lääni

Lääni, commonly translated as county, was a historical administrative division in Finland. During the period when Finland was part of Sweden and later as the Grand Duchy of Finland under Russia, lääni served as the principal sub-national unit, acting as an intermediary between the central government and municipalities.

Each lääni was headed by a maaherra (governor), who represented the central authorities and coordinated civil administration, taxation, policing, judicial matters, and infrastructure within the lääni.

Borders and the number of lääni changed several times through reforms and reorganizations.

In the late 20th century, the Finnish government reformed sub-national administration and replaced lääni with maakunta (regions). The transition began in the 1990s, and the term lääni gradually fell out of official use, though it remains a term in historical and archival contexts.

Today maakunta is the level of government responsible for regional planning, health and social services alignment, and economic development, while the municipalities handle local administration.

Historically, the concept of lääni is part of Finland's administrative evolution, reflecting centralized governance and the evolution of regional autonomy.

See also: Maakunta, Provinces of Finland.