Åland (former province of Finland)

The Province of Åland (Finnish: Ahvenanmaan lääni, Swedish: Ålands län) was a province of Finland from 1918 to 2009.

Province of Åland Ahvenanmaan lääni Ålands län
Province of Finland
1918–2009
Coat of arms
Capital	Mariehamn
Area
• 1 January 1993	1,552 km2 (599 sq mi)
• 31 December 2009	1,552 km2 (599 sq mi)
Population
• 1 January 1993	24993
• 31 December 2009	27732
History
• Established	1918
• Disestablished	2009
Preceded by Turku and Pori Province

The State Provincial Office on the Åland Islands (Länsstyrelsen på Åland) represented the Finnish central government on the Åland Islands between 1918 and 2009. Due to its autonomy, it had somewhat different functions than similar offices in other Provinces of Finland. Generally a State Provincial Office was a joint regional authority of seven different ministries of the Government of Finland. In Åland the State Provincial Office also represented a set of other authorities of the central government, which in mainland-Finland has separate bureaucracies. On the other hand duties, which on mainland-Finland were handled by the provincial offices, were transferred to the autonomous government of Åland.

Along with the abolition of all provinces of Finland, the Åland State Provincial Office was replaced by the State Department of Åland in 2009.