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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