Kumlinge is a municipality and group of islands in

Åland Åland ( , ; ) is an Federacy, autonomous and Demilitarized zone, demilitarised region of Finland. Receiving its autonomy by a 1920 decision of the League of Nations, it is the smallest region of Finland by both area () and population (30,54 ...

, an autonomous region of

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

. The main island is also named Kumlinge. The name is thought to mean "rocky passage". As of 31 December 2023, Kumlinge had a population of 320 and a total area of 865 km², of which 118 km² is land and 747 km² is water. The population density is about 2.7 inhabitants per square kilometre. Most residents speak Swedish as their first language, with small minorities speaking Finnish or other languages. Kumlinge Airfield is located on the main island and is used for charter and emergency flights.

History

The islands of Kumlinge have a long history of settlement. They were first visited by

Vikings Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

, and permanent settlement began in the 13th century. By the 16th century, tax records mention about a dozen households, mostly farmers and fishermen. The population declined during the 20th century. Historian

Håkan Skogsjö Lars Håkan Skogsjö (born 11 November 1958, in Mölndal, Sweden) is a Swedish-Ålandic journalist and author and a veteran in the Swedish genealogy movement. He lives since 1989 permanently in Mariehamn, Åland, an autonomous region of Finlan ...

has documented Kumlinge's settlement history in detail.

Geography and climate

Kumlinge consists of several inhabited islands surrounded by the

Archipelago Sea The Archipelago Sea (, ) is a part of the Baltic Sea between the Gulf of Bothnia, the Gulf of Finland and the Sea of Åland, within Finnish territorial waters. By some definitions it contains the List of archipelagos by number of islands, larges ...

. The largest islands are Kumlinge, Enklinge, Seglinge, and Björkö. The climate is classified as humid continental (Dfb), moderated by the sea.

Demographics

Kumlinge's population is concentrated on a few main islands. The table below lists the largest islands and their populations.

Sights

Kumlinge features several historical and cultural attractions. The village church, dedicated to

St. Anne According to apocrypha, as well as Christian and Islamic tradition, Saint Anne was the mother of Mary, the wife of Joachim and the maternal grandmother of Jesus. Mary's mother is not named in the Bible's canonical gospels. In writing, Anne's na ...

, dates from the 15th century. Hermas museigård and Sjölunds gårdsmuseum display the area's rural heritage. Fälberget has a memorial stone for a Russian battalion defeated in 1808. The historic King's Road postal route passes through the municipality, and the local pharmacy still operates with its original interior.

References

External links

Municipality of Kumlinge
– Official website
Map of Kumlinge
Municipalities of Åland {{Åland-geo-stub