Subdivisions of the Nordic countries
Encyclopedia
The countries and autonomous islands in the Nordic region
have some similarly named country subdivisions, although their translations into English may differ.
Nordic countries
The Nordic countries make up a region in Northern Europe and the North Atlantic which consists of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden and their associated territories, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland...
have some similarly named country subdivisions, although their translations into English may differ.
Subdivisions of Denmark
- MainlandMainlandMainland is a name given to a large landmass in a region , or to the largest of a group of islands in an archipelago. Sometimes its residents are called "Mainlanders"...
Denmark- 3 historical "landsLands of DenmarkThe three lands of Denmark historically formed the Danish kingdom from its unification and consolidation in the 9th century:*Zealand and the islands south of it, with Roskilde as a centre...
" and numerous smaller traditional districtsTraditional districts of DenmarkThe traditional districts of Denmark differ from the country's administrative country subdivisions, as their existence and extent are usually not defined by law...
- 5 regionsRegions of DenmarkThe Regions of Denmark were created as part of the 2007 Danish Municipal Reform. The five regions replace the former sixteen counties . At the same time, the number of municipalities was cut from 270 to 98. The reform was made effective on 1 January 2007.- List of regions :The names of the regions...
- 98 municipalities
- 5 regions
- Until 2006-12-31
- 13 countiesCounties of DenmarkDenmark was until December 31, 2006 divided into 15 counties , and 270 municipalities . On January 1, 2007, the counties were replaced by five Regions and the number of municipalities slashed to 98....
(amterAmt (subnational entity)Amt is a type of administrative division governing a group of municipalities, today only found in Germany, but formerly also common in northern European countries. Its size and functions differ by country and the term is roughly equivalent to a U.S...
)- 270 municipalitiesMunicipalities of DenmarkThis is a list of Municipalities of Denmark.-Region Hovedstaden:* Albertslund Municipality* Allerød Municipality* Ballerup Municipality* Bornholm Regional Municipality* Brøndby Municipality* Copenhagen Municipality* Dragør Municipality* Egedal Municipality...
(kommuner), including three municipalities with county privileges: CopenhagenCopenhagenCopenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, FrederiksbergFrederiksbergFrederiksberg Kommune is a municipality on the island of Zealand in Denmark. It surrounded by the city of Copenhagen. The municipality, co-extensive with its seat, covers an area of and has a total population of 98,782 making it the smallest municipality in Denmark area-wise, the fifth most...
, and BornholmBornholmBornholm is a Danish island in the Baltic Sea located to the east of the rest of Denmark, the south of Sweden, and the north of Poland. The main industries on the island include fishing, arts and crafts like glass making and pottery using locally worked clay, and dairy farming. Tourism is...
- 270 municipalities
- 13 counties
- 3 historical "lands
- 2 autonomous insularIslandAn island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
overseas units- Faroe Islands
- six traditional districtsRegions of the Faroe IslandsThe Faroe Islands are divided into six regions, seven constituencies and 30 municipalities. The region of Streymoy is composed of two constituencies. Each region has one sheriff....
(sýslur) - ancient jurisdiction districts - seven electoral constituenciesElections in the Faroe IslandsThe Faroe Islands elects on national level a legislature. The Faroese Parliament has up to 33 members of parliament, elected for a four year term by proportional representation...
- based on the sýslur- 30 modern municipalitiesMunicipalities of the Faroe IslandsThe Faroe Islands are administratively divided in 30 municipalities , with about 120 cities and villages. Until December 31, 2008, there were 34 municipalities, and until December 31, 2004, there were 48 municipalities...
- based on towns and mergers of municipalities
- 30 modern municipalities
- six traditional districts
- Greenland
- 4 municipalities
- 1 national park
- Faroe Islands
Subdivisions of Iceland
- 6 electoral constituenciesConstituencies of IcelandIceland is divided into 6 constituencies for the purpose of selecting representatives to the Alþingi .-History:The current division was established by a 1999 constitution amendment and was an attempt to balance the weight of different districts of the country whereby voters in the rural districts...
