Although the islands officially belong to Finland, Swedish is the sole official language. During the early 20th century, the vast majority of the population considered themselves Swedish, but over the course of a century an increasing number of Ålanders have come to feel more comfortable with being a part of the eastern country for a variety of reasons. Ålanders are exempt from conscription, but many serve as volunteers.
The majority of Åland's economy revolves around shipping, trade, agriculture (especially potatoes - almost all potato chips consumed in Finland come from Åland) and tourism, unsurprising for an archipelago right between Sweden and Finland. At one point, Åland actually had the largest fleet of windjammer sailing ships in the world, and they have always produced excellent sailors.
The Åland Islands in media
- Åland in Scandinavia and the World is portrayed as Sweden's boyfriend, who currently lives with his cousin Finland because King Europe forced him to out of concern over Finland's lack of cooking skills. Ironically enough considering the islands' reputation as the 'Islands of Peace' Åland is quite aggressive, and is one of the few people that can stand up to Finland and Russia.
The flag of Åland
Miscellaneous
- Capital and largest city: Mariehamn
- Population: 14,731
- Area: 1,580 km² (610 sq mi)
- Currency: Euro (€) (EUR)
- ISO-3166-1 Code: AX