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the resources the reviews the forums the calendar the links search [an error occurred while processing this directive] back to all reviews... check out more reviews by country... check out more places in finland...   Åland (Finnish: Ahvenanmaa) is an autonomous area in the Baltic Sea, consisting of one main island and a surrounding archipelago. While legally a part of Finland, in practice the islands run their own affairs and are rather different from the mainland. Åland is divided into 15 municipalities and one city - Mariehamn. The Åland Islands (pronounced "Oh-lahnd") are a group of small islands officially belonging to Finland but awarded a wide degree of autonomy by a League of Nations decision in 1921 that settled a long-running dispute between Sweden and Finland. Still at the time when Åland was under Russian sovereignty, a treaty was concluded between Russia, France and the United Kingdom at the issue of the Crimean War, by virtue of which the islands were demilitarized. Finland assumed the same obligation upon achieving independence. Among other things, Ålanders have their own parliament, publish their own stamps, are exempt from military service and maintain a special tax status in the European Union. The archipelago consists of around 80 inhabited islands plus around 6000 uninhabited islands, islets and rocks. The total population is only 26,530 (2004), 90% of which lives on the main island Åland (also known as Fasta (Mainland) Åland), which includes the capital Mariehamn. The islands are monolingually Swedish, a point of some contention in otherwise bilingual (or, in practice, frequently Finnish monolingual) Finland. English is widely spoken and generally spoken better than Finnish. Finns from outside Åland, who want to establish resident's rights, not only have to reside for a minimum period but also to exhibit proficiency in Swedish. Moreover, if the Finnish Parliament passes legislation relevant to Åland, they must inform the Åland Assembly in Swedish. There's so much more to learn... Check out our Facts For The Visitor or read up on our reviews of everything about Åland: Mariehamn Eckerö Finström Geta Hammarland Jomala Lemland Lumparland Saltvik Sund Föglö Brändö Kumlinge Kökar Sottunga Vårdö Information here (unless otherwise specified) are licenced under a Creative Commons Licence.

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