La deuxième édition de l'Atlas de Finlande: second article

Summary

This article provides a detailed review of the human geography section of the second edition of the Atlas of Finland, focusing on the population, agriculture, industry, and communications of the country in the early 20th century. It notes that Finland's settlement dates back to the Neolithic Littorina period, with the population initially drawn to water sources, forming five geographically recognizable tribes. Between the mid-18th and mid-19th centuries, agricultural colonization increased the population from 575,000 to 1.84 million, pushing settlement into the interior. However, from the 1860s onward, industrialization became the main driver of population distribution, concentrating people in urban and industrial centers, with the agricultural population falling to 57% by 1900. Population density is uneven, averaging about 8.5 per square kilometer, with the highest in Nyland and the lowest in Uleåborg, and is closely linked to waterways. In agriculture, primitive swidden cultivation was replaced by more advanced methods; due to the cold climate, rye cultivation shifted to hardier oats and fodder crops, promoting livestock raising and a flourishing butter export industry. In industry, despite scarce mineral resources, Finland possesses nearly inexhaustible forests and hydropower, offering favorable conditions for industries like timber and paper, leading to the rise of cities such as Tampere. For communications, Finland leverages its numerous lakes and rivers, supplemented by canals and railways, creating a unique network where winter ice roads and summer waterways are particularly important. The article concludes that the Atlas comprehensively showcases how Finland, under adverse natural conditions, successfully developed a prosperous civilization through its tenacious national character and favorable social institutions, emphasizing the crucial role of social factors in utilizing natural conditions.