WHAT IS THIS PLACE?? - Åland Islands, Explained 

I live in Åland🇦🇽

Åland wasnt " occupied " by Sweden, for several hundred years Åland had already been inhabited by norse (swedish) peoples. There is even evidence they took place in viking raids on eastern countries.

When they were designing their flag, in an act of unrivalled petulance, they made it as close to the Swedish flag as they possibly could! Love it!

I think you highly overestimate today's Ålanders desires to rejoin with Sweden. =.=

5 seconds in and Im already disagreeing with you! Yes historically we have tried to leave Finland and instead become a paret of Sweden, but nowadays Im pretty sure most Ålanders are glad we are not a part of Sweden, sure we have our troubles with the Finnish governement and so on, mostly over the language thing, but overall I think most of us are pretty proud to be a part of what I personally think is the greatest country on earth! And I am born and raised In the Åland Islands so I know what Im talking about!

You got the location of Turku a bit wrong. You had it where Helsinki is when it actually is more to the west much closer to Åland.

Swedish occupation? Finland used to be an integral part of Sweden until it was annexed by Russia

There are a lot of comments about Åland 'rejoining' Sweden and most people from Åland are commenting that the people there show no wish to be part of Sweden. I have some friends there so I already knew that was the case. I will just add something which is not mentioned in the video. Finland is officially a bilingual country with both Finnish and Swedish as official languages. Although over 90% of the population has Finnish as the first language there are Swedish speaking communities all along the west coast and around Helsinki. All kids study Swedish in school. So being Swedish speaking does not make the Åland islands a unique part of Finland and is not something that would stop someone feeling Finnish. The Swedish spoken there is a lot closer in pronunciation to 'mainland' Swedish than the very distinctive accent of Finland-Swedes though. It IS unique in that it is totally Swedish speaking rather than majority Swedish speaking. Secondly, Finland is a country anyone could be proud to be citizen of. Thirdly, I can't help feeling that by joining Sweden, Åland would just be swallowed up and become an ordinary part of Sweden without any special autonomy, which it has as part of Finland.

2:44 I died laughing 😂😂😂 Keep making these little known countries videos. I love the concise history and comic style you use.

Since i am swedish you would probably except me too want Åland too rejoin sweden, but since sweden increasingly becoming a worse and worse country i believe they will probably have it better under Finland.

Åland looks amazing, would like to go there. It seems so bleeding interesting. Cheers and love!

Excellent I shared it on Twitter Few people in the USA know anything about this

My great grandfather immigrated from Mariehamn, Aland to the United States in 1911. Like many Americans, I recently had my ancestry done, and to my surprise the person who did the research, told me that I was Finnish, not Swedish. Imagine my surprise, when I had to tell family members, those that are still living, that after all these years, we are not Swedish? I was disappointed, I thought Sweden had a richer past. I still consider myself Swedish, because he spoke Swedish. Imagine, this information was not passed down? My father and one of his brothers is gone, so I couldn’t ask them. My great grandfathers wife, my great grandmother was from the mainland of Finland, so I consider myself both Swedish and Finnish.

Aland islands.... GREAT PLACE😀

It seems that foreign "historians" have a very hard time getting their heads around that Finland and Sweden just was one country. There was no occupation nor colonization.

Brilliant video.....bravo! 🇸🇪🤜🏼❤️🤛🏻🇫🇮

With the Faroe Islands video, one off the best educative and informstive video's ive seen in a while. Please make some more! Maybe about Longyearbyen (Norway), Bornholm (Denmark), Isle of Man (UK) for example!

Also about the hembyggdsrätt, you do not have to have that to LIVE here, you just can not own your own land/house unless you have it

Love aland islands from Sweden and Iceland🇸🇪🇮🇸❤🇦🇽

If my great great grandma was from the Åland Islands am I Finnish or Åland

Small correction here and there, the inhabitants on the whole archipelago sea speaks Swedish, not only ålandets but finns also. Your map had places Turku/Åbo in wrong place. And finally, Ålands only city Mariehamn was founded 1861 by the the Russian Tzar Alexander 2 after his wife Maria. 85% of the people in Mariehamn speaks Swedish but there are counties in Finland where 93% of population Swedish.

Thank you for this. My ancestors come from Åland. They (my great great grandparents) moved to America under the name Alander, obviously not their true last name, but were so incredibly proud of where they came from they assumed the name. I can’t wait to learn more.

Instead of the 12th century, looks like you typo'd 22nd (XXII) century at 4:00.

You're wrong about the police, we do not have our own police here, the police force is governed by the FInnish governement, so are the taxes (apart from local taxes ofcourse), justice system and a few other things.

Im from Åland 🇦🇽but I don’t want to be reunified with Sweden

I live in Åland

Just to be clear, most of us do not want to be a part of Sweden nowadays! Otherwise great vid!

I wouldn’t say Åland nor Finland was occupied by Sweden since Finland as a country didnt exist. The land area was just made a part of Sweden and was like any other part of Sweden. It made more sense for us living on Åland to belong to Sweden

"the average is 16°C in july"... as a person who has been living in åland for soon 4 years i can tell you that in january we get about an average of 10-°C getting about a degree warmer in april (it snows sometimes in may) and then in july, we get about 30°C. as of writing this comment im melting inside from the heat of the summer here (.づ◡﹏◡)づ.but in the winter im freezing. the only inbetween and "super nice" weather in my opinion here is when its autumn. then its around 16°C from the end of august until the middle of november :) (not hating! just giving some information from a person who lives here :D ) anyways, i found this video really educational! thank you (◍•ᴗ•◍)❤

Occupied by Sweden? The Åland Islands (but not mainland Finland) was part of Sweden since the very foundation, the people who live there still speaks Swedish, specifically a variety very similar to the Swedish they speak in the Roslagen area of Sweden. They were part of Sweden from the founding of Sweden until the 19th century when the Russians came

Im from Åland and I love Finland! Suomi on paras maa!

