Europe before Eurono ©       Europe before Euro
Finland
Finland Suomen Tasavalta
Republiken Finland		   Map   
Population :
(1995)		 5.200.000 (density 15 ; surface 338.145 km2)
Capital : Helsinki (500.000)
Internet : FI domain
2.150.000 people on the Web (41,61 %) (Feb-00) (Taloustukimus Oy)
Referrer : (ecl@mtgpfs1.mt.att.com,Tor.Lillqvist@vtt.fi)
Currency : 1 markka (mark) - FIM till 28/02/2002
1 markka = 100 penni (pennies, pence). 1 mk = 100 p.
1 Euro = 5,94573 markka (fixed on 31.12.98)
FIXED VALUES AGAINST FIM
31.12.1998
100 FIM
reverse exchange
DEM
32.8947
304.001
100
FRF
110.324
90.6420
100
ITL
32565.8
3.07071
1000
ESP
2798.42
3.57345
100
NLG
37.0637
269.806
100
BEF/LUF
678.468
14.7391
100
ATS
231.431
43.2094
100
PTE
3371.88
2.96571
100
IEP
13.2459
7.54951
1
GRD
5731.00
1.74489
100
 
 

Number initial banknotes (mln) 225
Number initial coins (mln) 1.070
Serial letter L
Eurokit - number (mln) 0,5
Eurokit - value EUR 3,88
Eurokit - national value FIM 23
National money validity 28/02/2002
Change in banks single bank decision
Change coins in centr.bank 10 years
Change banknotes in centr.bank 10 years
500 EUR value FIM 2.972,87
Biggest banknote FIM 1.000
Biggest banknote value EUR 168,18

Coins : 10p, 50p, 1mk (old and new), 5mk (old and new), 10mk.
The 10 mk coin was elected the most beautiful at a recent international conference of mint officials...
Paper : (10mk being phased out), 20mk, 50mk, 100mk, 500mk, 1000mk.
Other historical banknotes
Authority :
Suomen Pankki - National Bank of Finland
Finnish Ministry of Finance
Finnish Council of State
Helsinki Stock Exchange
Banks : Informations from Portalino Fantalinks
Leonia Bank
Merita Bank
Postipankki
Other : Statistics
TTE Tourismus Team Europe
GSM :
Operator System Start Subscribers
01/03/2000		 % of growth
last year
Sonera Gsm/Dcs 7/92 1.984.777* 18
Radiolinja Gsm/Dcs 12/91 1.316.334* 33
Telia Finland Dcs-1800 3/98 36.500* 115
*= estimate ; source= Mobile communications 3.337.611
General :
      Old 1mk and 5mk coins and 10mk notes are rapidly being phased out, you rarely get them as change any longer. Pay phones accept (new) 1mk, 5mk and maybe 10mk coins. Credit card phones available if you look around a bit. Some large department stores accept USD, DEM, SEK.
ATMs :
      Most ATM's nowadays should accept Visa (ATM Locator). ATMs are very common.
Credit
Cards :
      VISA accepted virtually everywhere. MasterCard, AmEx, Diners, not as commonly.
Foreign exchange :
      Banks. (Hotels, probably, for their guests.) The Forex company, which claims to have significantly better rates, has two offices in Helsinki (Railway station and the Esplanade), that are open until 21.00. (Certainly faster service at their offices than waiting in a bank.)
      Currency exchange machines at several places in Helsinki centre (USD, DEM, SEK, GBP, and some others -> FIM, FIM -> USD, DEM, SEK, maybe ESP only), and probably in the other larger cities.
mixed by Netzapping Europe