"various interests of the islands at national and international level, as well as to function as a platform for exchange of ideas and experiences. B7 Baltic Islands Network B7 Baltic Islands Network is a transnational cooperation between the local administrations or governments of seven islands in the Baltic Sea. The network is made up of the local administrations or governments of the islands of Bornholm (Denmark), Gotland (Sweden), Hiiumaa (Estonia), Rügen (Germany), Saaremaa (Estonia), Åland Islands (autonomous part of Finland) and Öland (Sweden). The network has two decision-making bodies; a ""steering committee"", which is the politically responsible body, and a"
"Bothnia, the Åland Islands are situated alongside all the sea traffic lanes that come in and out of the Gulf, and are within range of Sweden, Finland and the Baltic states to the east. Prior to 1809, the Åland Islands were part of Sweden, who was forced to give them up, along with the mainland area of Finland, in the Treaty of Fredrikshamn on September 17, 1809, to Russia. Out of the ceded areas, including the Åland islands, Russia formed the Grand Duchy of Finland. With the Treaty of Paris of April 18, 1856, at the conclusion of the Crimean"
"The Germans stayed in Åland until September 1918. The Åland Islands dispute was then turned over to the Paris Peace Conference in 1919 and the League of Nations in 1920. The Åland convention was finally signed in 1921 re-establishing the demilitarised status of Åland as an autonomous part of Finland. The Åland Islands are located in the northern Baltic Sea between Sweden and Finland. The population is Swedish-speaking, but after the 1809 Treaty of Fredrikshamn the islands were ceded to the Russian Empire together with a vast majority of the Finnish-speaking areas of Sweden, becoming the Grand Duchy of Finland,"
"understand each other varies depending on country (and region) of origin. The term ""Scandinavia"" is often misused when the term ""Nordic"" is meant. The Nordic countries consists of Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Greenland (a semi-independent Danish realm), the Faroese Islands (a semi-independent Danish realm), Åland (a semi-independent Swedish-speaking Finnish realm) and Finland. Sometimes also Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are included, due to the tiny group of Estonian Swedes in the archipelago of Northern Estonia. Unlike the three linguistically Scandinavian countries, the Nordic countries have languages that are only partially mutually intelligible (closest being Icelandic-FaroeIslandish on one hand and Danish-Norwegian-Swedish on"
"Nordic countries The Nordic countries or the Nordics are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe and the North Atlantic,of people primarily of North-Germanic descent, where they are most commonly known as ""Norden"" (literally ""the North""). The term includes Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden, as well as Greenland and the Faroe Islands—which are both part of the Kingdom of Denmark—and the Åland Islands and Svalbard—archipelagos belonging to Finland and Norway respectively. Scandinavians, who comprise over three quarters of the region's population, are the largest group, followed by Finns, who comprise the majority in Finland; other groups are indigenous"
"the centre of international activity. This change can be seen in the relationship between the League and non-members. The United States and Russia, for example, increasingly worked with the League. During the second half of the 1920s, France, Britain and Germany were all using the League of Nations as the focus of their diplomatic activity, and each of their foreign secretaries attended League meetings at Geneva during this period. They also used the League's machinery to try to improve relations and settle their differences. Åland is a collection of around 6,500 islands in the Baltic Sea, midway between Sweden and"
"between the regions runs roughly along Skiftet (Kihti in Finnish), a relatively open sea area. Together with the islands near the coast of Sweden the area forms a Euroregion. The main ports in the area are Turku on the continent, and Mariehamn on the Åland islands. The Åland region is autonomous and demilitarized. It has its own regional parliament and has Swedish as its sole official language. The regional parliament has power over wide-ranging matters, including health services, education, environment, and postal services. Monetary and foreign policy are handled by the Parliament of Finland. The president of Finland has, in"
"The rest owe their status to European Union legislative provisions which exclude the territories from the application of the legislation concerned. Many were opted out from either the VAT area or the customs union or both. Åland, a group of islands belonging to Finland, but with partial autonomy, located between Sweden and Finland, with a Swedish-speaking population, joined the EU along with Finland in 1995. The islands had a separate referendum on accession and like the Finnish mainland voted in favour. EU law, including the fundamental four freedoms, applies to Åland. However, there are some derogations due to the islands'"
"Skåneland Skåneland (Swedish and Danish) or Skånelandene (Danish) is a region on the southern Scandinavian peninsula. It includes the Swedish provinces of Blekinge, Halland and Scania. The Danish island of Bornholm is sometimes also included. Skåneland has no official recognition or function and the term is not in common usage. Equivalent terms in English and Latin are ""the Scanian provinces"" and ""Terrae Scaniae"" respectively. The provinces making up Skåneland were part of Denmark from at least the 9th century, sometimes referred to as the ""Eastern Provinces""; since a 12th-century civil war, Denmark has been a kingdom with a single king."
