Mainland Finland
Encyclopedia
Mainland 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
, which is the province
adjacent to Åland. In legal contexts, the relation between the mainland and Åland Islands is depicted with word pair valtakunta/riket–maakunta/landskapet, which translate into English as the Realm–the Province, but are translated by the Finnish Ministry of Justice as the State–Åland.
In a geographical
sense it could, of course, also 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 Swedish-speaking Finns in mainland Finland. However, since the size of Åland is well below one percent of that of mainland Finland and since the size of its population is below ten percent of that of the Swedish-speaking Finns in mainland Finland, there are many instances when this distinction is ignored.
Statistics
Statistics is the study of the collection, organization, analysis, and interpretation of data. It deals with all aspects of this, including the planning of data collection in terms of the design of surveys and experiments....
to exclude the autonomous Åland Islands
Åland Islands
The Åland Islands form an archipelago in the Baltic Sea. They are situated at the entrance to the Gulf of Bothnia and form an autonomous, demilitarised, monolingually Swedish-speaking region of Finland...
under Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
sovereignty
Sovereignty
Sovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area, such as a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...
. Mainland Finland is not to be confused with Finland Proper
Finland Proper
Finland Proper or Southwest Finland , is a region in south-western Finland. It borders the regions of Satakunta, Tavastia Proper, Ahvenanmaa and Uusimaa.- Municipalities :...
, which is the province
Historical provinces of Finland
The historical provinces of Finland are a legacy of the country's joint history with Sweden. The 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 provinces remain as a tradition, but have...
adjacent to Åland. In legal contexts, the relation between the mainland and Åland Islands is depicted with word pair valtakunta/riket–maakunta/landskapet, which translate into English as the Realm–the Province, but are translated by the Finnish Ministry of Justice as the State–Åland.
In a geographical
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
sense it could, of course, also 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 Swedish-speaking Finns in mainland Finland. However, since the size of Åland is well below one percent of that of mainland Finland and since the size of its population is below ten percent of that of the Swedish-speaking Finns in mainland Finland, there are many instances when this distinction is ignored.