Provinces of Finland

Finland had always been a unitary state: the provincial authorities were part of the central government's executive branch and apart from Åland, the provinces had little autonomy.

This effectively made them purely administrative units, as linguistic and cultural boundaries no longer followed the borders of the provinces.

Each province was led by a governor (Finnish maaherra, Swedish landshövding) appointed by the president on the recommendation of the cabinet.

Most services, such as healthcare and maintenance of local streets, were and remain today the responsibility of municipalities of Finland.

^ Some duties, which in Mainland Finland are handled by the provinces, are on the Åland Islands transferred to the autonomous Government of Åland.b.

They are each responsible for one or more of regions of Finland, and include offices of the Ministries of Employment and the Economy, Transport and Communications and Environment.