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The word 'Finland' or derivatives thereof have never been used by Finns themselves. Finland/Finn comes from the Latin word 'Fennia' ('an area inhabited by the Fennic tribe'). One of the earliest known documents of the Fennic tribe was written by Tacitus AD 98. It remains uncertain, however, whether 'Fennic' referred to the Sami people of Lapland, or Finns proper. Fennic could also have been a misinterpretation of the legendary place name 'Kvenland' and its inhabitants, the Kveners. Kvenland was a prehistoric country, identified as a region in northern Fennoscandia, near to the coast of the Gulf of Bothnia.

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In Finnish, 'Finland' is SUOMI and the inhabitants of Finland are SUOMALAISET. The origin of 'Suomi' has been a subject of debate as well; some say it derives from the Finnish word 'suomaa' (marshland).

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Lass