Finland doesn’t exist. At least, that’s what a Reddit thread turned-viral theory would like you to believe. And it’s too fishy to ignore. Let’s break it down. 

How can a country, consistently ranked as the happiest in the world, not exist? 

That’s the question at the heart of one of the internet’s strangest conspiracy theories.  

According to a dedicated corner of the web, Finland is nothing more than an elaborate hoax. Yes, you heard me correctly. Your trusty globe has been lying to you. Finnish people? Just Swedes in denial. The capital city, Helsinki? A fabrication of GPS trickery and global deception. And the land itself? A vast stretch of open water, secretly reserved as a fishing paradise for Japan.

From the classic lizard people secretly running the world, to the ever-debated ‘staged’ moon landing, the depths of online speculation know no bounds. But this one is truly intriguing.  

What began from satirical beginnings has now spread across Reddit threads, millions of views on YouTube, and increasingly detailed “proof” posts.  

So now I ask: is the land of saunas, reindeer, and Moomins really just one big fishy cover-up?  

“This is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. And it was definitely created by someone who has clearly never been to Finland,” says my Finnish friend, Fanni, when I broke the news to her that her existence is being questioned. 

Unlike many conspiracies, this one didn’t emerge from paranoia, political unrest, or unexplainable deaths. Instead, it all began in a 2015 Reddit thread where a user, who goes by the username ‘Raregan’, claimed their parents were convinced the country of Finland isn’t real. From there, the internet, true to form, did what it does best: took the idea and ran.  

Fast.  

Since the original post, a much bigger web of “evidence” and reasoning has emerged. It’s a little all over the place, so bear with me while I break it down. 

According to the theory, Finland wasn’t born out of snow and saunas – it was born out of Cold War secrets and a mutual love of fishing.  

The story goes like this: during the Cold War, Japan and the Soviet Union, two countries with a shaky but suspiciously friendly history, teamed up. Why? To fabricate an entire country to mask their activities. The idea was simple: designate a stretch of the Baltic Sea as “land,” call it Finland, and fish freely without the burden of international environmental scrutiny. With no one expecting boats in a place where they assumed there was solid ground, the plan was foolproof.  

In return, Russia received a portion of the catch to feed its people, and Japan got exclusive access. The fish were transported across Russia using, of course, the Trans-Siberian Railway, which, in this version of events, was never about connecting people, but about moving fish.  

And how were these fish disguised once they reached the Pacific? Enter Nokia. According to the theory, the Finnish tech giant is actually a Japanese front, allowing the importing of fish under the guise of Nokia products.  

Still with us?  

The theory doesn’t deny the existence of Finnish people – it just insists they’ve been… mislabelled. Believers claim that Finns are actually from either Sweden, Russia, or Estonia. Even Helsinki is just a rebranded Swedish city, apparently. 

If you’ve flown there and swear you’ve seen Finland with your own eyes, well the theory says you were probably too jet-lagged to notice the difference. Same for GPS and satellite imagery, they are supposedly forged and manipulated to present Finland as a land mass.

For this last detail, I will hand over the reins to ‘Raregan’ for a moment:

“The crux of all this however, and my favourite part, is the homage that the Japanese gave to this entire conspiracy theory. 

“What do fish have? Fins. Therefore they named their imaginary country Finland.”

Genius, right?

Right now, you might be thinking, ‘this is way too far-fetched’. Or maybe you’re starting to feel a little convinced? Either way, psychologist Dr Daniel Jolley reminds us that while entertainment often lies at the heart of conspiracy theories, they can still carry real consequences – ridiculous or not.  

“Outlandish conspiracy beliefs can reflect our frustrated motives, but they’re also just fun and attention-grabbing. Facts often aren’t as exciting, so sometimes we’re simply drawn to conspiracies because they entertain us.  

But that intrigue comes with a catch.

“The fun ends when the consequences begin. Even outrageous conspiracies can seed distrust, towards institutions and each other, which affects how we engage with society. If you believe everything’s a conspiracy, it changes how you behave and interact with others.”

We’re already familiar with Fanni’s initial reaction – and she wasn’t exactly convinced. But beyond the laughs, conspiracies like this don’t just chip away at trust. They can also erode a sense of identity.

“As a Finnish person (okay, maybe a little biased), this theory sounds like it’s trying to find unrelated things and make them relate. It’s not offensive – it’s just stupid. But when people start saying stuff like ‘Finland has no history’ or ‘Finnish cities are really part of Sweden or Russia,’ that is disrespectful.”

She also wasn’t too keen on the claim that Finland is simply vast open water:  

“I think it’s around 75% of Finland that’s covered in forests, and it’s not like no one’s ever been through them. Pretty sure someone would’ve noticed by now if there was a giant ocean hiding behind the trees.

“Maybe they should actually visit Finland and try to find this so-called inland ocean. Then we can talk.”

Fanni may not be questioning her own identity as a Finn, but others in the Reddit comments are questioning the ground beneath them. 

One said: “I live in Finland but after this thread, I’m not so sure.” 

Others have simply found entertainment in the chaos: “This is actually an excellent conspiracy theory. It’s wrong, but it’s still excellent.”

So… is Finland real? That’s up to you. But whether you’re in it for laughs or genuinely questioning this geopolitical cover-up, one thing’s for sure:  

The “Finland is fake” theory reveals just how playful and powerful the internet can be when it comes to shaping conspiracies. It’s not just about a fictional country. It’s about how a single joke spirals into a gripping spectacle.

And the best part? Even Raregan doesn’t believe it anymore.

Still…somewhere in Helsinki, if it exists, a café full of very real Finns are cracking up over their lattes at the latest Reddit thread denying their existence.