By reason of Åland's autonomous status, the powers exercised at provincial level by representatives of the central state administration in the rest of Finland are here largely in the remit of the Government of Åland (Ålands landskapsregering).

Autonomy of Åland

The autonomous status of the islands was affirmed by a decision made by the League of Nations in 1921, and in a somewhat different context, reaffirmed in the treaty on Finland's admission 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 an Act on the Autonomy of Åland of 1920, last revised in 1991.

In connection with Finland's admission to the European Union a protocol on the Åland Islands provides, 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 "regional citizenship" (hembygdsrätt) in Åland) to acquire and hold real property, implying a recognition of a separate nationality.

History

The Åland Islands were among the territory ceded to Russia by Sweden under the treaty of Fredrikshamn in September 1809; they became part of the semi-autonomous Grand duchy of Finland.

When the islands were ceded to Russia, the Swedes were unable to secure a provision that the islands should not be fortified. The issue was important not only for Sweden but for the United Kingdom, which was concerned that a military presence on the islands could threaten their security and commercial interests.

In 1832 the Russians 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.

During the Civil War in Finland, 1918, Swedish troops intervened as a peacekeeping force between the Russian troops stationed on the islands, and White and Red troops arriving over the ice from Finland. Within weeks the Swedes were replaced by German troops occupying by request of the Finnish "White" government.

From 1917 the residents of the islands aimed at having the islands ceded back to their mother country, 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 in the face of anti-Swedish tendencies in Finland, Finnish nationalism fuelled by Finland's struggle to retain its autonomy, and the Finnish resistance against Russification. Also the conflict between the Swedish speaking minority in Finland and the Finnish speaking majority, which since the 1840s had been prominent in Finland's political life, contributed to the Åland population's fear for its future in Finland.

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

In the course of the 20th century, the Finnish sovereignty has been perceived as benevolent, and even beneficial, by increasing numbers of the islanders. Together with disappointment over insufficient support from Sweden in the League of Nations, Swedish disrespect for Åland's demilitarised status in the 1930s, and to some degree a feeling of shared destiny with Finland during and after World War II, this has resulted in a changed perception of Åland's relation to Finland: from "a Swedish province in Finnish possession" to "an autonomous part of Finland".

Politics

The Åland Islands are governed according to the Act on Åland Autonomy and international treaties, which guarantees autonomy and demilitarized status. The Government of Åland, or Landskapsregering, is dependent on the Parliament of Åland, or Lagting, according to the principles of parliamentarism.

Åland had been a part of the Korsholm Castle county since the middle ages. In 1634, Åland was made part of the Åbo and Björneborg County as a part of the grand administrative reforms initiated by count Axel Oxenstierna. The county became part of the Russian Empire within the Grand Duchy of Finland in 1809, when Sweden was forced to cede vast areas in the Napoleonic Wars. When Finland declared its independence in 1917, the newly established state inherited the Åland islands.

During the Civil War in 1918, some Russian troops were still stationed on the islands, causing serious instability and nervousness. This anxiety in the local population, and in the other Scandinavian states, resulted in a Swedish occupation and 7,135 people (of a total population of approximately 22,500 at the time) signing the adress for Åland joining the kingdom of Sweden. The fear of Russia finally resulted in a German occupation of the islands. In the mean time, the Finnish press was playing with the idea of an exchange of land areas between Sweden and Finland. The areas in question of this exchange would have been the Swedish speaking Åland to Sweden and some Finnish speaking areas of Norrbotten and Västerbotten to Finland. The response from the Swedish government was bluntly negative to any exchanges of this nature.

In 1921 the question of Åland was brought to the council of League of Nations. The council decided unanimously, that the islands would remain under Finland's sovereignty, but stated that the native population's rights to their own language had to be preserved, that the area had to stay demilitarized and that Åland was granted autonomy during peace time.

Åland has its own national flag, has issued its own postage stamps since 1984, has its own police force, and is a member of the Nordic Council. The islands are demilitarised, and the male population is exempted from conscription. Parliamentarism has been the custom since 1988. The Åland autonomy preceded the creation of the Regions of Finland, but the autonomous government of Åland also handles what the regional councils do.

The sovereignty over Åland belongs to Finland, and Åland is thus not independent. The Åland Islands are guaranteed representation in the Finnish parliament, and elect one representative.

Administration

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.

Municipalities:Brändö ;Eckerö ;Finström ;Föglö ; Geta ;Hammarland ;Jomala ;Kumlinge ;

 Kökar ;Lemland ;Lumparland ;Mariehamn ; Saltvik ;Sottunga ;Sund ;Vårdö .

Geography

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 inhabitable islands, of which about eighty are inhabited; the remainder are merely some 6,000 skerries and desolate rocks. The archipelago is connected to Turku archipelago in the east (Finnish: Turunmaan saaristo, Swedish: Åbolands skärgård) — the archipelago adjacent to the southwest coast of Finland.

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 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.

A transnational Euroregion encompasses Åland and nearby coastal archipelagoes (skärgårdar).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.

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 well-off 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), 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.

Demographics

Most inhabitants have Swedish (the sole official language) as their mother tongue: 93.5% in 2001, although Finnish speakers' rights are safeguarded. In the rest of Finland, bothare official languages. The vast majority of the population, 94.8%, belongs to the Evangelical Lutheran Church. Finnish and Swedish

 

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 Ethnic Swedes or Finland Swedes, however their language is closer to the adjacent dialects in Sweden than to adjacent dialects of Finland-Swedish.