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Ostrobothnia (region)

Coordinates: 63°N 22°E / 63°N 22°E / 63; 22
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Ostrobothnia
Österbottens landskap
Pohjanmaan maakunta
Region
Coat of arms of Ostrobothnia
Coat of arms
Ostrobothnia on a map of Finland
Ostrobothnia on a map of Finland
CountryFinland
Historical provinceOstrobothnia
Area
 • Total7,932.36 km2 (3,062.70 sq mi)
Population
 (2013)
 • Total180,384
 • Density23/km2 (59/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
ISO 3166 codeFI-12
NUTS195
Regional birdCommon swift (Apus apus)
Regional fishCommon whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus)
Regional flowerEuropean meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria)
Websiteosterbotten.fi

Ostrobothnia (Swedish: Österbotten; Finnish: Pohjanmaa) is a region of Finland. It is located in Western Finland. It borders the regions Central Ostrobothnia, Southern Ostrobothnia, and Satakunta and is one of the four modern regions making up the historical province of Ostrobothnia.

Ostrobothnia is one of the two Finnish regions with a Swedish-speaking majority (the other being the constitutionally monolingual province of Åland); Swedish-speakers make up 51.2%.[1] The region contains both bilingual municipalities and ones that are exclusively Finnish or Swedish-speaking.

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 of Kvarken (Finnish: Merenkurkku). Glacial transport has deposited large quantities of glacial erratics (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.

The regional tree is the black alder (Alnus glutinosa), the regional mammal is the common elk (Alces alces alces), the regional stone is the Vaasa granite and the regional song is "The march of Vaasa" (Swedish: Vasamarschen, Finnish: Vaasan marssi).

In local circles or communities, Ostrobothnia is often referred to as "Pampas" and a person from Ostrobothnia is called a "Pampees".[2] The word derives from the similarities in the flat landscape with the Pampas area in South America.

Municipalities

Main article: Municipalities of Ostrobothnia

There are 15 municipalities in Ostrobothnia region. Cities and towns are marked in bold, and the links are only in the majority language names.

Name in Finnish Name in Swedish PopulationTemplate:Infobox Finnish Municipality/population count Swedish speakersTemplate:Infobox Finnish municipality/native language Finnish Finnish speakers[3]
Isokyrö Storkyro Template:Infobox Finnish municipality/population count 0% 0%
Pietarsaari Jakobstad Template:Infobox Finnish municipality/population count 0% 0%
Kaskinen Kaskö Template:Infobox Finnish municipality/population count 0% 0%
Mustasaari Korsholm Template:Infobox Finnish municipality/population count 0% 0%
Korsnäs Korsnäs Template:Infobox Finnish municipality/population count 0% 0%
Kristiinankaupunki Kristinestad Template:Infobox Finnish municipality/population count 0% 0%
Kruunupyy Kronoby Template:Infobox Finnish municipality/population count 0% 0%
Laihia Laihela Template:Infobox Finnish municipality/population count 0% 0%
Luoto Larsmo Template:Infobox Finnish municipality/population count 0% 0%
Maalahti Malax Template:Infobox Finnish municipality/population count 0% 0%
Närpiö Närpes Template:Infobox Finnish municipality/population count 0% 0%
Uusikaarlepyy Nykarleby Template:Infobox Finnish municipality/population count 0% 0%
Pedersöre Pedersöre Template:Infobox Finnish municipality/population count 0% 0%
Vaasa Vasa Template:Infobox Finnish municipality/population count 0% 0%
Vöyri Vörå Template:Infobox Finnish municipality/population count 0% 0%

Former municipalities:

  • The current Vörå is the result of consolidation of Maxmo (Finnish: Maksamaa) and Oravais (Finnish: Oravainen).
  • Nykarleby (Finnish: Uusikaarlepyy) has been merged with Jeppo (Finnish: Jepua).
  • Korsholm (Finnish: Mustasaari) has been consolidated from the five municipalities of Korsholm, Solf, Replot, Björköby and Kvevlax.
  • Pedersöre has the former Finnish name Pietarsaaren maalaiskunta (see maalaiskunta).

Gallery

  • Vaasa Market Place with the "Statue of Liberty" on the right
    Vaasa Market Place with the "Statue of Liberty" on the right
  • A street view from Kristinestad, one of the best preserved wooden towns in the Nordic Countries
    A street view from Kristinestad, one of the best preserved wooden towns in the Nordic Countries
  • A view towards Kvarken from Norrskär Lighthouse, Korsholm
    A view towards Kvarken from Norrskär Lighthouse, Korsholm
  • A view of Jakobstad town from the water tower
    A view of Jakobstad town from the water tower
  • Kristinestad Old Church from 1700
    Kristinestad Old Church from 1700
  • An Ostrobothnian expanse in Laihia
    An Ostrobothnian expanse in Laihia
  • Larsmo Church
    Larsmo Church
  • Church stables at Närpes Church
    Church stables at Närpes Church
  • An old tobacco factory in Jakobstad
    An old tobacco factory in Jakobstad
  • University of Vaasa Main Building
    University of Vaasa Main Building
  • Kronoby Church
    Kronoby Church
  • Jakobstad Town Hall
    Jakobstad Town Hall
  • Vörå Church from 1626, oldest preserved wooden church in Finland
    Vörå Church from 1626, oldest preserved wooden church in Finland
  • A street in Finland's smallest town Kaskinen with typical Jugendstil buildings in the foreground
    A street in Finland's smallest town Kaskinen with typical Jugendstil buildings in the foreground
  • A view from Nykarleby town
    A view from Nykarleby town
  • A view of City of Vaasa
    A view of City of Vaasa
  • Isokyrö Old Church from early 16th century
    Isokyrö Old Church from early 16th century
  • Replot Bridge, the longest bridge in Finland
    Replot Bridge, the longest bridge in Finland
  • There are daily ferry connections to Umeå, Sweden from Vaasa
    There are daily ferry connections to Umeå, Sweden from Vaasa
  • An old bridge in Korsnäs
    An old bridge in Korsnäs

Heraldry

The sprouting wheatsheaf is a symbol of the Royal House of Vasa; a Vasa king established the city of Vaasa, the capital of the region. The running stoats are a symbol of Ostrobothnia.

See also

References

  1. ^ Väestö iän ja sukupuolen mukaan alueittain 31.12.2008. Tilastokeskus: demography.
  2. ^ http://urbaanisanakirja.com/word/pampees/
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference population_by_language was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

External links

Media related to Ostrobothnia at Wikimedia Commons

63°N 22°E / 63°N 22°E / 63; 22

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