{"id":5183,"date":"2020-05-24T04:00:12","date_gmt":"2020-05-24T04:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/?p=5183"},"modified":"2020-04-23T14:50:50","modified_gmt":"2020-04-23T14:50:50","slug":"aland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/aland\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00c5land"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction:<\/h2>\n

The \u00c5land Islands or \u00c5land is an archipelago province at the entrance to the Gulf of Bothnia<\/a> in the Baltic Sea<\/a> belonging to Finland<\/a>. It is autonomous, demilitarized and is the only monolingual Swedish-speaking region in Finland. It is the smallest region of Finland, constituting 0.51% of its land area and 0.54% of its population.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Location of \u00c5land within Finland<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00c5land comprises Fasta \u00c5land on which 90% of the population resides and a further 6,500 skerries and islands to its east. Fasta \u00c5land is separated from the coast of Sweden<\/a> by 38 kilometers (24 mi) of open water to the west. In the east, the \u00c5land archipelago is contiguous with the Finnish Archipelago Sea. \u00c5land’s only land border is located on the uninhabited skerry of M\u00e4rket<\/a>, which it shares with Sweden.<\/p>\n

\u00c5land’s autonomous status means that those provincial powers normally exercised by representatives of the central Finnish government are largely exercised by its own government.<\/p>\n

Autonomy:<\/h2>\n

The autonomous status of the islands was affirmed by a decision made by the League of Nations<\/a> in 1921 following the \u00c5land Islands dispute<\/a>. It was reaffirmed within the treaty admitting Finland to the European Union<\/a>. By law, \u00c5land is politically neutral and entirely demilitarized, and residents are exempt from conscription to the Finnish Defence Forces<\/a>. The islands were granted extensive autonomy by the Parliament of Finland<\/a> in the Act on the Autonomy of \u00c5land of 1920, which was later replaced by new legislation by the same name in 1951 and 1991. The constitution of Finland defines a “constitution of \u00c5land” by referring to this act. \u00c5land remains exclusively Swedish-speaking by this act.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
League of Nations Map<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In connection with Finland’s admission to the European Union, a protocol was signed concerning the \u00c5land Islands that stipulates, 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 “home region rights”\u2014hembygdsr\u00e4tt\u2014in \u00c5land) to acquire and hold real property or to provide certain services.<\/p>\n

Etymology:<\/h2>\n

\u00c5land’s original name was in the Proto-Norse language<\/a> Ahvaland which means “land of water”. Ahva is related to the Latin word for water, “aqua”. In Swedish, this first developed into \u00c1land and eventually into \u00c5land, literally “river land”\u2014even though rivers are not a prominent feature of \u00c5land’s geography. The Finnish<\/a> and Estonian<\/a> names of the island, Ahvenanmaa and Ahvenamaa (“perch land”), are seen to preserve another form of the old name.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Finnish Speaking Areas<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Another theory suggests that the Finnish Ahvenanmaa would be the original name of the archipelago, from which the Swedish \u00c5land derives.<\/p>\n

The official name, Landskapet \u00c5land, means “the Region of \u00c5land”; landskap is cognate to English “landscape”.<\/p>\n

History:<\/h2>\n

Members of the Neolithic<\/a> Comb Ceramic<\/a> culture started settling the islands some 7000 years ago, after the islands had begun to re-emerge from the sea after being pushed down by the weight of the continental ice of the latest ice-age. Two neolithic cultures met on \u00c5land: the Comb Ceramic culture and the later Pit-Comb Ware<\/a> culture which spread from the west.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Comb Ceramic Ware<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Stone Age<\/a> and Bronze Age<\/a> people obtained food by hunting seals and birds, fishing, and gathering plants. They also started agriculture early on. In the Iron Age<\/a>, contacts with Scandinavia increased. From the Viking age there are over 380 documented burial sites and six castle ruins.<\/p>\n

Along with Finland, the \u00c5land Islands formed part of the territory ceded to Russia<\/a> by Sweden<\/a> under the Treaty of Fredrikshamn<\/a> in September 1809. As a result, they became part of the semi-autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland (1809-1917). During negotiations, Sweden failed to secure a provision that the islands not be fortified. The issue was important not only for Sweden but also for the United Kingdom, which as a result of the Treaty of 1809 became concerned that a Russian military presence on the islands could threaten Britain’s commercial interests in its trade passing through the Baltic to Helsingfors<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Treaty of Fredrikshamn<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In 1832, Russia started to fortify the islands, with the great fortress of Bomarsund<\/a>. In 1854, as part of the campaign in the Baltic during the Crimean War<\/a> against Russia, a combined British and French force of warships and marines captured and destroyed the fortress. The 1856 Treaty of Paris<\/a> demilitarized the entire \u00c5land archipelago.<\/p>\n

