Regions maakunta (Finnish) landskap (Swedish) | |
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Category | Unitary state |
Location | Finland |
Number | 19 |
Populations | 30,344 (Åland) — 1,714,741 (Uusimaa) |
Areas | 1,553 km2 (Åland) — 92,674 km2 (Lapland) |
Government |
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Subdivisions |
Finland is divided into 19 regions (Finnish : maakunta; Swedish : landskap) [lower-alpha 1] which are governed by regional councils that serve as forums of cooperation for the municipalities of each region. The councils are composed of delegates from the municipal councils. The main tasks of regional councils are regional planning, the development of enterprises, and education. Between 2004 and 2012, the regional council of Kainuu was elected via popular elections as part of an experimental regional administration. [2]
In 2022, new Wellbeing services counties were established as part of a health care and social services reform. The wellbeing services counties follow the regional borders, and are governed by directly elected county councils. [3]
One region, Åland, has a special status and has a much higher degree of autonomy than the others, with its own Parliament and local laws, due to its unique history and the fact that the overwhelming majority of its people are Finland Swedes. The sole language of Åland is Swedish/Finland Swedish, unlike the rest of the country where Finnish and Swedish share official status. It has its own elected head of government who carries the title of Premier and heads the Lantråd, the regional executive. Most powers that would be exercised by the Government of Finland on the mainland are instead exercised by Åland-specific authorities which execute independent policy in most areas. The Åland islanders elect a single representative to the national legislature, while the Government of Finland appoints a Governor to represent the national government on Åland. Åland is a demilitarized zone and Åland islanders are exempt from conscription.
In addition to inter-municipal cooperation, which is the responsibility of regional councils, there are 15 Centres for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (Finnish: elinkeino-, liikenne- ja ympäristökeskus, abbreviated ely-keskus), which are responsible for the local administration of labour, agriculture, fisheries, forestry and entrepreneurial affairs. They are each responsible for one or more of regions of Finland, and include offices of the Ministries of Employment and the Economy, Transport and Communications and Environment. The Finnish Defence Forces regional offices are responsible for the regional defence preparations and for the administration of conscription within the region.
Flag | Coat of arms | English name [4] | Finnish name | Swedish name | ISO | Capital | Area (km2) | Population (2021) [5] |
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Lapland | Lappi | Lappland | FI-10 | Rovaniemi | 92,674 | 176,494 | ||
North Ostrobothnia | Pohjois-Pohjanmaa | Norra Österbotten | FI-14 | Oulu | 36,815 | 415,603 | ||
Kainuu | Kainuu | Kajanaland | FI-05 | Kajaani | 20,197 | 71,255 | ||
North Karelia | Pohjois-Karjala | Norra Karelen | FI-13 | Joensuu | 17,761 | 163,281 | ||
North Savo | Pohjois-Savo | Norra Savolax | FI-15 | Kuopio | 16,768 | 248,363 | ||
South Savo | Etelä-Savo | Södra Savolax | FI-04 | Mikkeli | 14,257 | 131,688 | ||
South Karelia | Etelä-Karjala | Södra Karelen | FI-02 | Lappeenranta | 5,327 | 126,107 | ||
Central Finland | Keski-Suomi | Mellersta Finland | FI-08 | Jyväskylä | 16,703 | 272,683 | ||
South Ostrobothnia | Etelä-Pohjanmaa | Södra Österbotten | FI-03 | Seinäjoki | 13,444 | 191,762 | ||
Ostrobothnia | Pohjanmaa | Österbotten | FI-12 | Vaasa | 7,753 | 176,041 | ||
Central Ostrobothnia | Keski-Pohjanmaa | Mellersta Österbotten | FI-07 | Kokkola | 5,020 | 67,915 | ||
Pirkanmaa | Pirkanmaa | Birkaland | FI-11 | Tampere | 12,585 | 527,478 | ||
Satakunta | Satakunta | Satakunta | FI-17 | Pori | 7,820 | 214,281 | ||
Päijät-Häme | Päijät-Häme | Päijänne-Tavastland | FI-16 | Lahti | 5,125 | 205,124 | ||
Kanta-Häme | Kanta-Häme | Egentliga Tavastland | FI-06 | Hämeenlinna | 5,199 | 170,213 | ||
Kymenlaakso | Kymenlaakso | Kymmenedalen | FI-09 | Kotka and Kouvola [lower-alpha 2] | 5,149 | 161,391 | ||
Uusimaa | Uusimaa | Nyland | FI-18 | Helsinki | 9,097 | 1,714,741 | ||
Southwest Finland | Varsinais-Suomi | Egentliga Finland | FI-19 | Turku | 10,663 | 483,477 | ||
Åland | Ahvenanmaa | Åland | AX and FI-01 | Mariehamn | 1,553 | 30,344 |
Coat of arms | Name | Official English name [6] | Finnish name | Swedish name | Capital | Dissolution (date) |
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Eastern Uusimaa | Itä-Uusimaa | Itä-Uusimaa [7] | Östra Nyland | Porvoo | 1 January 2011 |
Border changes between the regions: [8]
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Administrative divisions of Finland |
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Tavastia is a historical province in the south of Finland. It borders Finland Proper, Satakunta, Ostrobothnia, Savonia and Uusimaa.
Häme is the name of a geographical region in Finland, associated with the Tavastians, or Häme people (hämäläiset), a subgroup of the Finnish people. The precise area referred to can vary depending on the context.
