Åland

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Åland (pronounced IPA: ['oːland] in Swedish), also called the Åland Islands or Ahvenanmaa(n maakunta) (in Finnish, akin to "Ahvaland", meaning "Waterland", in ancient Scandinavian), is an archipelago in the Baltic Sea. It is situated at the entrance to the Gulf of Bothnia and forms an autonomous, demilitarised, monolingually Swedish-speaking administrative province of Finland.

The islands consist of the main island Fasta Åland (where 50% of the population resides) and an archipelago to the east that consists of over 6,500 skerries and islands. Fasta Åland is separated from the coast of Sweden by forty kilometres (twenty-five miles) of open water to the west. In the east, the Åland archipelago is virtually contiguous with the Finnish Archipelago Sea. Åland's only land border is extremely short and strangely shaped; it is located on the uninhabited island of Märket, which it shares with Sweden.

Due to Åland's autonomous status, the powers exercised at the provincial level by representatives of the central state administration in the rest of Finland are largely exercised by the Government of Åland in Åland.

Contents 1 Autonomy of Åland 2 History 3 Politics 4 Administration 5 Municipalities 6 Geography 7 Economy 8 Demographics 9 Holidays 10 In popular culture 11 Gallery 12 See also 13 External links

[edit] Autonomy of Åland

The autonomous status of the islands was affirmed by a decision made by the League of Nations in 1921. It was reaffirmed within the treaty admitting Finland to the European Union. By law, Åland is politically neutral and entirely demilitarised. The islands were granted extensive autonomy by the Parliament of Finland in the Act on the Autonomy of Åland of 1920, which was last replaced by new legislation by the same name in 1951 and 1991.

In connection with Finland's admission to the European Union, a protocol was signed concerning the Åland Islands that stipulates, among other things, that provisions of the European Community Treaty shall not force a change of the existing restrictions for foreigners (i.e., persons who do not enjoy "home region rights" (hembygdsrätt) in Åland) to acquire and hold real property or to provide certain services, implying a recognition of a separate nationality.

See also: Special member state territories and their relations with the EU#Åland Islands

[edit] History

Main article: History of Åland

The Åland Islands were part of the territory ceded to Russia by Sweden under the Treaty of Fredrikshamn in September 1809. As a result, along with all other parts of Finland, they became part of the semi-autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland.

During this process, Sweden was unable to secure a provision that the islands not be fortified. The issue was important not only for Sweden but also for the United Kingdom, which was concerned that a military presence on the islands could threaten Britain's security and commercial interests.

In 1832, Russia started to fortify the islands with the great fortress of Bomarsund. This was captured and destroyed by a combined British and French force of warships and marines in 1854 as part of the campaign in the Baltic during the Crimean War. In the Treaty of Paris (1856), the entire Åland Islands were demilitarized.

During the Finnish Civil War, in 1918, Swedish troops intervened as a peacekeeping force between the Russian troops stationed on the islands and "White" and "Red" Finnish troops that came from Finland over the frozen sea. Historians, however, point out that Sweden may have in reality planned to occupy the islands. Within weeks, the Swedish troops gave way to German troops that occupied Åland by request of the "White" (conservative) Finnish Senate.

After 1917, the residents of the islands worked towards having the islands ceded to Sweden. A petition for secession from Finland was signed by 96.2% of Åland's native adults (those working or living abroad excluded), although serious questions were later raised regarding this extraordinarily high figure. Swedish nationalist sentiments had grown strong particularly due to the following issues: anti-Swedish tendencies in Finland, Finnish nationalism fuelled by Finland's struggle to retain its autonomy, and the Finnish resistance against Russification. In addition, the conflict between the Swedish-speaking minority and the Finnish-speaking majority (on the mainland), which since the 1840s had been prominent in Finland's political life, contributed to the Åland population's apprehension about its future in Finland.

Finland was, however, not willing to cede the islands and instead offered them an autonomous status. Nevertheless the residents did not approve the offer, and the dispute over the islands was submitted to the League of Nations. The latter decided that Finland should retain sovereignty over the province but that the Åland Islands should be made an autonomous territory. Thus Finland was obliged to ensure the residents of the Åland Islands the right to maintain the Swedish language, as well as their own culture and local traditions. At the same time, an international treaty established the neutral status of Åland, whereby it was prohibited to place military headquarters or forces on the islands.

See also: Åland crisis

In the course of the twentieth century, increasing numbers of the islanders have perceived Finnish sovereignty as benevolent and even beneficial.^{[citation needed]} The combination of disappointment about insufficient support from Sweden in the League of Nations, Swedish disrespect for Åland's demilitarised status in the 1930s, and some feelings of a shared destiny with Finland during and after World War II has changed the islanders' perception of Åland's relation to Finland from "a Swedish province in Finnish possession" to "an autonomous part of Finland".

