Ahvenanmaan

Ahvenanmaa, known in Swedish as Åland, is an autonomous and demilitarized region of Finland. It lies in the Baltic Sea between Finland and Sweden and comprises thousands of islands and islets; about 60 of them are inhabited. The largest is Fasta Åland, where the capital Mariehamn is located. The total population is around 30,000.

Autonomy and government: Since 1920, Åland has self-government under its Autonomy Act. It has its own legislature, the Parliament of Åland (Ålands lagting) with 30 members, and a government, the Landskapsregering, responsible for many internal matters such as education, health care, and local administration. The official language is Swedish; Finnish is used in some contexts, but Swedish is dominant.

Relations and economy: The islands are demilitarized under international treaties; Finland handles defense and foreign affairs in cooperation with the EU. Åland is part of Finland and, by extension, the European Union, but it maintains a separate regulatory regime, including taxation. The economy relies on maritime services, shipping, logistics, fishing, agriculture, and tourism. Transport links include ferries to Turku, Helsinki, and Stockholm and Mariehamn Airport, which serves domestic and international flights.