I had the privilege of visiting Mariehamn last summer, and consider it one of my most cherished memories. What a truly amazing, unique place.

I live in åland islands its very beautiful here we are considered as we are 50 years back in time big red houses near the waters you should visit Åland island

I live in Åland🇦🇽 in Lemland

Going there in a few days. That was great!! I laughed and learned a lot

Well well, difficult with Åland innit... Corrections: Åland and Finland were never annected or similar by SWE; we were THE SAME country. Then about domicility: It's perfectly OK for a Swede or indeed a Finn to purchase property in Åland as long as the property: - is situated on, by town or other municipality, "planned area" - isn't larger than about one acre (4,000 m2 I take it) - isn't situated by the sea The EU saw to that. In addition, exemption from bullits above are more or less rule today for houses owned through stocks - which covers the majority of all property today on the island. But if 'NoGo' above you need the sv. 'hembyggdsrätt', which indeed is a story by its own.

This was really entertaining. Well explained. ^^ I wanted to learn via RU-vid what Åland is, and thanks to you I feel a little smarter now!

? But the Gulf of Bothnia, Archipelago Sea and Åland Sea are all just parts of the Baltic Sea...

It’s funny how this is my name 😂😂

Regards from Iceland I´m comming your way.

Hej. Jag kommer från USA och kan tala svenska, jag tyckte den här videon var intressant. Bra jobbat. :)

I live there

a country that carries finish passport and speaks swedish, but has its own flag which looks like a replica of both other states. cool

I live in Åland

Nice video.. God bless always. From the 🇵🇭🇵🇭🇵🇭

0:32 damn that must have been painful to outline and trace

It is boring to live in a 30000 populated country! Especially the red roads make you crazy!

In july its sometimes it can be up to 30°C...

When I was in Åland it was over 32 degrees hot.

Åland is like divorce child of Finland and Sweden?

Greenland : I WILL GET INDEPENDENCE French Guiana : ME BECOME GUIANA ONLY Alan’s : GIVE ME INDEPENDENCE SWEEDEN FINLAND CONTROLL ME BORK BORK

Greetings from Denmark 🇩🇰

WHAT IS THIS PLACE?? - Lake inari

Even in Duolingo, there is a sentence that makes sure we understand this: "På Åland talar man svenska." The sentence shows up constantly under the "Geography" category for Swedish.

It sucks captions aren’t available on this video…

This video was really great and interesting! I love the style whoch is similar to wendover prodictions/HAI. I’ll make sure to share this video!

Saw it's flag on a quiz and got curious. So here i am

The first time i eard about Aland , was during sunday's flea market in Rome, when i was near a stand that used to sold stamps one of the customers asked to the owner if he had other stamps from Aland......

awesome video again, super nice and informative! keep up the good work!

informative vid....easy to understand as a foreigner and entertaining voice over :)

Hullo to the people of Aland from New Zealand 😅

I've always been for Åland to be ruled under Swedes, I mean as a Finn Åland feel as a part of Sweden. If I went further than the port, I would be regarded as a foreign man 'cause I don't speak Swedish even though in paper I'm still "in Finland" so to speak. There's just so damn much geopolitical stuff that it would require that it's just practically impossibility. Even when Norway wanted to give us Finns a 100th year anniversary gift on our independence by giving us a few square meters of land at the mountain of Salla, just so we'd have the highest peak of the mountain it simply couldn't be done for those same geopolitical reasons.

🇦🇽

Åland looks like a pretty neat place to live

Best flag in Nordic world ❤

*You got the geographical position of Turku wrong--and put it where Helsinki is. Otherwise a very good video.🙂*

You pronounced Åland incorrectly

Can a Swede move to Åland? My wifes mother came from Åland but moved to Sweden.

i live in åland

Never heard of this!

I livi in Finland and i have been in Åland. You forget to say about the krim war when russia had army base in Åland named Bomarsund.

So its like puerto rico?

The real reason why åland really stayed with FInland is because we actually bothered defending them in the second world war

I live there

Wooh! Leeds crew in the house!

Halstavik Då kommer man dit

Is there where Allah AKA ala AKA me hails from?

Men Swedish

How Are you

I have few questons for people living in Åland: Do you guys think you are more swedish or finnish? And if you watch sport, like ice hockey, Do you cheer Sweden or Finland, or both? And the last one, if you could choose, do you want belong to sweden, or Finland? Would be nice if you answer

Arista pro

The population in my neighborhood in Brooklyn is about 45,000

There's 6757 island in Åland right now, not 6200 *I mean you were pretty close*

Åland is my favorit

hallå!

ÅLAND IS SWEDISH

Im from Åland

Thanks for using Leeds as an example in your video. Though the capacity of Elland Road is actually 37,890 so say 38,000 as a round number. All Leeds are we.

I was hoping you would pronounce the capital city's name. Very informative video, apart from that point.

🇦🇽

If this channel didn't exist I'd be like: XC but since it does I'm like: CX

That place

Jag bor på ålan- cough i mean i live on åland

I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE, YOUR VIDEOS SOOOOO MUCH

🇦🇽Åland

Åland's flag is my favorite🇦🇽

I live on Åland ❤️🇦🇽

I subscribed 60% for content, and 40% for soothing voice

Thanks for explaining me ❤️!

awesome place bro but if u could slo down a bit that'd be great lel