| Finland |
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The state of Finland comprised six provinces (Finnish: läänit, Swedish: län) between the years 1997 and 2009. The provincial authority was part of the central government's executive branch, not directly elected. The system was created in 1634, and its makeup was changed drastically in 1997, when the number of the provinces was reduced from twelve to six. This effectively made them purely administrative units, as linguistic and cultural boundaries did not follow the borders of the provinces.
The provinces were abolished altogether on January 1, 2010. Six Regional State Administrative Agencies (aluehallintovirasto, regionförvaltningsverk) – in addition to the Government of Åland – now form the government's regional administration: Etelä-Suomi, Itä-Suomi, Lounais-Suomi, Länsi- ja Sisä-Suomi, Pohjois-Suomi, Lappi. Among these, Lounais-Suomi and Länsi- ja Sisä-Suomi cover the old province of Länsi-Suomi, and the old province of Oulu was renamed as Pohjois-Suomi; other old provincial boundaries remain much the same in the new disposition.
The state of Finland has been bilingual since the late 19th century . Its governmental offices and agencies use both domestic languages in contacts with the public. Each province was led by a governor, (maaherra, landshövding) appointed by the president on the recommendation of the cabinet. The governor was the head of the State Provincial Office (lääninhallitus, länsstyrelse), which acted as the joint regional authority for seven ministries in the following domains:
The official administrative subentities under the Provincial Office authorities were the Registry Offices (Finnish maistraatti, Swedish magistrat). Formerly there was also a division to state local districts (Finnish kihlakunta, Swedish härad), which were districts for police, prosecution, and bailiff services, but there was reorganization such that 24 police districts were founded. These usually encompass multiple municipalities.
Provinces governed only state offices, such as the police. Most services, such as healthcare and maintenance of local streets, were and remain the responsibility of municipalities of Finland. Many municipalities are too small for a hospital and some other services, so they cooperate in municipality groups, e.g. health care districts, using borders that vary depending on the type of service. Often Swedish-language municipalities cooperate even if they do not share a border.
| No. | Coats of arms | Provinces | Finnish and Swedish names |
Residence city | Largest city | Population (2003) | Area (km²) | Merged Provinces (1997) | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Southern Finland | Etelä-Suomen lääni Södra Finlands län |
Hämeenlinna Tavastehus |
Helsinki | 2,116,914 | 34,378 | Uusimaa, Kymi, Häme | ||
| 2. | Western Finland | Länsi-Suomen lääni Västra Finlands län |
Turku Åbo |
Tampere | 1,848,269 | 74,185 | Vaasa, Turku-Pori, Central Finland, Häme | ||
| 3. | Eastern Finland | Itä-Suomen lääni Östra Finlands län |
Mikkeli S:t Michel |
Kuopio | 582,781 | 48,726 | Kuopio, North Karelia, Mikkeli | ||
| 4. | Oulu | Oulun lääni Uleåborgs län |
Oulu Uleåborg |
Oulu | 458,504 | 57,000 | No changes | ||
| 5. | Lapland | Lapin lääni Lapplands län |
Rovaniemi Rovaniemi |
Rovaniemi | 186,917 | 98,946 | No changes | ||
| 6. | Åland[a] | Ahvenanmaan lääni Ålands län[b] |
Mariehamn[b] Maarianhamina |
Mariehamn | 26,000 | 6,784 | No changes |
a. ^ Some duties, which in Mainland Finland are handled by the provinces, are on the Åland Islands transferred to the autonomous Government of Åland.
b. ^ The Åland Islands are unilingually Swedish.
| name | dates of existence | notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | Finnish | Swedish | ||
| Province of Åland | Ahvenanmaan maakunta ja lääni | Ålands landskap och län | 1918–2009 | • had a special status: even though the province was discontinued at the end of 2009 along with the others, there was (and still is) a coextensive "maakunta" (a translation of "province" with a slightly different meaning from the usual) that is semi-autonomous and demilitarized by international treaties |
| Province of Central Finland | Keski-Suomen lääni | Mellersta Finlands län | 1960–1997 | • split off from the Provinces of Vaasa, Häme, Mikkeli and Kuopio • merged into the Province of Western Finland |
| Province of Eastern Finland | Itä-Suomen lääni | Östra Finlands län | 1997–2009 | • see previous section |
| Province of Häme | Hämeen lääni | Tavastehus län | 1831–1997 | • produced by splitting the Province of Uusimaa and Häme • merged into the Provinces of Southern Finland and Western Finland |
| Province of Kuopio | Kuopion lääni | Kuopio län | 1776–1997 | • underwent many changes since its founding as the Province of Savo and Karjala, mostly due to the fluctuation of Finland's border with Russia • merged into the Province of Eastern Finland |
| Province of Kymi | Kymen lääni | Kymmene län | 1947–1997 | • formed from the part of the Province of Viipuri that remained on the Finnish side of the border with Russia • merged into the Province of Southern Finland |
| Province of Lapland | Lapin lääni | Lapplands län | 1938–2009 | • split off from the Province of Oulu |
| Province of Mikkeli | Mikkelin lääni | St. Michels län | 1831–1997 | • split off from the Province of Kymenkartano (which had been abolished by 1917) • merged into the Provinces of Eastern Finland and Southern Finland |
| Province of Northern Karelia | Pohjois-Karjalan lääni | Norra Karelens län | 1960–1997 | • split off from the Province of Kuopio • merged into the Province of Eastern Finland |
| Province of Oulu | Oulun lääni | Uleåborgs län | 1634–2009 | • one of the original provinces formed in 1634, though parts were split off since then |
| Province of Pechenga | Petsamon lääni | Petsamo län | 1921–1922 | • gained from Soviet Russia • merged into the Province of Oulu • the entire area of the former Province of Pechenga was lost to the Soviet Union in World War II |
| Province of Southern Finland | Etelä-Suomen lääni | Södra Finlands län | 1997–2009 | • see previous section |
| Province of Turku and Pori | Turun ja Porin lääni | Åbo och Björneborgs län | 1634–1997 | • one of the original provinces formed in 1634, though parts were split off since then • merged into the Province of Western Finland |
| Province of Uusimaa | Uudenmaan lääni | Nylands län | 1831–1997 | • produced by splitting the Province of Uusimaa and Häme • merged into the Province of Southern Finland |
| Province of Vaasa | Vaasan lääni | Vasa län | 1776–1997 | • split off from the province of Pohjanmaa • merged into the Province of Western Finland |
| Province of Viipuri | Viipurin lääni | Viborgs län | 1634–1947 | • one of the original provinces formed in 1634 • underwent many changes since founding, mostly due to the fluctuation of Finland's border with Russia • most of its area was lost to the Soviet Union in World War II, and the remainder became the Province of Kymi |
| Province of Western Finland | Länsi-Suomen lääni | Västra Finlands län | 1997–2009 | • see previous section |
In 1634, administratives provinces were formed in Sweden, and therefore in Finland, which was a part of Sweden until 1809. Six of the provinces covered what is now Finland; some of these also covered parts of what are now Sweden and Russia. The exact division of the country into provinces has fluctuated over time.
The boundaries of the old provinces partly survives in telephone area codes and electoral districts. The exception is Helsinki: there is a telephone numbering area that comprises Greater Helsinki (code 09), while only the city of Helsinki proper comprises the electoral district of Helsinki. The rest of Greater Helsinki belonging to the Uusimaa electoral district.
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