Content on Åland


Folk costumes in the Nordics today

Two unknown women in the Norwegian national dress, the 'bunad' in 1930. The dresses are longsleeved and reach down to their ankles.
- Thomas Hylland Eriksen

The use of folk costumes is widespread in, for example, Åland, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Sami areas and their social importance varies,…

Swedish speakers in Finland

Metrosign with both the Finnish language and Swedish language on it
- Kyle Frackman

Finland has two official languages, Finnish and Swedish, as a result of its more than 600-years as part of the Kingdom of Sweden (until 1809). While…

Nordic museums and their history

A dark black and white photo of an old building with a large tree in the front.
- Andrew G. Newby

National museums in the Nordics retain an important role in the creation and maintenance of a particular view of a country, its people and often its…

Nordic Council and Nordic Council of Ministers

A high, oldfashioned tower bullding with a pointy top.
- Jenny Rood

Organisations exist to facilitate the discussion and coordination of policies in areas of joint interest to the Nordic countries. The Nordic Council…

The Nordic region

Map of the nordic region
- Mary Hilson

The Nordic region, or Norden, may be defined as consisting of the five sovereign states Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, plus the three…

Parliamentary culture in the Nordic countries

A big white house during the Winter time
- Norbert Götz

The Nordic countries have a particular parliamentary culture characterised by consensus and working across party lines. Their parliaments remain…

Arctic Council

The logo of the Arctic Council together with a representation of its member states. the logo is a white fox with the globe beside it.
- Ann Legreid

The Arctic Council was established in 1996 by the Ottawa Declaration with the intent of fostering “cooperation, coordination, and interaction between…

Minority languages in the Nordics

- Thomas Hylland Eriksen

Linguistic minorities have existed for centuries, such as the Finns and Sami in Sweden. Since 1960s minority languages have often been associated with…