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Ostrobothnia (region)
Encyclopedia
Ostrobothnia is a region
of Finland
. It is located in Western Finland
. It borders the regions Central Ostrobothnia
, Southern Ostrobothnia
, and Satakunta and is one of the four regions making up the historical province of Ostrobothnia
.
Ostrobothnia is one of the two Finnish regions with a Swedish speaking majority, the other being Åland. The Swedish-speakers make up 51.2%. Despite this, the region is linguistically heterogeneous, encompassing both exclusively Finnish and Swedish-speaking municipalities in addition to bilingual ones.
Geographically, Ostrobothnia has little topographical relief, because it is mostly former seafloor brought to surface by post-glacial rebound
. Ostrobothnia has both vast expanses of cultivated fields (lakeus) as in Southern Ostrobothnia
, and the archipelago
of Kvarken
(Finnish: Merenkurkku). Glacial transport has deposited large quantities of glacial erratics (rocks) in the area. Like elsewhere in Pohjanmaa, rivers are an important part of the landscape. The major rivers that discharge into the Gulf of Bothnia in Ostrobothnia are Kyrönjoki
, Lapuanjoki and Ähtävänjoki.
The regional tree is the Black Alder (Alnus glutinosa), the regional mammal is the Common Elk
(Alces alces alces), the regional stone is the Vaasa granite
and the regional song is "The march of Vaasa" .
In Finland Swedish circles/communities, Ostrobothnia
is often referred to as "Pampas" and a person from Ostrobothnia
is called a "Pampees"
Former municipalities:
; a Vasa king established the city of Vaasa
, the capital of the region. The running weasels are a symbol of Pohjanmaa
.
Regions of Finland
Finland consists of 19 regions called in Finnish and in Swedish. The regions are governed by regional councils, which serve as forums of cooperation for the municipalities of a region. The main tasks of the regions are regional planning and development of enterprise and education. In addition,...
of Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. It is located in Western Finland
Western Finland
Western Finland was a province of Finland from 1997 to 2010. It bordered the provinces of Oulu, Eastern Finland and Southern Finland. It also bordered the Gulf of Bothnia towards Åland.- History :...
. It borders the regions Central Ostrobothnia
Central Ostrobothnia
Central Ostrobothnia is a region in Finland. It borders to the regions Ostrobothnia, Northern Ostrobothnia, Central Finland, Southern Ostrobothnia.- Historical provinces :For History, Geography and Culture see: Ostrobothnia- Municipalities :...
, Southern Ostrobothnia
Southern Ostrobothnia
Southern Ostrobothnia is one of the 20 regions of Finland.Seinäjoki is the regional centre and by far the largest city in the area.- Historical provinces :For History, Geography and Culture see: Ostrobothnia- Municipalities :...
, and Satakunta and is one of the four regions making up the historical province of Ostrobothnia
Ostrobothnia (historical province)
Ostrobothnia, and , is a historical province of Finland to the west and north in Finland. It borders on Karelia, Savonia, Tavastia and Satakunda in the south, and on Västerbotten in Sweden, and Laponia in the north...
.
Ostrobothnia is one of the two Finnish regions with a Swedish speaking majority, the other being Åland. The Swedish-speakers make up 51.2%. Despite this, the region is linguistically heterogeneous, encompassing both exclusively Finnish and Swedish-speaking municipalities in addition to bilingual ones.
Geographically, Ostrobothnia has little topographical relief, because it is mostly former seafloor brought to surface by post-glacial rebound
Post-glacial rebound
Post-glacial rebound is the rise of land masses that were depressed by the huge weight of ice sheets during the last glacial period, through a process known as isostasy...
. Ostrobothnia has both vast expanses of cultivated fields (lakeus) as in Southern Ostrobothnia
Southern Ostrobothnia
Southern Ostrobothnia is one of the 20 regions of Finland.Seinäjoki is the regional centre and by far the largest city in the area.- Historical provinces :For History, Geography and Culture see: Ostrobothnia- Municipalities :...
, and the archipelago
Archipelago
An archipelago , sometimes called an island group, is a chain or cluster of islands. The word archipelago is derived from the Greek ἄρχι- – arkhi- and πέλαγος – pélagos through the Italian arcipelago...
of Kvarken
Kvarken
Kvarken is the narrow region in the Gulf of Bothnia separating the Bothnian Bay from the Bothnian Sea...
