Ostrobothnia ( sv, Österbotten; fi, Pohjanmaa) is a
region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...
in
western Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bot ...
. It borders the regions of
Central Ostrobothnia
Central Ostrobothnia ( fi, Keski-Pohjanmaa; sv, Mellersta Österbotten) is a region in Finland. It borders the regions of Ostrobothnia, North Ostrobothnia, Central Finland and South Ostrobothnia.
Historical provinces
Municipalities
...
,
South Ostrobothnia, and
Satakunta. It is one of
four regions considered modern-day Ostrobothnia, hence also referred to as Coastal Ostrobothnia to avoid confusion.
Ostrobothnia is one of two Finnish regions with a
Swedish-speaking majority (the other being the
constitutionally monolingual province of Åland); Swedish-speakers make up 51.2% of the total population. The region contains thirteen bilingual
municipalities
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...
and one that is exclusively Finnish-speaking. The capital of
Vaasa
Vaasa (; sv, Vasa, , Sweden ), in the years 1855–1917 as Nikolainkaupunki ( sv, Nikolajstad; literally meaning "city of Nicholas), is predominantly inhabited by Finnish speakers, whereas smaller towns and rural areas are generally dominated by the Swedish language. The three municipalities with the largest number of Swedish speakers are
Korsholm,
Jakobstad and
Pedersöre.
Geographically, Ostrobothnia has little topographical relief, because it is mostly former seafloor brought to surface by
post-glacial rebound and the accumulation of
alluvial sediment. Ostrobothnia has both vast expanses of cultivated fields (''lakeus'') as in
Southern Ostrobothnia, and the
archipelago
An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands.
Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Arch ...
of
Kvarken (Finnish: ''Merenkurkku''). Glacial transport has deposited large quantities of
rocks in the area. Like elsewhere in Pohjanmaa, rivers are a prominent part of the landscape. The major rivers that discharge into the Gulf of Bothnia in Ostrobothnia are
Kyrönjoki,
Lapuanjoki and
Ähtävänjoki.
Kaskinen, a coastal town located in the southern part of the region, is the smallest town in Finland in terms of both area and population.
Name and symbols
Prior to the officialization of the names of the Finnish regions, Ostrobothnia was also known as ''Vasa kustregionen'' in Swedish and ''Vaasan rannikkoseutu'' in Finnish, both of which translate into "
hecoastal region of Vaasa". The
Institute for the Languages of Finland recommended that the region be named ''Kustösterbotten'' in Swedish and ''Rannikko-Pohjanmaa'' in Finnish, meaning "coastal Ostrobothnia" in English. However, upon the confirmation of the names of the Finnish regions on 26 February 1998, the current name of the region was officialized instead, according to the wishes of the regional government. The central government cited the Swedish language's prevalence in the region, as well as the lack of a common consensus on an alternative name the reasons for its decision. In local circles or communities, Ostrobothnia is often referred to as "Pampas". The word derives from the similarities in the flat landscape with the
Pampas area in
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sou ...
.
The regional tree is the
black alder (''Alnus glutinosa''), the regional mammal is the
common elk (''Alces alces''), the regional stone is
Vaasa granite and the regional song is "The march of Vaasa" ( sv, Vasamarschen, fi, Vaasan marssi).
Coat of arms
Gules, a sheaf Or; on chief countercharged four ermines 2+2 courant.
The sprouting wheatsheaf is a symbol of the Royal
House of Vasa; a Vasa king established the city of
Vaasa
Vaasa (; sv, Vasa, , Sweden ), in the years 1855–1917 as Nikolainkaupunki ( sv, Nikolajstad; literally meaning "city of Nicholas), , the capital of the region. The running stoats are a symbol of Ostrobothnia.
Municipalities and languages
The region of Ostrobothnia is made up of 14
municipalities
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...
, of which six have city status (marked in bold), and the links are only in the majority language names. The greater Vaasa region has about 40% Swedish native speakers and a Finnish majority, whereas the Jakobstad region has about 70% and the southern region about 57% Swedish speakers. The rural part of the Vaasa region has a sizeable Swedish-speaking majority, with the majority of native Finnish speakers in Ostrobothnia as a whole living in
Vaasa
Vaasa (; sv, Vasa, , Sweden ), in the years 1855–1917 as Nikolainkaupunki ( sv, Nikolajstad; literally meaning "city of Nicholas), city proper.
