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GeographySurprise 4/5Difficulty 3/5Reviewed on October 17, 2026

Finland has about 188,000 lakes.

Why it is true

The figure counts lakes larger than 500 square metres. They were carved by glaciers from the last ice age, which retreated around 10,000 years ago. Water covers about a tenth of the country, which Finns call 'the land of a thousand lakes'.

Source: Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE)

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