(Finnish: Merenkurkku). Glacial transport has deposited large quantities of glacial erratics (rocks) in the area. Like elsewhere in Pohjanmaa, rivers are an important part of the landscape. The major rivers that discharge into the Gulf of Bothnia in Ostrobothnia are Kyrönjoki
Kyrönjoki
Kyrönjoki is a river of Finland. It is located in Southern Ostrobothnia region and flows into the Gulf of Bothnia.-See also:*List of rivers of Finland...
, Lapuanjoki and Ähtävänjoki.
The regional tree is the Black Alder (Alnus glutinosa), the regional mammal is the Common Elk
Moose
The moose or Eurasian elk is the largest extant species in the deer family. Moose are distinguished by the palmate antlers of the males; other members of the family have antlers with a dendritic configuration...
(Alces alces alces), the regional stone is the Vaasa granite
Vaasa granite
Vaasa granite is a migmatitic Paleoproterozoic garnet-bearing granitoid with variable amounts of gneissose enclaves. The name refers to occurrences at Vaasa, on the west coast of Finland....
and the regional song is "The march of Vaasa" .
In Finland Swedish circles/communities, Ostrobothnia
Ostrobothnia
Ostrobothnia refers to various areas in Finland:* Ostrobothnia , province of the kingdom of Sweden before 1809* Ostrobothnia , in modern Finland* Other regions in modern Finland:** Southern Ostrobothnia** Central Ostrobothnia...
is often referred to as "Pampas" and a person from Ostrobothnia
Ostrobothnia
Ostrobothnia refers to various areas in Finland:* Ostrobothnia , province of the kingdom of Sweden before 1809* Ostrobothnia , in modern Finland* Other regions in modern Finland:** Southern Ostrobothnia** Central Ostrobothnia...
is called a "Pampees"
Municipalities
There are 16 municipalities in Ostrobothnia region. Cities and towns are marked in bold, and the links are only in the majority language names.| Name in Finnish | Name in Swedish | Population | Swedish speakers | Finnish speakers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Isokyrö Isokyrö Isokyrö is a municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Ostrobothnia region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is .... |
Storkyro | style="text-align:right;" | | style="text-align:right;" | | |
| Pietarsaari | Jakobstad Jakobstad Jakobstad is a town and municipality in Ostrobothnia, Finland. The town has a population of and covers a land area of . The population density is .- History :... |
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| Kaskinen Kaskinen Kaskinen is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Ostrobothnia region. The population of Kaskinen is and the municipality covers an area of of which is inland water . The population density is... |
Kaskö | style="text-align:right;" | | style="text-align:right;" | | |
| Mustasaari | Korsholm Korsholm Korsholm is a municipality of Finland. The town of Vaasa was founded in Korsholm parish in 1606 and today the municipality completely surrounds the city. It is a coastal, mostly rural municipality, consisting of a rural landscape and a large, fractured archipelago... |
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| Korsnäs Korsnäs Korsnäs is a municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Ostrobothnia region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is .... |
Korsnäs Korsnäs Korsnäs is a municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Ostrobothnia region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is .... |
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| Kristiinankaupunki | Kristinestad Kristinestad Kristinestad is a town and a municipality in Finland. It is located in the western part of Finland on the shore of the Bothnian Sea. The population of Kristinestad is and the municipality covers an area of of which is inland water . The population density is . The population is bilingual... |
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| Kruunupyy | Kronoby Kronoby Kronoby is a municipality of Finland.Kruunupyy is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Ostrobothnia region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water... |
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| Laihia Laihia Laihia is a municipality of Finland, founded in 1576 through a separation from Isokyrö and Korsholm.It is located in the province of Western Finland and is a part of the Ostrobothnia region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is... |
Laihela | style="text-align:right;" | | style="text-align:right;" | | |
| Luoto | Larsmo Larsmo Larsmo is a municipality of Finland, located in the Ostrobothnia region of the province of Western Finland."Larsmo" is also the name of one of the villages in the municipality of Larsmo. The municipality is unilingually Swedish and is consisting of an archipelago of about 360 islands and numerous... |
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| Maalahti | Malax Malax Malax is a municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Ostrobothnia region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water... |
