Fasta Åland is separated from the coast of Roslagen in Sweden by 38 km (20+1⁄2 nautical miles) of open water to the west.

[12] From Mariehamn, there is a ferry distance of about 160 km (86 nautical miles) to Turku, a coastal city of mainland Finland, and also to Stockholm, the capital of Sweden.

By law, Åland is politically neutral and entirely demilitarised, and residents are exempt from conscription to the Finnish Defence Forces.

[15] In connection with Finland's admission to the European Union, a protocol was signed concerning Åland that stipulates, among other things, that provisions of the European Community Treaty shall not force a change of the existing restrictions for foreigners (i.e., persons who do not enjoy "home region rights"—hembygdsrätt—in Åland) to acquire and hold real property or to provide certain services.

Members of the Neolithic Comb Ceramic culture started settling the archipelago some 7000 years ago, after the islands had begun to re-emerge from the sea after being pushed down by the weight of the continental ice of the latest ice-age.

[citation needed] The coat of arms of Åland was originally to be granted to the Swedish island province of Öland in 1560; the two had been mixed up by mistake.

[21] Along with Finland, Åland formed part of the territory ceded to Russia by Sweden under the Treaty of Fredrikshamn in September 1809.

[27] The Åland convention of 20 October 1921, signed by Sweden, Finland, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Denmark, Poland, Estonia, and Latvia, was the first international agreement achieved by the League.

[28] Thus, Finland was obliged to ensure the residents of Åland the right to maintain the Swedish language, as well as their own culture and local traditions.

The convention of 1921 established the neutral status of Åland by international treaty, prohibiting the placing of military installations or forces on the islands.

[3] Because of the condition of neutrality under the 1921 Convention, the islanders enjoyed safety at sea during World War II, as their merchant fleet sailed both for the Allied countries and for Nazi Germany.

Consequently, Åland shipping was not generally attacked, as the various military forces rarely knew which cargo was being carried or to whom.

Åland is considered a separate entity for amateur radio purposes and have their own call sign prefixes granted by Finland: OH0, OF0 and OG0 (last character is zero).

The last item's derogation means that Åland is considered a third country for tax purposes, which has had the most important effect of allowing the profitable sale of tax-exempt goods on ferries to and from Sweden and Finland to continue.

[citation needed] The State Department of Åland represents the Finnish central government and performs many administrative duties.

The Åland archipelago includes nearly three hundred habitable islands, of which about 60–80 are inhabited; the remainder are merely some 6,200 skerries and desolate rocks.

The surface of the islands is generally rocky and the soil thin due to glacial stripping at the end of the most recent ice age.

Wind power is rapidly developing, aiming at reversing the direction in the cables to the mainland in coming years.

Their final tasks involved bringing Australian wheat to Great Britain, a trade which Åland shipowner Gustaf Erikson kept going until 1947.

The ships latterly made only one round-trip from South Australia to Britain per year, (the grain race), after each marathon voyage going back to Mariehamn to lay up for a few months.

The exception allows for maintained tax-free sales on the ferries between Sweden and Finland (provided they stop at Mariehamn or Långnäs) and at the airport, but has also made Åland a different tax-zone, meaning that tariffs must be levied on goods brought to the islands.

Two million people visit Åland every year – but most of them just for a few hours before the ferry returns again, or the passengers change from one ship to another.

If the sum paid to the Finnish state exceeds 0.5%, then any amount above goes back to the Parliament of Åland as "diligence money".

[51] The euro is the sole legal tender (as with the rest of Finland), although most businesses in Åland unofficially accept the Swedish krona.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused a sharper decrease in the total volume of the economy of Åland than for neighbouring Sweden or Finland.

Ålanders may be considered either ethnic Swedes or Swedish-speaking Finns, but their language is closer to the Uppländska dialect of Sweden than to Finland Swedish.

Regional citizenship or the right of domicile (hembygdsrätt) is a prerequisite for voting, standing as a candidate for the Legislative Assembly, or owning and holding real estate situated in unplanned areas of Åland.

[67] The most famous writers in Åland are Anni Blomqvist, known for her five-volume Stormskärs Maja  [sv] series,[68] Sally Salminen, whose best-known work is the 1936 novel Katrina,[69] and Ulla-Lena Lundberg, who has described her native Kökar.

A 2016 historical drama film Devil's Bride, directed by Saara Cantell, takes place in the 17th century in Åland during the witch hunts.

[21] The arms borne today by Åland were originally by mistake granted to the island province of Öland in 1560, displaying a golden red deer on a blue field.