Åland facts
Åland is an autonomous and unilingually Swedish region in Finland
with its own flag; a blue flag with a yellow/red cross. Åland also has
its own stamps, licence plates and its own top domain (.ax).
There
are a total of 27,500 persons living in Åland in 16 different
municipalities. Of them some 11,000 live in the only town in Åland,
Mariehamn. The town was founded in 1861 and is today the centre for
industry and politics. Here is also the Åland Government, called
"Landskapsregering," located.
Economic life
The most important industries in
Åland are shipping, trade, banking, farming and food industry. Shipping
has always been especially important for Åland and no other industry
has had such influence on the population.
Visit the Maritime Museum, the Museum Ship Pommern and the Maritime Quarter in Mariehamn to find out more about the exiting shipping history.
Typical for Åland
Unique for Åland is the
untouched archipelago and the beautiful bedrock, worn smooth by the
inland ice, with the typical red colour of the Åland granite. With its
6.500 islands Åland offers an island world where the sea is always
present. Did you know that Åland has the most sunshine of all the
Nordic countries from May through August?
Distinctive for Åland is also the midsummer poles with their
colourful ornaments and the old-fashioned windmills. You find them for
example at the Jan Karlsgården open air museum in Kastelholm. The
museum also depicts a typical Åland farm from the end of the 1800's.
Åland in brief
- Inhabitants: 27.500
- Language: Swedish
- Currency: Euro € is the official currency but most service spots also accept Swedish crowns.
- Time: Eastern European time
- Total area: 6 787 km2
- A total of more than 6 500 island of which 65 are inhabited.