"Åland Islands dispute The Åland Islands dispute was one of the first issues put up for arbitration by the League of Nations on its formation. The Åland Islands' population's demand for self-determination was not met and sovereignty over the islands was retained by Finland, but international guarantees were given to allow the population to pursue its own culture, relieving the threat of forced assimilation by Finnish culture as perceived by the islanders. Prior to 1809, the Åland Islands were located within the boundaries of the Swedish realm. However, in the Treaty of Fredrikshamn on September 17, 1809, Sweden had to"
"Öland Öland (, known in Latin as Oelandia, and sometimes written Øland in other Scandinavian languages, and Oland internationally) is the second largest Swedish island and the smallest of the traditional provinces of Sweden. Öland has an area of and is located in the Baltic Sea just off the coast of Småland. The island has 26,000 inhabitants. It is separated from the mainland by the Kalmar Strait and connected to it by the Öland Bridge, which opened on 30 September 1972. The traditional provinces of Sweden no longer serve administrative or political purposes but still exist as historical and cultural"
"candidate for the Legislative Assembly, or owning and holding real estate situated in unplanned areas of Åland. The majority of the population, 74.5%, belongs to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. The Åland islands contain Finland's oldest Christian churches, including St. Olaf's Church, Jomala, which dating from the late 13th century is likely to be the oldest in Finland. The Åland Islands' largest church is the Church of St. George in Sund, dating from shortly after. Åland Stags is the islands' only Rugby Union club. Åland Islands The Åland Islands or Åland (, ; ) is an archipelago province at"
"current member of parliament for Åland is Elisabeth Nauclér (Borgerlig allians). Åland (constituency) Åland is a constituency represented in the Parliament of Finland. It covers the autonomous administrative region of Åland, with a population of 26,711 (). It is the smallest constituency in Finland, and the only one that only elects one member of parliament. The region is guaranteed a special status in Finnish law, whereby it will always have at least one representative even if its population would not entitle it to one. Continental Finnish political parties do not operate in Åland, and instead the region has its own"
"Transport on the Åland Islands Åland is an archipelago of over 6,000 islands in the Baltic Sea. Constitutionally, it is a Swedish-speaking autonomous province of Finland. Sea travel is a vital part of Åland's economy and a major local employer. The main ports are located at the capital Mariehamn in the south, at Berghamn in the west and at Långnäs on the east shore of Fasta Åland (the main island). Nextjet operates flights from Mariehamn Airport. Also Nordic Regional Airlines flies there, operating for Finnair. On the island of Kumlinge there is an air strip and a helicopter landing place"
"the Åland archipelago is contiguous with the Finnish Archipelago Sea. Åland's only land border is located on the uninhabited skerry of Märket, which it shares with Sweden. Åland's autonomous status means that those provincial powers normally exercised by representatives of the central Finnish government are largely exercised by its own government. The autonomous status of the islands was affirmed by a decision made by the League of Nations in 1921 following the Åland Islands dispute. It was reaffirmed within the treaty admitting Finland to the European Union. By law, Åland is politically neutral and entirely demilitarised, and residents are exempt"
"Åland Islands (Finland), Faroe Islands (Denmark) and Greenland (Denmark). Barents Euro-Arctic Council (BEAC) is the forum for intergovernmental cooperation in the Barents Region established in 1993 to ""provide impetus to existing cooperation and consider new initiatives and proposals"". Members include: Russia, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Finland, Sweden and Commission of European Communities. The Pacific Northwest Economic Region (PNWER) Arctic Caucus formed informally in November 2010 as a loose alliance between Alaska and the Canadian Territories of Northwest Territories and the Yukon. Members include legislators, government officials, business and nonprofit leaders. The Caucus met in December 2010 in Barrow, Alaska; in Portland,"
"Finland. The islands are almost exclusively Swedish-speaking, but in 1809, the Åland Islands, along with Finland, were taken by Imperial Russia. In December 1917, during the turmoil of the Russian October Revolution, Finland declared its independence, but most of the Ålanders wished to rejoin Sweden. The Finnish government considered the islands to be a part of their new nation, as the Russians had included Åland in the Grand Duchy of Finland, formed in 1809. By 1920, the dispute had escalated to the point that there was danger of war. The British government referred the problem to the League's Council, but"
"Åland Swedish Åland Swedish () is a dialect of Swedish spoken in the Åland Islands, an autonomous province of Finland. Åland Swedish has similarities to both Finland Swedish and the historical dialects of Uppland, but it is generally considered to be a variant of Eastern Swedish (""östsvenska mål"", varieties of Swedish spoken in Finland and Estonia). Swedish is the sole official language of Åland, and its status is protected in the ""självstyrelselag"", a law that guarantees the islands' autonomy within Finland. As in Finland Swedish, the tonal word accent that distinguishes certain minimal pairs is not present in Åland Swedish."
