Finström is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

Åland Åland ( , ; ) is an Federacy, autonomous and Demilitarized zone, demilitarised region of Finland. Receiving its autonomy by a 1920 decision of the League of Nations, it is the smallest region of Finland by both area () and population (30,54 ...

, an autonomous territory of

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

. The municipality has a population of () of which speak Swedish and Finnish as their first language. The municipality covers an area of of which is water. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

is . The municipality is unilingually Swedish. Godby, the largest village and

administrative centre An administrative centre is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune, is located. In countries with French as the administrative language, such as Belgi ...

of Finström, is the second biggest built-up area in Åland after

Mariehamn Mariehamn ( , ; ; ) is the capital of Åland, an autonomous territory under Finnish sovereignty. Mariehamn is the seat of the Government and Parliament of Åland, and 40% of the population of Åland live in the city. It is mostly surrounded b ...

, inhabited by around 1300 people, or one-thirds of the municipality's population. A pharmacy, banks, a post office, a

swimming hall A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a structure designed to hold water to enable Human swimming, swimming and associated activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built abo ...

and a health center are among the amenities that can be found in Godby.

History

Finström was widely inhabited in the

Viking Age The Viking Age (about ) was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonising, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. The Viking Age applies not only to their ...

. The church of St. Michael is one of the oldest in Åland with the oldest parts dating from the 12th century. Grelsby kungsgård was the place where king Gustavus Vasa stayed with his entourage of 312 people for a few days in the spring of 1556. Swedish king Gustaf IV Adolf also stayed there for six weeks in the summer of 1808 prior to the 1809 loss of Finland to Russia. During the

Finnish Civil War The Finnish Civil War was a civil war in Finland in 1918 fought for the leadership and control of the country between Whites (Finland), White Finland and the Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic (Red Finland) during the country's transition fr ...

several communists were executed outside Godby, on the ice of Färjsundet.

Geography

Finström is right in the middle of mainland Åland and is bordered by a total of five municipalities: Sund to the east, Saltvik to the northeast,

Geta Geta may refer to: Places *Geta (woreda), a woreda in Ethiopia's Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region *Geta, Åland, a municipality in Finland *Geta, Nepal, a town in Attariya Municipality, Kailali District, Seti Zone, Nepal *Get� ...

to the north,

Hammarland Hammarland ( in Swedish) is a municipality of Åland, an autonomous region of Finland. Its entire population of people () speak Swedish, with 90% having it as their first language (31 December 2008). Hammarland is known for its historic church ...

to the west and Jomala to the south. The most significant main roads of Finström are Highway 2 between Mariehamn and Sund, and Highway 4 to Geta. Långsjön, the largest lake in Åland, is located in the municipality, as is the Almskogen nature reserve. Notable bays include Kasviken and Ödkarbyviken.

Economy

Godby is by far the center of Finström's economy. The biggest employer in the municipality is Optinova, a plastic factory with 130 employees. Tourism is also an important line of business. Agricultural products grown especially in the northern parts of Finström include apples and various vegetables, and fishing is also a source of income for some.

Images

Finstroms kyrka aland.jpg, St. Michael's Church Finland-Aland-Stamp-1989-FinstromChurch.jpg, Postage stamp, Finland, 1989

References

External links

Municipality of Finström
– Official website {{DEFAULTSORT:Finstrom Municipalities of Åland