Åland is an autonomous,
demilitarised, Swedish-speaking region of Finland. Åland consists of
more than 6,500 islands and skerries, of which 6,400 are larger than
3,000 m2.The largest island is the main island of Åland,
which makes up 70 per cent of the Islands’ total land area and is home
to 90 per cent of the population. The longest distance from north to
south is 50 km and from east to west 45 km. Despite its relatively small
size, there are 912 km of public roads in Åland.
Population
The population of Åland is currently at an
all-time high. According to a travel memoir written by F.W. Radloff in
the 18th century there were 11,000 people in the Islands at this time,
spread across 80 different islands. In 1905 the number had grown to
22,000, living on 150 islands. Over the centuries many islands have been
linked to each other or with the main island through bridges and
embankments while others have been depopulated. The current population
of 26,200 live on only 65 islands. Over 40 per cent live in the only
town, Mariehamn.
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