"Finland. There are several connections from the Stockholm area across the Sea of Åland to Mariehamn in the Åland Islands as well as Turku and Helsinki on the Finnish mainland and beyond to Estonia and St Petersburg in Russia. Ferry routes from the Stockholm area also connect with Ventspils and Riga in Latvia as well as Gdańsk in Poland across the Baltic Sea. The ferry ports of Karlskrona and Karlshamn in southeastern Sweden serve Gdynia, Poland, and Klaipeda, Lithuania. Ystad and Trelleborg near the southern tip of Sweden have ferry links with the Danish island of Bornholm and the German"
"duty-free alcohol etc. on board the ships. This is due to Åland's special constitutional status and exemption from normal European Union rules on Value Added Tax and other tariffs, negotiated by Finland as part of talks leading to membership of the EU in 1995. Vessels must call at an Åland port to qualify. A network of ferries operated by Ålandstrafiken provide inter-island services (and links with Galtby and Osnäs ferry harbours in Finland). Eckerö Linjen operates a ferry service between Berghamn port in Eckerö, Åland and Grisslehamn port in Norrtälje, Sweden. Transport on the Åland Islands Åland is an archipelago"
"demilitarised, and the population is exempt from conscription. Although Åland's autonomy preceded the creation of the regions of Finland, the autonomous government of Åland also has responsibility for the functions undertaken by Finland's regional councils. Åland Post provides postal services to the islands, and is a member of the Small European Postal Administration Cooperation. The islands are considered a separate ""nation"" for amateur radio purposes and have their own call sign prefix granted by Finland, codice_1, codice_2 and codice_3 (last character is zero). Even though Åland is economically dependent on Finland, independence movement gains wide popularity among people. The Åland"
"in Aitutaki were New Zealand types with an overprint. One of the Trucial States which became the United Arab Emirates in 1972, Ajman was one of the most notorious sources of stamps that had dubious postal connections. Few, if any, Ajman stamps are of interest and all issues during the 1967–72 period must be regarded as non-postal. Åland is an autonomous province of Finland. It is a group of islands in the Baltic Sea at the mouth of the Gulf of Bothnia. Separate issues began in 1984 although stamps of Finland continued to be valid. From 1 Jan 1993, Åland"
"Islands are guaranteed representation in the Finnish parliament, to which they elect one representative. Åland also has a different system of political parties from the mainland (see List of political parties in Finland). Homeschooling, which was effectively banned in Sweden in 2011, is allowed by the Finnish government. Due to the islands' proximity to Sweden and because the islands are Swedish speaking, a number of Swedish homeschooling families have moved from the Swedish mainland to Åland, including Jonas Himmelstrand, the chairman of the Swedish association for homeschooling. The State Department of Åland represents the Finnish central government and performs many"
"used in Åland Swedish: Åland Swedish Åland Swedish () is a dialect of Swedish spoken in the Åland Islands, an autonomous province of Finland. Åland Swedish has similarities to both Finland Swedish and the historical dialects of Uppland, but it is generally considered to be a variant of Eastern Swedish (""östsvenska mål"", varieties of Swedish spoken in Finland and Estonia). Swedish is the sole official language of Åland, and its status is protected in the ""självstyrelselag"", a law that guarantees the islands' autonomy within Finland. As in Finland Swedish, the tonal word accent that distinguishes certain minimal pairs is not"
"Politics of Åland Politics of the Åland Islands takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic autonomous, demilitarised and unilingually Swedish territory of Finland, whereby the Lantråd is the head of government, and of a multi-party system. The Åland Islands are governed according to the Act on Åland Autonomy and international treaties, which guarantees autonomy and demilitarized status. The Government of Åland, or ""Landskapsregering"", is dependent on the Parliament of Åland, or ""Lagting"", according to the principles of parliamentarism. In 1634, Åland was made part of the Åbo and Björneborg County as a part of the grand administrative"
