how many islands in finland

Many islands in the Baltic Sea belong to Finland, too. After 1917, the residents of the islands worked towards having them ceded to Sweden. [citation needed] From the iron age, Åland has six hillforts. [23] Swedish nationalist sentiments had strengthened particularly as a result of the anti-Swedish tendencies in Finland and as a result of Finnish nationalism fueled by Finland's struggle to retain its autonomy and resistance against Russification. [citation needed]. Åland comprises Fasta Åland on which 90% of the population resides[11] and a further 6,500 skerries and islands to its east. Within weeks, the Swedish troops gave way to German troops who occupied Åland at the request of the "White" (conservative) Senate of Finland. Inland, some 10% of Finland is covered by water. The surface of the islands is generally rocky and the soil thin due to glacial stripping at the end of the most recent ice age. The Åland Islands or Åland is an archipelago province at the entrance to the Gulf of Bothnia in the Baltic Sea belonging to Finland. On the Finnish map, many smaller islands or skerries were, for technical reasons, given a slightly exaggerated size. [15], Åland has its own flag and has issued its own postage stamps since 1984. The 1856 Treaty of Paris demilitarised the entire Åland archipelago.[14]. The autonomous status of the islands was affirmed by a decision made by the League of Nations in 1921 following the Åland Islands dispute. [12] Of Åland's thousands of islands, 60 are inhabited. [citation needed], In 1832, Russia started to fortify the islands, with the great fortress of Bomarsund. The 180000+ lakes and the 647 rivers have almost 100000 islands and a total estimated shoreline of 215000 kilometers in the lakes and just over 50000 km in the rivers. The language of instruction in publicly financed schools is Swedish (In the rest of Finland, bilingual municipalities provide schooling both in Finnish and in Swedish). The Åland Islands are governed according to the Act on the Autonomy of Åland and international treaties. The obverse depicts a pine tree, a typical feature of the Åland Islands. 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. [citation needed][22], Stone Age and Bronze Age people obtained food by hunting seals and birds, fishing, and gathering plants. Shipping represents about 40% of the economy, with several international carriers owned and operated from Åland. The largest lake is … Previously, presidents had been chosen by electors. To the West from Åland is the Sea of Åland and to the North is the Bothnian Sea. [citation needed] See Languages of Sweden. The islands are considered a separate "nation" for amateur radio purposes and have their own call sign prefix granted by Finland, OH0, OF0 and OG0 (last character is zero).[29]. Fasta Åland is separated from the coast of Sweden by 38 kilometres (24 mi) of open water to the west. There are several harbours. Åland has a humid continental climate that is influenced by its maritime position, especially in summer. The islands were granted extensive autonomy by the Parliament of Finland in the Act on the Autonomy of Åland of 1920, which was later replaced by new legislation by the same name in 1951 and 1991. It is autonomous, demilitarised and is the only monolingually Swedish-speaking region in Finland since 1920 by a decision of the League of Nations. Just the Archipelago sea alone has some 40000 islands! Åland's economy is heavily dominated by shipping, trade and tourism. This means two things: Combine that with a the sheer beauty of the natural environment and the very modern and high quality sailing services offered and you have a sailing experience like no other! The conflict between the Swedish-speaking minority and the Finnish-speaking majority on the Finnish mainland, prominent in Finnish politics since the 1840s, contributed to the apprehension of the Åland population about a future within Finland. [2] It contains almost three hundred islands ( 80 inhabited ), and over 6,000 small ( tiny) rocky islands. The Åland archipelago includes nearly three hundred habitable islands, of which about eighty are inhabited; the remainder are merely some 6,200 skerries and desolate rocks. In 1854, as part of the campaign in the Baltic during the Crimean War against Russia, a combined British and French force of warships and marines captured and destroyed the fortress during the Åland War. [20], Another theory suggests that the Finnish Ahvenanmaa would be the original name of the archipelago, from which the Swedish Åland derives.[21]. The Islands lie in the Gulf of Bothnia between Sweden and Finland. Åland Post provides postal services to the islands, and is a member of the Small European Postal Administration Cooperation. [35], Unemployment was 3.9% in January 2014[36], The Finnish State also collects taxes, duties and fees in Åland. Most of these are inhabited, and with a road connection to the mainland. [22], Along with Finland, the Åland Islands formed part of the territory ceded to Russia by Sweden under the Treaty of Fredrikshamn in September 1809. Two million people visit the Åland Islands every year - but most of them just for a few hours before the ferry returns again, or the passengers change from one ship to another. Due to the islands' proximity to Sweden and because the islands are Swedish-speaking, a number of Swedish homeschooling families have moved from the Swedish mainland to Åland, including Jonas Himmelstrand, the chairman of the Swedish association for homeschooling.[30]. They are an autonomous part of Finland despite nearly all of the population of the islands being Swedish speaking. The Åland Islands or Åland (/ˈɔːlənd, ˈɑːlənd/, also US: /ˈoʊlənd, ˈoʊlɑːn(d), ˈɑːlɑːnd/,[7][8][9][10] Swedish: [ˈǒːland], Finland Swedish: [ˈoːlɑnd]; Finnish: Ahvenanmaa [ˈɑhʋenɑnˈmɑː]) is an archipelago province at the entrance to the Gulf of Bothnia in the Baltic Sea belonging to Finland. Mariehamn is the capital city of Åland. The constitution of Finland defines a "constitution of Åland" by referring to this act. Each of these works are set in Åland. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you want to know more about the islands and the lakes of Finland, go over and visit their site here! Lake Saimaa (in the south-east part of Finland) is the central lake for the biggest such lake system. lakes and almost as many islands! EU membership was approved by 73.64% of voters. The latter decided that Finland should retain sovereignty over the province, but that the Åland Islands should be made an autonomous territory. The Finnish and Estonian names of the island, Ahvenanmaa and Ahvenamaa ("perch land"), are seen to preserve another form of the old name. Finland has some 180000 (yes one hundred and eighty thousand!) [31] Ninety percent of the population live on Fasta Åland, which is also the site of the capital town of Mariehamn. lakes and almost as many islands! [2] It is the smallest region of Finland, constituting 0.51% of its land area and 0.54% of its population. Wind power is rapidly developing, aiming at reversing the direction in the cables to the mainland in coming years. Åland also has a different system of political parties from the mainland (see List of political parties in Finland). Finland has some 180000 (yes one hundred and eighty thousand!) One consequence is the often repeated number of "over 6,000" skerries that was given authority by the outcome of the arbitration. [19], Åland's original name was in the Proto-Norse language *Ahvaland which means "land of water". Despite the condition of neutrality from the 1921 Convention, the islanders enjoyed safety at sea during the war of 1939–1945, as their merchant fleet sailed both for the Allied countries and for Nazi Germany. [15], The majority of the population, 72.0%, belongs to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. During negotiations, Sweden failed to secure a provision that the islands not be fortified. The Åland convention of 20 October 1921, signed by Sweden, Finland, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Denmark, Poland, Estonia, and Latvia, was the first international agreement achieved by the League. If you like Sail in Finland, you can support it by booking a cruise or charter on Dokk. Ilman kiinteää tieyhteyttä olevat pysyvästi asutut saaret, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_islands_of_Finland&oldid=983435406, Articles with Finnish-language sources (fi), Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 14 October 2020, at 06:27. With over 20,000 islands, the Turku Archipelago is one of the most prolific in the world. There are around two thousand islands in oceans in the world. (See Åland Swedish for information about the dialect.). 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 the European Union value-added tax rules. Åland remains exclusively Swedish-speaking by this act. The reverse features a boat's stern and rudder, with a dove perched on the tiller, a symbol of 150 years of peace. There has to be a few nice spots to visit on a coastline like that. The euro is the sole legal tender (as with the rest of Finland), although most businesses in Åland unofficially accept the Swedish krona. The Åland Islands are guaranteed representation in the Finnish parliament, to which they elect one representative. [1] There are 549 permanently inhabited islands in Finland with no road connection to mainland. [48][49], The coat of arms of Åland features a golden red deer on a blue field. [13] From Mariehamn, there is a distance of about 160 kilometers to Turku, a coastal city of mainland Finland, and also to Stockholm, the capital of Sweden. Its area is difficult to estimate due to its irregular shape and coastline, but estimates range from 740 square kilometres[12] to 879 square kilometres[32] to over 1,010 square kilometres, depending on what is included or excluded. In Finland we say that “there is an association for that”. [27] It runs its own police force, and is an associate member of the Nordic Council. [12] The islands also contain many meadows that are home to many different kinds of insects, such as the Glanville fritillary butterfly. The highest mountain of Finland is Halti, which is 1328 meters high. [46] It won the Best Foreign Language Film Award at the Toronto Female Eye Film Festival in 2017. Fasta Åland is the largest island in the archipelago. There are all together 75 818 islands over 0,5 km 2 area in Finland and with all the smaller isles, the total number of islands in Finland is 178 947. [citation needed]. Åland's only land border is located on the uninhabited skerry of Märket, which it shares with Sweden. In Swedish, this first developed into Áland and eventually into Åland, literally "river land"—even though rivers are not a prominent feature of Åland's geography. Finland, however, declined to cede the islands and instead offered the islanders an autonomous status. Farming and fishing are important in combination with the food industry. In 1919 96.4% of the voters on the islands signed a petition for secession from Finland and for integration with Sweden, with over 95% in favour. It has not been possible to come up with the total number of islands around other water bodies such as lakes due to the wide and varying definitions of what makes an island. 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 who came from Finland over the frozen sea. So what makes sailing in Finland special? Nevertheless, the residents did not approve the offer, and in 1921 the dispute over the islands went before the newly-formed League of Nations. The ships latterly made only one round-trip from South Australia to Britain per year, (the grain race), after each marathon voyage going back to Mariehamn to lay up for a few months.

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