The historical provinces are former administrative or cultural areas of Finland, with origins from the slottslän of the Middle Ages. The historical provinces ceased to be administrative entities in 1634 when they were superseded by the counties, a reform which remained in force in Finland until 1997. The historical provinces remain as a tradition, but have no administrative function today.
Western Finland was a province of Finland from 1997 to 2009. It bordered the provinces of Oulu, Eastern Finland and Southern Finland. It also bordered the Gulf of Bothnia towards Åland. Tampere was the largest city of the province.
The former Province of Western Finland in Finland was divided into seven regions, 34 districts and 192 municipalities.
Pirkanmaa, also known as Tampere Region in government documents, is a region of Finland. It borders the regions of Satakunta, South Ostrobothnia, Central Finland, Päijät-Häme, Kanta-Häme and Southwest Finland. Most of the water area in the Kokemäki River watershed is located in the Pirkanmaa region, although Lake Vanajavesi is partly in the Kanta-Häme region. The region got its name from Pirkkala, which in the Middle Ages comprised most of present-day Pirkanmaa. Tampere is the regional center and capital of Pirkanmaa, and at the same time the largest city in the region.
North Savo is a region in eastern Finland. It borders the regions of South Savo, Central Finland, North Ostrobothnia, Kainuu, and North Karelia. Kuopio is the largest city in the region and Lake Kallavesi is the largest lake in the region.
Sub-regions are divisions used for statistical purposes in Finland. The country is divided into 69 sub-regions, which are formed by groups of municipalities within the 19 regions of Finland. These sub-regions represent a LAU 1 level of division used in conjunction with the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics.
South Savo is a region in the south-east of Finland. It borders the regions of North Savo, North Karelia, South Karelia, Kymenlaakso, Päijät-Häme, and Central Finland. The total area of South Savo is 18,768.33 km2, with a population of 153,738 (2011). South Savo is located in the heart of the Finnish lake district, and contains Lake Saimaa, the largest lake in Finland. The three major towns in the region are Mikkeli, Savonlinna and Pieksämäki.
North Ostrobothnia is a region of Finland. It borders the Finnish regions of Lapland, Kainuu, North Savo, Central Finland and Central Ostrobothnia, as well as the Russian Republic of Karelia. The easternmost corner of the region between Lapland, Kainuu and the Russian border is known as Koillismaa.
Satakunta is a region of Finland, part of the former Western Finland Province. It borders the regions of Southwest Finland, Pirkanmaa, South Ostrobothnia and Ostrobothnia. The capital city of the region is Pori. The name of the region literally means hundred. The historical province of the same name was a larger area within Finland, covering modern Satakunta as well as much of Pirkanmaa.
Uusimaa is a region of Finland. It borders the regions of Southwest Finland, Tavastia Proper (Kanta-Häme), Päijänne Tavastia (Päijät-Häme), and Kymenlaakso. Finland's capital and largest city, Helsinki, along with the surrounding metropolitan area, are both contained in the region, and Uusimaa is Finland's most populous region. The population of Uusimaa is 1,734,000.
Central Finland is a region in Finland. It borders the regions of Päijät-Häme, Pirkanmaa, South Ostrobothnia, Central Ostrobothnia, North Ostrobothnia, North Savo, and South Savo. The city of Jyväskylä is the regional centre and by far the largest city in the area. The Central Finland lies slightly south of the geographical centre of Finland. The landscape is hilly and a large part of the province belongs to the Finnish Lakeland.
Eastern Uusimaa or, officially, Itä-Uusimaa was one of the 19 regions of Finland, until it consolidated with the region of Uusimaa on 1 January 2011. It bordered the regions of Uusimaa, Päijänne Tavastia (Päijät-Häme) and Kymenlaakso.
Kymenlaakso is a region in Finland. It borders the regions of Uusimaa, Päijät-Häme, South Savo and South Karelia and Russia. Its name means literally The Valley of River Kymi. Kymijoki is one of the biggest rivers in Finland with a drainage basin with 11% of the area of Finland. The city of Kotka with 51,000 inhabitants is located at the delta of River Kymi and has the most important import harbour in Finland. Other cities are Kouvola further in the inland which has after a municipal merger 81,000 inhabitants and the old bastion town Hamina.
Päijät-Häme is a region in Southern Finland south of the lake Päijänne. It borders the regions of Uusimaa, Kanta-Häme, Pirkanmaa, Central Finland, South Savo and Kymenlaakso. The biggest city in the region is Lahti.
The toponyms of Finland result mainly from the legacy left by three linguistic heritages: the Finnish language, the Swedish language and Sami languages. Finland’s place names range from those of unknown or unrecognizable origins to more clearly derivable onomastics. There are both national and international recommendations on how to use the bilingual country's place names in texts written in different languages. In Finland, the Research Institute for the Languages of Finland and the National Land Survey of Finland are jointly responsible for the standardization of place names.
Household pennant is a quite common Nordic and Scandinavian tradition. A household pennant can be flown whenever there is no flag flying day and it is usually a means of telling that the "master of the house" is at home or simply for decorations. Due to this, pennants flags are usually a more common sight than the national flag in these countries. These pennants have a long, narrow, triangular shape, usually one third to half the length of the flag pole. The pennants are also used in some countries for determining the wind direction. Unlike the national flag, which usually has a specific timeframe it can formally be flown during the day, pennants are regarded as more informal, and can be flown all day and night until worn out.
The wellbeing services counties are responsible for organising health, social and emergency services in Finland. There are 21 wellbeing services counties and the county division is mainly based on the region division. The public authorities are separate from the municipalities and from the central government.