The Northern European nation of Finland, bordering Sweden, Norway and Russia, is one of the most scenic destinations for travellers. It's dense pine forests and hills, pristine lakes and inlets and about 40 national parks add to the charm of the nation.
Finland could even be described as your personal Disneyland if you dig outdoor activities. It offers an array of options, such as hiking through dense green trails, cycling in the archipelago trail, biking on its endless mountains and kayaking and canoeing with the sun setting behind you. Meanwhile, for tech lovers, Finland is almost synonymous with multinational communications and information technology firm Nokia Corporations.
While the country has so much to offer to its 5.5 million (approx) population and the tourists visiting the country, a Reddit user seems to believe that Finland isn't an actual place and that the United Nations has created it by tweaking the world map. Really, we aren't kidding! He even goes on to call it the UN's "conspiracy."
Reddit user Raregan writes: "Well firstly they say that the actual 'place of Finland' is just Eastern Sweden. Helsinki is in Eastern Sweden and when people fly there it's not like they would notice." Not just the UN, apparently Japan too is on board this conspiracy as "Finland's main company, Nokia, is apparently owned by the Japanese."
As if this wasn't enough, he even goes on to explain that there are a few reasons why Sweden and Russia are also playing along, but the Japanese fishing rights are to be blamed.
"You see the Japanese love their sushi but tight fishing regulations and public outcry mean they can't fish as much as they want. So after the Cold War they agreed with Russia to create a 'landmass' called Finland where they could fish," he writes.
While we are already reeling from this explanation, Raregan doesn't stop there. "The fish is then transported through Russia where a small percentage of the food is given to the population and then is shipped to Japan under the disguise of 'Nokia' products. Japan is apparently one of the world's largest importers of Nokia products despite the fact that 'nobody there owns a Nokia phone' apparently."
And after all this, here comes the punchline: "...the homage that the Japanese gave to this entire conspiracy theory. What do fish have? Fins. Therefore they named their imaginary country Finland."
And while a lot of us are either having fits of laughter or rolling our eyes, Raregan seems to have made quite a few Reddit users think about it.
