Today is Autonomy Day in the Åland Islands. So here are 10 facts about them.
What and where are the Åland Islands? They make up an autonomous and demilitarised region of Finland situated at the entrance to the Gulf of Bothnia in the Baltic Sea.
That said, the area is perhaps more Swedish than Finnish. The official language is Swedish and although Finnish is taught in schools, many of the people there prefer not to speak it. A tourist would be better off communicating in English, which is widely spoken. The main island, Fasta Åland, is 38 km (20+1⁄2 nautical miles) from Roslagen in Sweden. Åland's only land border is on the uninhabited skerry of Märket, which it shares with Sweden.
The Åland archipelago includes nearly three hundred habitable islands, of which about 60–80 are inhabited.
The name comes from ancient words for water, or river, even though there aren’t many rivers here. Another theory is that the name derived from the old name for perch, a type of fish.
The capital city is Mariehamn, which is on Fasta Åland. 90% of the population live on this island.
The highest point is Orrdalsklint or Orrdals Hill which is 129 metres above sea level or 423 feet in old money. There is an observation tower at the top.
Åland's Autonomy Day is celebrated on 9 June in memory of Åland County Council's first meeting on this date in 1922. Its demilitarised, neutral position dates back to the Paris Peace Treaty after the Åland War in the 1850s. This was affirmed by a decision made by the League of Nations in 1921 and by the treaty admitting Finland to the European Union. Residents are exempt from conscription to the Finnish Defence Forces.
That said, Åland is a member of The EU (decided by a separate referendum to that of Finland) and its currency is the Euro. Åland is not, however, part of the EU’s VAT area.
It has an extensive maritime history. The Åland Maritime Museum, at the West Harbour of Mariehamn, is the most visited museum in Åland. From the 19th century until World War II, Mariehamn served as the centre of a sailing fleet engaged in grain trade with Australia. Today, one of the main industries here is agriculture because of the mild climate and fertile soil.
The Åland coat of arms depicts a golden red Deer, even though these animals are not found on the islands. This occurred because of a medieval mix up between Åland and the Swedish island province of Öland, back in 1560. Öland was supposed to be the recipient of this coat of arms.
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