lives in Finland.
 * Torne Valley Finns (tornionlaaksolaiset): There is a Finnish minority in Torne Valley, close to the Finnish border on Sweden's side, which has existed from times when Finland was still a part of Sweden.