Alanda Island

Aland Islands Boundaries Map

The Aland islands (Åland in Swedish, Ahvenanmaa in Finnish) are positioned between eastern Sweden and southwestern Finland, about 65 miles east of Stockholm, Sweden. The islands were originally settled by Nordic peoples, today called Alanders. The Aland people developed a specific genealogy, different from other Scandinavians, being both isolated and connected by sea. Still, Alanders are considered to be Swedes.

The Alanders were influenced by Swedish and Danish cultures in the early development of Scandinavia. Today, the Aland Islands are an autonomous and unilingually Swedish province of Finland. Aland is made up of over 6,500 islands and rocky outcrops covering 572 square miles. The largest island is called Fasta Åland (Main Island of Aland) where 90% of the population live. It extends over more than 70% of the total land area of Aland (see map on left). The population of Aland in the 18th century was about 11,000, inhabiting 80 of the islands.
In 1905 there were some 22,000 inhabitants, living on 150 islands. Today just over 25,000 inhabitants live on only 65 of the islands. Nearly half the population live in Mariehamn, the only city in Aland. The smallest district, and also the smallest in all Finland, is the outer island district of Sottunga, with some 130 inhabitants.

For more infomation about Alanda Island run:goscandinavia.about.com
Alanda Flag