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| Närpiö | Närpes Närpes Närpes is a town and municipality of Finland.The municipality is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Ostrobothnia region. The town has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is .... |
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| Uusikaarlepyy | Nykarleby Nykarleby Nykarleby is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Ostrobothnia region. The municipality is bilingual, with the majority speaking Swedish and the minority Finnish .... |
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| Pedersöre | Pedersöre Pedersöre Pedersöre is a municipality of Finland. Its seat is in Bennäs .It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Ostrobothnia region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of ofwhich... |
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| Vaasa Vaasa Vaasa is a city on the west coast of Finland. It received its charter in 1606, during the reign of Charles IX of Sweden and is named after the Royal House of Vasa... |
Vasa | style="text-align:right;" | | style="text-align:right;" | | |
| Vähäkyrö Vähäkyrö Vähäkyrö is a municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Ostrobothnia region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is .... |
Lillkyro | style="text-align:right;" | | style="text-align:right;" | | |
| Vöyri | Vörå Vörå Vörå is a municipality of Finland. In 2011, it was created from the municipalities of Vörå-Maxmo and Oravais. Vörå-Maxmo was created in 2007 from the municipalities of Vörå and Maxmo... |
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Former municipalities:
- The current VöråVöråVörå is a municipality of Finland. In 2011, it was created from the municipalities of Vörå-Maxmo and Oravais. Vörå-Maxmo was created in 2007 from the municipalities of Vörå and Maxmo...
is the result of consolidation of Maxmo (Finnish: Maksamaa) and OravaisOravaisOravais is a former municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Ostrobothnia region. The municipality had a population of 2,189 and covered a land area of . The population density was...
(Finnish: Oravainen). - NykarlebyNykarlebyNykarleby is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Ostrobothnia region. The municipality is bilingual, with the majority speaking Swedish and the minority Finnish ....
(Finnish: Uusikaarlepyy) has been merged with JeppoJeppo (village)Jeppo is a former municipality of Finland, now a village of Nykarleby. The population is about 1,100; 82% of whom are Swedish-speaking.KWH Mirka has a factory here that produces coated and non-woven abrasives....
(Finnish: Jepua). - KorsholmKorsholmKorsholm is a municipality of Finland. The town of Vaasa was founded in Korsholm parish in 1606 and today the municipality completely surrounds the city. It is a coastal, mostly rural municipality, consisting of a rural landscape and a large, fractured archipelago...
(Finnish: Mustasaari) has been consolidated from the five munipalities of Korsholm, Solf, Replot, Björköby and Kvevlax. - PedersörePedersörePedersöre is a municipality of Finland. Its seat is in Bennäs .It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Ostrobothnia region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of ofwhich...
has the former Finnish name Pietarsaaren maalaiskunta (see maalaiskuntaMaalaiskuntaMaalaiskunta , landskommun , "rural municipality", abbreviated mlk was one of the four types of municipality in Finland in 1865–1977. Other types were new city , old city and kauppala . Maalaiskunta was the most common type of municipality...
).
Heraldry
The bundle is a symbol of the Royal House of VasaVasa
Vasa may refer to:* House of Vasa, a medieval Swedish noble family, the royal house of Sweden 1523–1654 and of Poland 1587–1668** Vasa , a Swedish warship that sank in 1628, since restored...
; a Vasa king established the city of Vaasa
Vaasa
Vaasa is a city on the west coast of Finland. It received its charter in 1606, during the reign of Charles IX of Sweden and is named after the Royal House of Vasa...
, the capital of the region. The running weasels are a symbol of Pohjanmaa
Pohjanmaa
Pohjanmaa is the name of a geographical region in Finland which can refer to:-Former entities:...
.
See also
- Swedish dialects in OstrobothniaSwedish dialects in OstrobothniaOstrobothnian Swedish is a variety of Finland-Swedish, spoken in Finland. Outside the autonomous island province of Åland, which is officially monolingually Swedish, Ostrobothnia is the only region of Finland besides Åland where the Swedish-speakers are in the majority...
- Katrina (novel)Katrina (novel)Katrina is a Swedish language novel published in 1936, written by Åland author Sally Salminen. The publishing company Holger Schildts Förlag had announced a writing competition, for which Salminen had submitted her first draft of Katrina. Salminen won first prize, and the publisher agreed to...
(about an Ostrobothnian woman)