[edit] Politics

Main article: Politics of Åland

The Åland Islands are governed according to the Act on the Autonomy of Åland and international treaties. These laws guarantee the islands' autonomy from Finland, which has ultimate sovereignty over them, as well as a demilitarised status. The Government of Åland, or Landskapsregering, answers to the Parliament of Åland, or Lagting, in accordance with the principles of parliamentarism.

Åland has its own national flag, has issued its own postage stamps since 1984, runs its own police force, and is a member of the Nordic Council. The islands are demilitarised, and the male population is exempt from conscription. Although Åland's autonomy preceded the creation of the regions of Finland, the autonomous government of Åland also has responsibility for the functions undertaken by Finland's regional councils. Åland is a member of the Small European Postal Administration Cooperation.

The Åland Islands are guaranteed representation in the Finnish parliament, to which they elect one representative.

[edit] Administration

Main article: Åland State Provincial Office

The State Provincial Office on the Åland Islands has a somewhat different function from the other Provinces of Finland, due to its autonomy. Generally, a State Provincial Office is a joint regional authority of seven different ministries of the Government of Finland. In Åland, the State Provincial Office also represents a set of other authorities of the central government, which in Mainland Finland has separate bureaucracies. On the other hand, duties which in Mainland Finland are handled by the provincial offices are transferred to the autonomous government of Åland.

Åland has its own post office but uses the Finnish five-digit postal code system, in which postal codes beginning with 22XXX are reserved for it. The smallest postal code is for the capital Mariehamn, 22100, and the highest 22950 for Jurmo.

[edit] Municipalities

Main article: Municipalities of Åland

Brändö Eckerö Finström Föglö

Geta Hammarland Jomala Kumlinge

Kökar Lemland Lumparland Mariehamn

Saltvik Sottunga Sund Vårdö

[edit] Geography

Main article: Geography of Åland

The Åland Islands occupy a position of great strategic importance, as they command one of the entrances to the port of Stockholm, as well as the approaches to the Gulf of Bothnia, in addition to being situated near the Gulf of Finland.

The Åland archipelago consists of nearly three hundred habitable islands, of which about eighty are inhabited; the remainder are merely some 6,000 skerries and desolate rocks. The archipelago is connected to Åboland archipelago in the east (Finnish: Turunmaan saaristo, Swedish: Åbolands skärgård) — the archipelago adjacent to the southwest coast of Finland. Together they form the Archipelago Sea.

The surface of the islands is generally rocky, the soil thin, and the climate keen. There are several excellent harbours, most notably at Ytternäs.

The islands' landmass occupies a total area of 1,512 square kilometres (583 sq. mi). Ninety per cent of the population live on Fasta Åland (the Main Island), also the site of the capital town of Mariehamn. Fasta Åland is the largest island in the archipelago, extending over 1,010 square kilometres, more than 70% of the province's land area, and stretching 50 kilometres (31 mi) from north to south and 45 kilometres (28 mi) from east to west.

During the Åland Crisis, the parties sought support from different maps of the islands. On the Swedish map, the most densely populated main island dominated, and many skerries were left out. On the Finnish map, a lot of smaller islands or skerries were, for technical reasons, given a slightly exaggerated size. The Swedish map made the islands appear to be closer to the mainland of Sweden than to Finland; the Finnish map stressed the continuity of the archipelago between the main island and mainland Finland, while a greater gap appeared between the islands and the archipelago on the Swedish side. Although both Finns and Swedes of course argued for their respective interpretations, in retrospect it is hard to say that one is more correct than the other. One consequence is the oft-repeated number of "over 6,000" skerries that was given authority by the outcome of the arbitration.

[edit] Economy

Åland's economy is heavily dominated by shipping, trade and tourism. Shipping represents about 40% of the economy, with several international carriers owned and operated off Åland. Most companies aside from shipping are small, with fewer than ten employees. Farming and fishing are important in combination with the food industry. A few high-profile technology companies contribute to a prosperous economy.

The main ports are Mariehamn (south), Berghamn (west) and Långnäs on the eastern shore of the Main Island.

The abolition of tax-free sales on ferry boats travelling between destinations within the European Union made Finland demand an exception for the Åland Islands on EU's VAT rules. The exception allows for maintained tax-free sales on the ferries between Sweden and Finland (provided they stop at Mariehamn or Långnäs), but has also made Åland a different tax-zone, meaning that tariffs must be levied on goods brought to the islands.

Unemployment is well below that of surrounding regions, 1.8% in 2004.

The Finnish State collects taxes, duties and fees also in Åland. In return, the Finnish Government places a sum of money at the disposal of the Åland Parliament. The sum is 0.45 per cent of total Government income, excluding Government loans. In 2005, the sum was over 225 million USD.