Isokyrö is a former unilingually Finnish municipality of the region, but was transferred to
South Ostrobothnia in 2021.
Ostrobothnia is similar to German-speaking
South Tyrol
it, Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano – Alto Adige lld, Provinzia Autonoma de Balsan/Bulsan – Südtirol
, settlement_type = Autonomous province
, image_skyline =
, image_alt ...
in
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
, in that the main language spoken in its capital is the majority language of the country, but the main language spoken in the region as a whole is a minority language. The main difference is that Swedish is an official language throughout Finland, but German is an official language only within South Tyrol.
Former municipalities:
* The current
Vörå is the result of consolidation of
Maxmo and
Oravais.
*
Nykarleby has been merged with
Jeppo,
Munsala and
Nykarleby landskommun.
*
Korsholm has been consolidated from the five municipalities of Korsholm, ,
Replot,
Björköby and
Kvevlax.
*
Vaasa
Vaasa (; sv, Vasa, , Sweden ), in the years 1855–1917 as Nikolainkaupunki ( sv, Nikolajstad; literally meaning "city of Nicholas), has been merged with parts of Solf and Korsholm.
*
Pedersöre has been merged with
Esse and
Purmo.
*
Malax has been consolidated from the municipalities of Malax,
Petalax,
Bergö and the northern part of
Pörtom.
*
Närpes has been merged with
Övermark and
Pörtom.
*
Kristinestad has been consolidated from Kristinestad,
Tjöck,
Lappfjärd and
Sideby.
*
Kronoby is consolidated from Kronoby,
Nedervetil and
Terjärv.
*
Isokyrö is joined to the
South Ostrobothnia region.
Climate
Ostrobothnia is located in the borderlands between the
humid continental and
subarctic climate
The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of an ocean, g ...
s (
Köppen ''Dfb/Dfc''). Its winters are moderated by prevailing westerly winds from the mild
North Atlantic Current travelling across
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of ...
,
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...
and the
Bay of Bothnia. Although the sea tends to easily freeze over in winter during prolonged spells of cold weather due to the low salinity, winters seldom get severely cold.
In general during latter decades, the southern
Bothnia Bay
The Bothnian Bay or Bay of Bothnia (; ) is the northernmost part of the Gulf of Bothnia, which is in turn the northern part of the Baltic Sea. The land holding the bay is still rising after the weight of ice-age glaciers has been removed, and wi ...
coastlines of central
Norrland in Sweden across the strait and Ostrobothnia mostly range from slightly above average highs in summer to about highs and lows in winter. Due to the vastness of the region from north to south, this will vary by a bit from one place to another depending on latitude.
Precipitation is quite variable but is enough to build up a reliable snowpack all through the region during winter months. In summer, Ostrobothnia experiences perpetual
civil twilight due to its high latitude with the sun angle never falling below -3° at summer solstice in
Vaasa
Vaasa (; sv, Vasa, , Sweden ), in the years 1855–1917 as Nikolainkaupunki ( sv, Nikolajstad; literally meaning "city of Nicholas), and -2° in
Jakobstad.
During that time of the year, daylight remains bright enough to permit daytime outdoor activities without artificial lighting especially under clear skies. As a result, days are short during winter although all areas of Ostrobothnia are far south of the Arctic Circle.
Politics
Results of the
2019 Finnish parliamentary election in Ostrobothnia:
*
Swedish People's Party 47.23%
*
Social Democratic Party
The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology.
Active parties
For ...
15.09%
*
Finns Party 11.19%
*
National Coalition Party 7.38%
*
Christian Democrats
__NOTOC__
Christian democratic parties are political parties that seek to apply Christian principles to public policy. The underlying Christian democracy movement emerged in 19th-century Europe, largely under the influence of Catholic social tea ...
6.74%
*
Centre Party 4.16%
*
Left Alliance 3.54%
*
Green League
The Green League (VIHR, fi, Vihreä liitto , sv, Gröna förbundet), shortened to the Greens ( fi, Vihreät, sv, De Gröna), is a green political party in Finland.
Ideologically, the Green League is positioned on the centre-left of the pol ...
3.51%
*
Seven Star Movement 0.24%
*
Blue Reform 0.20%
* Other parties 0.72%
See also
*
Finnish national road 8 (
E8)
*
Swedish dialects in Ostrobothnia
References
External links
Regional Council of Ostrobothnia
{{Authority control
Regions of Finland