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' ...
of
Ã…land
Ã…land ( , ; ) 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 Ã…land, an autonomous territory under Finnish sovereignty. Mariehamn is the seat of the Government and Parliament of Ã…land, and 40% of the population of Ã…land 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 Ã…land 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, Ã…land, 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 Ã…land, 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 Ã…land