Search

The Online Encyclopedia and Dictionary

 
     
 

Encyclopedia

Dictionary

Quotes

 

Mainland Finland

Mainland Finland (Manner-Suomi or Fasta Finland) is a term used for instance in statistics to exclude the autonomous Åland Islands under Finnish sovereignty. Mainland Finland is not to be confused with Finland Proper, that is the province adjacent to Åland.

In a geographical sense it could, of course, as well be used to exclude the other islands off Finland's coast.

The term is significant in the context of legal differences between Åland and Mainland Finland, and also in the context of differences of culture, language, history and self-perceived nationhood between the Ålanders and the Finland-Swedes. However, as the sheer size of Åland and its population is well below one percent of that of Mainland Finland's, and below ten percent of that of the Finland-Swedes, there are many instances when this distinction is ignored.

Last updated: 10-13-2005 10:41:16
The contents of this article are licensed from Wikipedia.org under the GNU Free Documentation License. How to see transparent copy