Finland is one of the most ethnically homogeneous countries in Europe, where immigrants consitute a small part of Finnish society. Before the 1990s, it was very difficult to immigrate into Finland, and the more exotic immigrants were virtually unknown. It is reported that a newspaper in Pohjanmaa had a headline "Negro seen in Seinäjoki" in the 1950's. Although, the 1990s brought globalization onto Finland's doorstep and refugees from Somalia and other countries arrived, foreigners are still looked upon as a threat on the labour market and xenophobia is quite common among the finnish population. An ethnic group is a group of people who identify with one another, or are so identified by others, on the basis of a boundary that distinguishes them from other groups. ... Immigration is the act of moving to or settling in another country or region, temporarily or permanently. ... Pohjanmaa (Österbotten) is the name of a geographical region in Finland which can refer to: Pohjanmaa - a Historical province of Sweden Pohjanmaan lääni - a former County of Sweden (Counties in Finland) Pohjois-Pohjanmaan maakunta - a current Region of Finland Etelä-Pohjanmaan maakunta - a current Region of Finland Pohjanmaan maakunta... Panorama image of Seinäjoki, Finland Seinäjoki is a town located in Southern Ostrobothnia, Finland. ... Globalization is an umbrella term for a complex series of economic, social, technological, cultural and political changes seen as increasing interdependence, integration and interaction between people and companies in disparate locations. ...

The native languages of Finland are Finnish, Swedish, Skolt Sami, Inari Sami, North Sami and Romany. The immigrant languages are English, Estonian, Russian, Arabic, Somali, etc. Skolt Sami (Sää´mǩiõll) is a Finno-Ugric, Sami language spoken in Finland and nearby parts of Russia. ... Inari Sami (anarâškielâ) is a Finno-Ugric, Sami language spoken in Finland by some 300-400 people, the majority of which are middle-aged or older and live in the town of Inari. ... Northern or North Sami (also written Sámi or Saami; formerly Lappish or Lapp) is the most widely spoken of all Sami languages. ... Romany (or Romani) is the language of the Roma and Sinti, peoples often referred to in English as Gypsies. The Indo-Aryan Romany language should not be confused with either Romanian (spoken by Romanians), or Romansh (spoken in parts of southeastern Switzerland), both of which are Romance languages. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... The Arabic language (Arabic: ‎ translit: ), or simply Arabic (Arabic: ‎ translit: ), is the largest member of the Semitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family (classification: South Central Semitic) and is closely related to Hebrew and Aramaic. ...

See also

• Ethnic issues in Japan