Åland is an autonomous territory Finnish consisted of the Archipel of the same name including/understanding approximately: 6500 islands located between the Finland and the Sweden, with the entry of the Gulf of Bothnia. Of an total surface area of 1527 km2, the archipelago counts eighty inhabited islands for a population of: 26711 inhabitants in 2005. From a geographical point of view, the archipelago is connected to Finland by a chain of small islands whereas the Gulf of Bothnia more clearly separates it from Sweden.
Toponymy, etymology and pronunciation
August 1stThe name Finnois of Åland is Ahvenanmaa . In French, Aland or Aaland are two alternative forms to avoid the use of the å , the first being faulty.
The long form of Åland is Landskapet Åland in Swedish, Ahvenanmaan maakunta in Finnish and “State free associated of French Åland”.
The letter å corresponds in Swedish to the sound (roughly the O of role in French but in longer, to see Prononciation of Swedish ). Åland thus decides.
History
As from the 13th century, Åland belonged to the kingdom of Sweden, as besides the remainder of Finland.
In 1714, the Russians invaded the archipelago, which caused to make almost flee all the population suédophone, which took refuge temporarily in Sweden. The Russian period of occupation will perdura with more or less of intensity until the treaty of Fredriksham (1809), by which Sweden lost officially Finland and Åland with the profit of the Russia. In 1856, following the war of the Crimea, the negotiations between allied powers and the Russia led to the demilitarization of the archipelago. Ålandais founded their capital, Mariehamn, in 1861.
After the Russian revolution of 1917, Finland found its sovereignty and proclaimed its independence. The following year, Åland was confronted with the civil war which prevailed in Finland. The inhabitants of the archipelago benefitted from it to request their fastening from their old fatherland, the kingdom of Sweden. Moreover, during the war of independence, Sweden had occupied Militaire lies Åland which, according to the treaty of Paris, was however demilitarized, by asserting these islands on the basis of political and ethnic consideration but especially on the fact that Ålandais had claimed their meeting with old the motherland . Finland accepted neither this request nor this occupation and appealed, on initiative of the the United Kingdom, with the Société of the Nations - the Council of the SDN decided in June 1921 final membership in Finland, which had granted to them, meanwhile, in 1920, a broad political autonomy in the interior matters and the exemption from the military service. The Finnish State was to begin to respect and guarantee to Ålandais the use of their language Swedish E, of their culture and their habits local.
This autonomy was confirmed with the passing of years by new laws, in particular the granting of a right of veto to the application in the archipelago of the laws promulgated by the central capacity. In almost all the fields, except the foreign policy, the customs (what includes the membership of the single European market), the currency (thus the euro since 1999) and justice, the council of Åland has an autonomous legislative power (which enables him to continue to freely fix the economic policy and the local tax system, within the limits permitted by the European Union).
Today, the province of Åland remains a territory demilitarized (out of NATO and the UEO), member of the European Union since 1995 and, following the example Puerto Rico, profits from a very privileged statute, that of a “free State associated” with Finland.
One will be able however to compare this statute of autonomy with that of the European possessions of the British Couronne (Jersey, Guernesey, Île of Man,…) who do not form part of the United Kingdom but are States very largely autonomous but not completely independent, because still under the authority direct of the Crown but placed by it under the protection of another Member State of the European Union, without forming part of it.
Geography
Topography
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Fauna
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Flora
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Climate
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Geology
The archipelago consists of rocks dating from the Protérozoïque, primarily of pink Granite pseudoporphyritic relatively liable to deterioration, mainly of the type Granite rapakivi.
They are in fact a Batholite granites whose type varies from a pseudoporphyritic variety rich in quartz with the rapakivi variety, but which presents also some granites of the type aplitic. This batholite contains magmatic rocks mafic S, plutonic, in the form of inclusions or in dykes. These rocks belong to a series Dolérite, Norite, Anorthosite and Monzodiorite, installation in a context of divergence (opening of a Rift). The current theory (2006) most widespread is the following one: there are 1,5 to 1,6 billion years, the area would have undergone phenomena of extension during which would have occurred a ultramafic increase of magma with the favor of faults Listrique S. This magma very hot would have dissolved the continental Croûte and would have partially mixed with the granitic magma of Anatexie obtained after this fusion. It would have resulted the batholite from it from granite rapaviki on the one hand, and the seams or inclusions of mafic plutonic rocks on the other hand. There would have been moreover of the phenomena of differentiation of the magma at the origin of the creation of anorthosite, residual, and monzodiorites, richer in Silice and impoverished of ferro-magnesian minerals.
This old base formed with Precambrian was eroded by the Glaciation S of the Pléistocène, mainly cleaned by the sea in the beginning of the postglacial period, then re-installed on the surface under the effect of a rising by épirogenèse, which had with the cast iron of a considerable mass of ice. The anarchistic distribution of the islands is partly due to the absence in this part of the Precambrian base of metamorphic rocks directed.
The morainic coatings torn off by the Glacier S were generally dispersed by the waves at the time where the area was still submerged. Very recognizable, these remains were involved on long distances. There remains however, in the center and the south of Fasta Åland, the principal island, some groups of Drumlin S. the surface of the granites present of the striations left by the glacial erosion which, still today, make it possible to determine the direction of displacement of the glaciers of Pleistocene.
Demography
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Administration
Political statute
See also: Government of Åland
Åland had the statute of province and area of the Finland having a broad autonomy and enjoys, since the Loi on the autonomy of Åland adopted the October 12th 1951 and confirmed in 1990, of a statute of associated free State ; it has of sound flag since 1954, the right to emit stamps and preserves the Swedish as single Official language contrary to continental Finland which is bilingual. The 5% of the population speaking the Finnois are not a recognized minority. The road signs is posted only in Swedish.
It sends to Helsinki a Député with the Parlement and, as an autonomous territory, Åland is member of the Scandinavian Conseil.
Communes
Åland is divided into sixteen communes of which ten are located on Fasta Åland, the principal island. Mariehamn, capital of the State, is the only city.
Economy
Economic sectors
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Transport
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Culture
Languages
See also: Swedish in Finland
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Religion
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Philately
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Festivals and bank holidays
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Appendices
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