A Country of Water
Finland, in northern Europe, is nicknamed the Land of a Thousand Lakes. The nickname is actually a huge understatement. Finland does not have a thousand lakes - it has well over 180,000 of them, one of the highest concentrations of lakes anywhere on Earth.
Carved by Ice
Finlands countless lakes are a gift from the last Ice Age. Thousands of years ago, massive glaciers covered the land. As they slowly moved and then melted away, they scraped out countless hollows and basins in the ground. Water filled these depressions, leaving behind the lake-dotted landscape that defines Finland today. Lakes cover roughly a tenth of the countrys entire surface.
Lakes and Finnish Life
The lakes are woven deeply into Finnish culture. Many families have a summer cottage beside the water, and lakeside activities such as swimming, fishing, boating, and sauna are central to Finnish life. In winter, many lakes freeze solid enough to walk, skate, or even drive across. The largest of them all, Lake Saimaa, is among the biggest lakes in Europe.
Source
This article was written using information from Wikipedia.