Good friends remember each other’s birthdays, and Norway is proving itself to be a really great pal. The country of Finland celebrates its 100th birthday in 2017, and Norway, another country, wants to give it a whole mountain, Halti Peak, as a birthday present. The countries share a border and the mountain would give Finland around 15 square meters of new land, which is gigantic for birthday present standards.
The idea was generated by Bjorn Geirr Harsson, a retired geophysicist and very thoughtful Norwegian in general, who wants to give Finland a birthday mountain so badly that he even made a film about his proposal called Battle for Birthday Mountain.
“All over the world you find countries that fight or make war to enlarge their countries, but in this case Norway is willing to give away a small part without anyone asking for anything return,” Geirr Harsson said. “It is a gift from the heart of the Norwegians to Finland so we don’t expect anything back; we just want to give them something really nice when they celebrate 100 years as a free nation.”
It’s still up in the air as to whether or not it will happen, as it is currently against the Norwegian constitution to give away an actual mountain, but they’re sure going to try. Hopefully it works out and Finland has the best birthday ever.
Recommended Fodor’s Video
PLAN YOUR TRIP: Visit Fodor's Guide to Finland, or if doesn't work out, Fodor's Guide to Norway.