The country of the happiest people: 5 amazing facts about Finland

Finland is known as the happiest country in the world, but there's more to this Scandinavian nation than annual rankings. Yahoo told 5 amazing facts about this country.

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The sparsely populated country has an area similar to that of New Mexico. The population is just over 5 million - about 3 million less than New York.

Finns endure harsh winters, drink a lot of coffee and can be a bit pessimistic. Finland is also known for its saunas and strong welfare state, and also has some unusual traditions and social norms.

Here are five of the most amazing things about this country.

1. Speeding fines depend on your income.

In Finland, fines for speeding depend on how much money a resident earns, as well as how fast they were driving.
The country has a "daily fine" system, which is calculated based on the offender's daily disposable income and how much he or she was speeding.

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This system has resulted in some huge fines. Earlier this year, a Finnish multimillionaire was fined $129 for speeding.

2. Approximately half of the sauna is used per person

Travel website Visit Finland estimates there are three million saunas in Finland - or just over half a sauna per Finn.
Sauna culture is an important part of Finnish everyday life and cultural heritage. Saunas can be found in apartment buildings, homes, restaurants, and even government buildings.

3. The Finnish government gives all new families a “baby box”

The Finnish maternity package, known as äitiyspakkaus or "baby box", is a kit sent by the government to parents of newborn babies.

The box contains essentials such as clothing, bibs, diapers and bath products, among other items. The box itself comes with a small mattress and sheet, so it can serve as a safe place for your newborn to sleep.

The boxes have proven popular in other countries, including the United States. However, unlike Finland, parents in the US have to pay for the box.

4. There is a popular sport in the country called “wife carrying”

Wife carrying is now an international sport, but the world championships are still held in Sonkajärvi, Finland.

Traditionally, the sport involves the male partner carrying his wife on his back as they navigate an obstacle course. The rules have changed slightly over the years and participants do not have to carry their real spouses.

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However, the “wife” must be at least 17 years old and weigh at least 49 kilograms. If the partner is lighter, officials weigh her down with a backpack.

5. The Finns have a word for “sitting at home and drinking in your underwear.”

“Kalsarikännit” translates to drinking at home, alone, in your underwear.

Other untranslatable Finnish words include "vahingonilo", which means "to enjoy someone else's misfortune", and "sisu", which means a kind of stoic determination or single-mindedness.

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