The ethnic Finns are the dominant ethnic group in Finland, and the largest ethnic minority in Sweden, the Sweden-Finns. An indigenous minority of ethnic Finns also live in Norway, the Kvener.
Ethnic Finns share a common language and culture, although it is common to make a sub-division between Eastern and Western Finns. The Eastern Finns are more influenced by Karelian cultural traits, while the Western Finns are more influenced by Finland-Swedish and Scandinavian culture and language.
Finnish language is a member of the Baltic-Finnic subgroup of the Finno-Ugric group of languages which in turn is a member of the Uralic family of languages. The Baltic-Finnic subgroup also includes Estonian and other minority languages spoken around the Baltic Sea.
Addition of the Finnish people at the end of the first half of the I-II millennium BC. e. is a complex process of consolidation of Baltic-Finnish tribes Suomi (in Russian chronicles sum), Häme (ancient em), Savo and Western Karelia. A significant role was played by immigrants from Scandinavia.
In XII-XIII centuries. Finnish lands were conquered by the Swedes who committed forcible conversion to Christianity. In the period of the Reformation (XVI cent.) Was established Finnish alphabet, M. Agricola published the first book. In 1781 Finland got the status of the Grand Duchy of the Swedish state, and after the Russian-Swedish war of 1808-1809. joined the Russia Empire in an autonomous Grand Duchy. Finland gained political independence after the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 now is a country with developed industry, agriculture, meat and dairy, fisheries.
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