During the Finnish Civil War, in 1918, Swedish troops intervened<\/a> as a peacekeeping force between the Russian troops stationed on the islands and “White<\/a>” and “Red<\/a>” Finnish troops who came from Finland over the frozen sea. Historians point out that Sweden may have in reality planned to occupy the islands. Within weeks, the Swedish troops gave way to German troops<\/a> who occupied \u00c5land<\/a> at the request of the “White” (conservative) Senate of Finland.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Swedish Troops Disarm the Soviets<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After 1917, the residents of the islands worked towards having them ceded to Sweden. In 1919 96.4% of the voters on the islands signed a petition for secession from Finland<\/a> and for integration with Sweden, with over 95% in favor. 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<\/a>. The conflict between the Swedish-speaking minority and the Finnish-speaking majority<\/a> on the Finnish mainland, prominent in Finnish politics since the 1840s, contributed to the apprehension of the \u00c5land population about a future within Finland.<\/p>\n

Finland, however, declined to cede the islands and instead offered the islanders an autonomous status. 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 latter decided that Finland should retain sovereignty over the province, but that the \u00c5land Islands should be made an autonomous territory. The \u00c5land convention of 20 October 1921<\/a>, signed by Sweden, Finland, Germany<\/a>, the United Kingdom<\/a>, France<\/a>, Italy<\/a>, Denmark<\/a>, Poland<\/a>, Estonia<\/a>, and Latvia<\/a>, was the first international agreement achieved by the League. Thus, Finland was obliged to ensure the residents of the \u00c5land Islands the right to maintain the Swedish language, as well as their own culture and local traditions. The convention of 1921 established the neutral status of \u00c5land by international treaty, prohibiting the placing of military installations or forces on the islands.<\/p>\n

The islanders\u2019 disappointment about insufficient support from Sweden in the League of Nations, Swedish disrespect for \u00c5land’s demilitarized status in the 1930s, and some feelings of a shared destiny with Finland during and after the Second World War<\/a>, changed their perception of their relationship with Finland from “a Swedish province in Finnish possession” to “an autonomous part of Finland”. The islanders enjoyed safety at sea during the war of 1939\u20131945, as their merchant fleet could sail both for the Allied countries and for Germany. Consequently, \u00c5land shipping was not generally attacked, as the various military forces rarely knew which cargo was being carried or to whom.<\/p>\n

Finland marked the 150th anniversary of the demilitarization of the \u00c5land Islands by issuing a high-value commemorative coin, the \u20ac5 150th Anniversary of Demilitarization of \u00c5land Islands commemorative coin<\/a>, minted in 2006. The obverse depicts a pine tree, a typical feature of the \u00c5land Islands. The reverse features a boat’s stern and rudder, with a dove perched on the tiller, a symbol of 150 years of peace.<\/p>\n

Geography:<\/h2>\n

The \u00c5land Islands occupy a position of strategic importance, as they command one of the entrances to the port of Stockholm<\/a>, as well as the approaches to the Gulf of Bothnia<\/a>, in addition to being situated near the Gulf of Finland<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Map of \u00c5land<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The \u00c5land archipelago includes nearly three hundred habitable islands, of which about eighty are inhabited; the remainder are merely some 6,200 skerries<\/a> and desolate rocks. The archipelago is connected to \u00c5boland archipelago<\/a> in the east; the archipelago adjacent to the southwest coast of Finland. Together they form the Archipelago Sea<\/a>. To the West from \u00c5land is the Sea of \u00c5land and to the North is the Bothnian Sea.<\/a><\/p>\n

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 islands also contain many meadows that are home to many different kinds of insects, such as the Glanville fritillary<\/a> butterfly. There are several harbors.<\/p>\n

The islands’ landmass occupies a total area of 1,527 square kilometers (590 sq mi). Ninety percent of the population live on Fasta \u00c5land<\/a>, which is also the site of the capital town of Mariehamn. Fasta \u00c5land is the largest island in the archipelago. Its area is difficult to estimate due to its irregular shape and coastline, but estimates range from 740 square kilometers to 879 square kilometers to over 1,010 square kilometers, depending on what is included or excluded.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Sheep Grazing on a Small Island<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

During the \u00c5land Islands dispute<\/a>, 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, many 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. One consequence is the often repeated number of “over 6,000” skerries that was given authority by the outcome of the arbitration.<\/p>\n

Economy:<\/h2>\n

\u00c5land’s economy is heavily dominated by shipping, trade and tourism. Shipping represents about 40% of the economy, with several international carriers owned and operated from \u00c5land. 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 prosperous economy. Wind power is rapidly developing, aiming at reversing the direction in the cables to the mainland in coming years. In December 2011, wind power accounted for 31.5% of \u00c5land’s total electricity usage.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Ferry Port in \u00d6ver\u00f6, F\u00f6gl\u00f6<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The main ports are Mariehamn (south), Berghamn (west) and L\u00e5ngn\u00e4s<\/a> on the eastern shore of the Main Island.<\/p>\n