[edit] Demographics

Most inhabitants have Swedish (the sole official language) as their first language: 92.4% in 2004, and 5.0% speak Finnish. The language of instruction in publicly financed schools is Swedish, but an Ålandic municipality is free to provide teaching of Finnish. (In the rest of Finland, both Finnish and Swedish are official languages.) 0.3% (77 people) are English speakers.

Regional citizenship or the right of domicile (hembygdsrätt/ kotiseutuoikeus) is a prerequisite for the right to vote or stand as a candidate in elections to the Legislative Assembly, to own and hold real estate in Åland or to exercise without restriction a trade or profession in Åland.

The vast majority of the population, 94.8%, belongs to the Evangelical Lutheran Church.

The issue of the ethnicity of the Ålanders, and the correct linguistic classification of their language, remains somewhat sensitive and controversial. They may be considered either ethnic Swedes or Swedish-speaking Finns, but their language is closer to the adjacent dialects in Sweden, i.e. Uppländska, than to adjacent dialects of Finland Swedish.

• Listen to Ålandish

[edit] Holidays

Date	English name	Local name	Remarks
January 1	New Year's Day	Nyårsdagen
January 6	Epiphany	Trettondagen
March 30	Demilitarisation Day		Peace in 1856 after the Crimean War
Moveable Friday	Good Friday	Långfredag	The Friday before Easter Sunday
Moveable Sunday	Easter Sunday	Påskdagen
Moveable Monday	Easter Monday	Annandag påsk	The day after Easter Sunday
April 30	Walpurgis Night	Valborgsmässoafton
May 1	May Day	Första maj
Moveable Thursday	Ascension Day	Kristi himmelsfärdsdag	Forty days after Easter
Moveable Sunday	Pentecost	Pingstdagen	Fifty days after Easter
Moveable Monday	Whitmonday	Annandag Pingst	Fifty-one days after Easter
June 9	National Holiday		First congregation of the regional government
Third Friday of June	Midsummer Eve	Midsommarafton
Third Saturday of June	Midsummer Day	Midsommardagen
First Saturday of November	All Saints Day	Alla helgons dag
December 6	Independence Day	Självständighetsdagen	Independence of Finland (1917)
December 24	Christmas Eve	Julafton
December 25	Christmas Day	Juldagen
December 26	Boxing Day	Annandag jul

[edit] In popular culture

• The Åland Islands are mentioned as the location where the character Hooper Hamilton in H.G. Wells' book The Shape of Things to Come commits suicide.

[edit] Gallery

Cruiseferries offer transport from Åland to both mainland Finland and Sweden.	Östra Hamnen - The Eastern Port of Mariehamn, sailing ship Linden in the center	Sjökvarteret in Mariehamn	Sailing ship Pommern and a racing boat
Knutsbodaberget in Lemland, with 4 wind power generators	The Lemströms canal	Schooner Linden in the waters south of Mariehamn	Ferry in Åland archipelago.
Castleholm castle

[edit] See also

• Government of Åland
• Provincial Governors of Finland
• Åland Islands national football team

[edit] External links

• Wikimedia Atlas of Åland, holding maps related to Åland.
• Åland - Official Site (mainly in Swedish)
• Åland in Brief
• Government of Åland (in Swedish)
• Parliament of Åland
• Act on the Autonomy of Åland
• B7 Baltic Islands Network
• The autonomous regime of Åland
• Åland Official Tourist Gateway
• Ålandsbanken
• Posten Åland - the Post Office of Åland
• Ålandstidningen - Local Newspaper

Historical provinces of Finland
Åland | Finland Proper | Karelia | Laponia | Nylandia | Ostrobothnia | Satakunta | Savonia | Tavastia |
Lands of Finland: Finland/Österlanden

Regions of Finland
Åland | Central Finland | Central Ostrobothnia | Eastern Uusimaa | Finland Proper | Kainuu | Kymenlaakso | Lapland | North Karelia | Northern Ostrobothnia | Northern Savonia | Ostrobothnia | Pirkanmaa | Päijänne Tavastia | Satakunta | South Karelia | Southern Ostrobothnia | Southern Savonia | Tavastia Proper | Uusimaa

v • d • e Nations and regions of Europe speaking Germanic languages
Nordic	Denmark (including the Faroe Islands) · Finland (including Åland) · Iceland · Norway · Sweden
German	Austria · Belgium · Alsace · Germany · Liechtenstein · Luxembourg · South Tyrol · Switzerland
Dutch	Belgium  · Netherlands
English	Guernsey · Ireland · Isle of Man · Jersey · United Kingdom (England • Scotland • Wales • Northern Ireland)
Frisian	Germany  · Netherlands (Friesland)  · Denmark

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