(kjördæmi) - 8 statistical regionsRegions of Iceland|There are eight regions of Iceland, mainly used for statistical purposes. The district court jurisdictions also follow this division. The postal code system follows the regions as well with a few exceptions. Before 2003 the regions were also used as constituencies for elections to Alþingi...
(landsvæði) - 23 traditional countiesCounties of IcelandIceland is traditionally divided into 23 counties, sýslur, and 25 independent towns, kaupstaðir. Today this division is no longer significant as far as administration is concerned...
(sýslur) and 24 independent towns (kaupstaðir) - 79 municipalitiesMunicipalities of IcelandThe municipalities of Iceland are local administrative areas in Iceland that provide a number of services to their inhabitants such as kindergartens, elementary schools, waste management, social services, public housing, public transportation, services to senior citizens and handicapped people...
(sveitarfélög)
Subdivisions of Finland
- Mainland FinlandMainland FinlandMainland Finland is a term used for instance in statistics to exclude the autonomous Åland Islands under Finnish sovereignty. Mainland Finland is not to be confused with Finland Proper, which is the province adjacent to Åland...
(level NUTS 1)- State organization, controlled by the executive branch of the central government (Government of FinlandGovernment of FinlandFinland is a republic with a representative democracy governed accordingly to the principles of parliamentarism. Legislative power is vested in the Parliament of Finland . Executive power is exercised by the Cabinet, officially termed Council of State , which is led by the Prime Minister, the Head...
and its ministries)- until 1634: provinces (Finnish: maakunta, Swedish: landskap) -> historical provinces of FinlandHistorical provinces of FinlandThe historical provinces of Finland are a legacy of the country's joint history with Sweden. The provinces ceased to be administrative entities in 1634 when they were superseded by the counties, a reform which remained in force in Finland until 1997. The provinces remain as a tradition, but have...
- 1634–1997: counties (Finnish: lääni, Swedish: län)
- 1997–2009: 6 provinces of FinlandProvinces of FinlandThe state of Finland consisted of six provinces between the years 1997 and 2009. The provincial authority was part of the central government's executive branch, not directly elected. The system was created in 1634, and its makeup was changed drastically in 1997, when the number of the provinces...
(FinnishFinnish languageFinnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
lääni, SwedishFinland-SwedishFinland Swedish is a general term for the closely related cluster of dialects of Swedish spoken in Finland by Swedish-speaking Finns as their mother tongue...
länLänLän and lääni refer to the administrative divisions used in Sweden and previously in Finland. The provinces of Finland were abolished on January 1, 2010....
), level NUTS 2- divided into 90 state local districts of Finland (Finnish kihlakunta, Swedish härad), which serve as the official local administrative units of the state, providing the registry office, police and judicial administration
- Also, 12 numbering areas
- until 1634: provinces (Finnish: maakunta, Swedish: landskap) -> historical provinces of Finland
- Municipalities, controlled by the respective municipal councils (Finnish: valtuusto, Swedish: fullmäktige)
- 432 municipalities (Finnish kunta, Swedish kommun), LAU 2 (NUTS 5)
- the municipalities co-operate in 74 sub-regions (Finnish seutukunta, Swedish ekonomisk region), LAU 1 (NUTS 4)
- and in 20 regions of FinlandRegions of FinlandFinland 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,...
(Finnish maakunta, Swedish landskap), level NUTS 3, within the 6 provinces
- State organization, controlled by the executive branch of the central government (Government of Finland
- NUTS codesNUTS:FIIn the NUTS codes of Finland , the three levels are:-NUTS codes:In the 2003 version, Satakunta was coded FI191, and Pirkanmaa was coded FI192.-Local administrative units:...
of the European UnionEuropean UnionThe European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958... - Åland, an autonomous insularArchipelagoAn 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...
region (level NUTS 1)
Subdivisions of Åland
- 3 subregions: Mariehamn, Countryside and Archipelago
- 16 municipalities
Subdivisions of Norway
- MainlandMainlandMainland is a name given to a large landmass in a region , or to the largest of a group of islands in an archipelago. Sometimes its residents are called "Mainlanders"...