The abolition of tax-free sales on ferry boats travelling between destinations within the European Union made Finland demand an exception for the \u00c5land Islands on the European Union value-added tax rules<\/a>. The exception allows for maintained tax-free sales on the ferries between Sweden and Finland (provided they stop at Mariehamn or L\u00e5ngn\u00e4s) and at the airport, but has also made \u00c5land a different tax-zone, meaning that tariffs must be levied on goods brought to the islands. Two million people visit the \u00c5land 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.<\/p>\n

The Finnish State also collects taxes, duties and fees in \u00c5land. In return, the Finnish Government places a sum of money at the disposal of the \u00c5land Parliament. The sum is 0.5% of total Government income, excluding Government loans. If the sum paid to the Finnish state exceeds 0.5%, then any amount above goes back to the Parliament of \u00c5land as “diligence money”. In 2010 the amount of taxes paid by \u00c5land Islanders comprised 0.7% of the total taxes paid in Finland.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Euro Banknotes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

According to Eurostat<\/a>, as of 2006 \u00c5land was the 20th-wealthiest of the EU’s 268 regions, and the wealthiest in Finland, with a GDP per inhabitant 47% above the EU mean.<\/p>\n

Bank of \u00c5land<\/a> is headquartered on the island.<\/p>\n

While the official currency is the Euro<\/a>, most businesses in \u00c5land unofficially accept the Swedish krona<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Swedish Krona<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Transportation:<\/h2>\n

Nordic Regional Airlines<\/a> flies to Mariehamn Airport<\/a>, operating for Finnair<\/a>. On the island of Kumlinge<\/a> there is an air strip and a helicopter landing place that is not frequented by regular flights but only by chartered flights.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Norra ATR-72-500<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The islands have quiet roads which are much appreciated by cyclists. Several main roads have separate cycle lanes. There are \u00c5landstrafiken<\/a> local bus services operating in conjunction with the inter-island ferries.<\/p>\n

Road vehicles registered in \u00c5land have number plates with blue lettering starting \u00c5L.<\/p>\n

The red granite is used as a road surface so both gravel and tarmac roads tend to be red in \u00c5land.<\/p>\n

\u00c5land Islands do not have railways.<\/p>\n

The Silja Line<\/a>, Viking Line<\/a> and Tallink<\/a> ferries operating between Helsinki, Turku or Tallinn and Stockholm call briefly at \u00c5land, at either Mariehamn or L\u00e5ngn\u00e4s. As well as providing useful transport links, this also permits the sale of duty-free alcohol etc. on board the ships. This is due to \u00c5land’s special constitutional status and exemption from normal European Union<\/a> rules on Value Added Tax<\/a> and other tariffs, negotiated by Finland as part of talks leading to membership of the EU in 1995. Vessels must call at an \u00c5land port to qualify.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
MS Ecker\u00f6<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A network of ferries operated by \u00c5landstrafiken provide inter-island services (and links with Galtby and Osn\u00e4s ferry harbours in Finland).<\/p>\n

Ecker\u00f6 Linjen<\/a> operates a ferry service between Berghamn<\/a> port in Ecker\u00f6<\/a>, \u00c5land and Grisslehamn<\/a> port in Norrt\u00e4lje<\/a>, Sweden.<\/p>\n

The Flag of \u00c5land:<\/h2>\n

The flag of \u00c5land is the Swedish flag defaced by a red cross symbolizing Finland. Today, blue and white are considered the Finnish colors, but in the early days of Finnish nationalism, red and yellow from the Finnish coat of arms was also an option.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Flag of \u00c5land<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The flag has been the official flag of the autonomous Finnish province of \u00c5land since 1954. It was first hoisted on 3 April 1954.<\/p>\n

Prior to autonomy, an unofficial horizontal bicolour triband of blue-yellow-blue was in use. That flag was made illegal in 1935.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Unofficial Flag of \u00c5land 1921-1954<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At an early stage, the population in \u00c5land wanted their flag to be the opposite of Sweden’s, with a yellow field and a blue cross. That was later prohibited.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The flag of \u00c5land is the Swedish flag defaced by a red cross symbolizing Finland. Today, blue and white are considered the Finnish colours, but in the early days of Finnish nationalism, red and yellow from the Finnish coat of arms was also an option.<\/p>\n

The flag has been the official flag of the autonomous Finnish province of \u00c5land since 1954. It was first hoisted on 3 April 1954.<\/p>\n

Prior to autonomy, an unofficial horizontal bicolour triband of blue-yellow-blue was in use. That flag was made illegal in 1935.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5451,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[144,89,59,26,143,5,6,7,29,18],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5183"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5183"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5183\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5451"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5183"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5183"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5183"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}