"Mainland Finland Mainland Finland (, ) is a term used in statistics and in other contexts to describe the continental parts of Finland, an area which excludes the Åland Islands. In legal contexts, the relation between the mainland and Åland is depicted by the word pair ""the State–Åland"" (, ). The term ""mainland Finland"" is significant in the context of legal differences between Åland and mainland Finland, and 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 population of Åland is only about 0.5%"
"members, elected for a four-year term by proportional representation. Politics of Åland Politics of the Åland Islands takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic autonomous, demilitarised and unilingually Swedish territory of Finland, whereby the Lantråd is the head of government, and of a multi-party system. The Åland Islands are governed according to the Act on Åland Autonomy and international treaties, which guarantees autonomy and demilitarized status. The Government of Åland, or ""Landskapsregering"", is dependent on the Parliament of Åland, or ""Lagting"", according to the principles of parliamentarism. In 1634, Åland was made part of the Åbo and"
"Åland (constituency) Åland is a constituency represented in the Parliament of Finland. It covers the autonomous administrative region of Åland, with a population of 26,711 (). It is the smallest constituency in Finland, and the only one that only elects one member of parliament. The region is guaranteed a special status in Finnish law, whereby it will always have at least one representative even if its population would not entitle it to one. Continental Finnish political parties do not operate in Åland, and instead the region has its own parties. Elections to the Parliament are contested through common lists. The"
"from conscription to the Finnish Defence Forces. The islands were granted extensive autonomy by the Parliament of Finland in the Act on the Autonomy of Åland of 1920, which was later replaced by new legislation by the same name in 1951 and 1991. The constitution of Finland defines a ""constitution of Åland"" by referring to this act. Åland remains exclusively Swedish-speaking by this act. In connection with Finland's admission to the European Union, a protocol was signed concerning the Åland Islands that stipulates, among other things, that provisions of the European Community Treaty shall not force a change of the"
"Poland, Estonia, and Latvia. See also the Åland crisis. Åland convention The Åland convention, refers to two conventions regarding the demilitarization and neutralization of the Åland Islands. Åland convention held in Paris, France. The Åland convention of 1856 was signed on 30 March 1856, following the Russian defeat in the Crimean War against the United Kingdom and France. Russia agreed not to militarise the Åland Islands, which was confirmed by the Treaty of Paris (1856). However, the Russians militarized the islands in 1916, a move that alarmed the Swedes. The Åland convention of 1921 was signed on 20 October 1921"
"existing restrictions for foreigners (i.e., persons who do not enjoy ""home region rights""——in Åland) to acquire and hold real property or to provide certain services. Åland's original name was in the Proto-Norse language * which means ""land of water"". In Swedish, this first developed into and eventually into , literally ""river land""—even though rivers are not a prominent feature of Åland's geography. The Finnish and Estonian names of the island, and (""perch land""), are seen to preserve another form of the old name. Another theory suggests that the Finnish would be the original name of the archipelago, from which the"
"Nations. The council decided unanimously, that the islands would remain under Finland's sovereignty, but stated that the native population's rights to their own language had to be preserved, that the area had to stay demilitarized and that Åland was granted autonomy during peace time. Åland has its own national flag, has issued its own postage stamps since 1984, has its own police force, and is a member of the Nordic Council. The islands are demilitarised, and the male population is exempted from conscription. Parliamentarism has been the custom since 1988. The Åland autonomy preceded the creation of the Regions of"
"Denmark Denmark (, ), officially the Kingdom of Denmark, is a Nordic country and the southernmost of the Scandinavian nations. The sovereign state is southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. The Kingdom of Denmark also comprises two autonomous constituent countries in the North Atlantic Ocean: the Faroe Islands and Greenland. Denmark proper consists of a peninsula, Jutland, and an archipelago of 443 named islands, with the largest being Zealand, Funen and the North Jutlandic Island. The islands are characterised by flat, arable land and sandy coasts, low elevation and a temperate climate."