Norway- 19 counties of NorwayCounties of NorwayNorway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties . The counties form the primary first-level subdivisions of Norway and are further divided into 430 municipalities...
(fylker, called amterAmt (subnational entity)Amt is a type of administrative division governing a group of municipalities, today only found in Germany, but formerly also common in northern European countries. Its size and functions differ by country and the term is roughly equivalent to a U.S...
before 1918) - 430 municipalitiesMunicipalities of NorwayNorway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties , and 430 municipalities...
(kommuner) - historic
- 5 landsdeler (regionsRegions of NorwayNorway is divided into five major regions , which consist of counties as follows:*Northern Norway **Finnmark**Troms**Nordland*Trøndelag**Nord-Trøndelag**Sør-Trøndelag...
) - landskap (traditional districtsDistricts of NorwayThe country Norway is historically divided into a number of districts. Many districts have deep historical roots, and only partially coincide with today's administrative units of counties and municipalities. The districts are defined by geographical features, often valleys, mountain ranges, fjords,...
, often based on earlier petty kingdoms)
- 5 landsdeler (regions
- 19 counties of Norway
- several overseas units
- SvalbardSvalbardSvalbard is an archipelago in the Arctic, constituting the northernmost part of Norway. It is located north of mainland Europe, midway between mainland Norway and the North Pole. The group of islands range from 74° to 81° north latitude , and from 10° to 35° east longitude. Spitsbergen is the...
(part of TromsTromsor Romsa is a county in North Norway, bordering Finnmark to the northeast and Nordland in the southwest. To the south is Norrbotten Län in Sweden and further southeast is a shorter border with Lapland Province in Finland. To the west is the Norwegian Sea...
) - Jan MayenJan MayenJan Mayen Island is a volcanic island in the Arctic Ocean and part of the Kingdom of Norway. It is long and 373 km2 in area, partly covered by glaciers . It has two parts: larger northeast Nord-Jan and smaller Sør-Jan, linked by an isthmus wide...
(part of NordlandNordlandis a county in Norway in the North Norway region, bordering Troms in the north, Nord-Trøndelag in the south, Norrbottens län in Sweden to the east, Västerbottens län to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. The county was formerly known as Nordlandene amt. The county administration is...
) - other possessionsPossessions of NorwayYngling-ruled , Norse-Gael kingdoms in the British Isles:*Kingdom of York *Kingdom of Dublin...
- Svalbard
Subdivisions of Sweden
- 3 (or 4, the 4th being modern FinlandFinlandFinland , 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...
) original lands of SwedenLands of SwedenThe lands of Sweden are three traditional parts, essentially three collectives of provinces, in Sweden. These "lands" have no administrative function, and there is no official designation for this subdivision level... - Until 1634: landskap (historic provincesProvinces of SwedenThe provinces of Sweden, landskap, are historical, geographical and cultural regions. Sweden has 25 provinces and they have no administrative function, but remain historical legacies and the means of cultural identification....
) - From 1634: län (countiesCounties of SwedenThe Counties of Sweden are the first level administrative and political subdivisions of Sweden. Sweden is divided into 21 counties. The counties were established in 1634 on Count Axel Oxenstierna's initiative, superseding the historical provinces of Sweden to introduce a modern administration...
)- 290 kommuner (municipalitiesMunicipalities of SwedenThe municipalities of Sweden are the local government entities of Sweden. The current 290 municipalities are organized into 21 counties...
)
- 290 kommuner (municipalities
- The Swedish government is investigating the possibilities of merging the current 21 counties into 9 larger regions. If approved, these would come into effect around 2015.
- NUTS codesNUTS:SEIn the NUTS codes of Sweden , the three levels are:-NUTS codes:...
of the European UnionEuropean UnionThe European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...