There's a legend about Finns giving the League of Nations' higher-ups a tour from Finland to Åland and then to Sweden. The captain of that vessel drove a very cramped Turku archipelago in a way that made it look like Åland was attached to Finland by islands (which it kinda is), and then took a really long and perhaps not the straightest possible route from Åland to Stockholm to make it look like there was a more noticeable gap between the Åland islands and Sweden.
@ThreeStarVagabond Жыл бұрын
Haha, that's kinda awesome if it's true. "So, let's go from Mariehamn to Stockholm. We'll pass by the town of Gävle on the way..."
@akuankka321876 Жыл бұрын
I wouldn't say that the Åland islands are held hostage. It is true that when Finland became independent, the people of Åland wanted to be part of Sweden because of culture and language. However, the League of Nations decided that Åland geographically belongs to Finland, and even Sweden did not want to make a side issue out of it. In fact, the people of Åland were very disappointed with how little support Åland received from Sweden itself. So even swedes thought that it might be better idea just to let Finland have the Åland islands... Today, however, things are different. Many people living in Åland see their own autonomy under Finland as a matter of importance, because they get a lot of tax breaks, financial support from Finland, Åland gets military support directly from Finland if Åland is under military threat, and the Finns gave them the opportunity to be a semi-independent state. If Åland had joined Sweden, Åland would probably have had less freedom than it does today, because Åland joined to Sweden would have been only a part of Sweden, and not an autonomous region. There is still a nationalist movement in Åland that wants to make Åland more independent, but nowadays many people in Åland think that it is better to remain as an Finland's autonomous region, because this benefits the people of Åland as a whole, and they also get various benefits both from Finland and at the EU level. I hope this sheds some light on the matter ☺️
@akuankka321876 Жыл бұрын
There is is actually a very good study made by Åland Gallup which asks how many people living in Åland really want to be part of Finland. I surveys, 78% of Åland residents support this autonomous region, which is part of Finland. Only 9% supported the full independence from Sweden and Finland. So basically nowadays people of Åland don't even want to be part of sweden or be fully independent.
@ThreeStarVagabond Жыл бұрын
@@akuankka321876 Thanks for an excellent summary! And well, I have to admit that I used the "hostage" line 'cause it sounded good rather than that it's based in facts. But I tried to be factual about everything else in the video at least - but there's of course always so many more nuances that's hard to catch for an outsider!
@akuankka321876 Жыл бұрын
@@ThreeStarVagabond No worries ☺️ I really enjoy watching your videos and they are very well edited as well, so keep up the good work! Best regards from Finland.
@ThreeStarVagabond Жыл бұрын
@@akuankka321876 Thank you so much! And I should really explore a lot more in Finland - come to think of it, it's been many years since I've been in Turku :D
@akuankka321876 Жыл бұрын
@@ThreeStarVagabond we welcome you with open arms! if you plan to go to Turku in the future, I recommend visiting the Turku archipelago, as well as the many museums in Turku. The archipelago in particular is, in my opinion, perhaps the most beautiful archipelago in the world that I know. However, I recommend coming to Turku in summer, because then there are more things to do there, more places are open and the scenery is at its best. Hopefully this helped!
@swooosh9143 Жыл бұрын
The majority Ålanders no longer want to be a part of Sweden since then they would lose their status as an autonomous region.
@ThreeStarVagabond Жыл бұрын
Duly noted! Yeah, that was only true way back in time, right? I guess things are pretty good for Åland as it is...
@lenavargasespinoza9829 Жыл бұрын
Hello my friend, I enjoyed your video. Thanks for share a great adventure. Greetings from Bolivia.
@ThreeStarVagabond Жыл бұрын
Thank you so much for checking it out! Hope you have a great day over there :D
@jorgerosado6582 Жыл бұрын
Great tour, TSV. Thank you. Have a great day you too. Greetings from Yucatán, México.
@ThreeStarVagabond Жыл бұрын
Thank you! And I really hope I can go back to the Yucatán some day - it's really lovely over there!
@jorgerosado6582 Жыл бұрын
@@ThreeStarVagabond You'll be welcome! There are many things to discover and talk about around here.
@DikWhite Жыл бұрын
Thank you for this fascinating and comprehensive video about the Åland Islands.
@ThreeStarVagabond Жыл бұрын
Glad that you enjoyed it! It's a pretty fascinating place, and very nice in the summer as well
@lokmanmerican6889 Жыл бұрын
Fascinating - thanks for uploading!
@ThreeStarVagabond Жыл бұрын
Thanks for checking it out :D
@cindymarasligiller2115 Жыл бұрын
Very interesting. Thank you
@ThreeStarVagabond Жыл бұрын
Really happy to hear that! Thank you for checking out the video :D
@andretoivonen9737Ай бұрын
As a Finn living in Sweden myself I'd say let them be their own country since most Finns or Swedes don't consider Åland as theirs. In my humble opinion Åland has always walked their own path and I respect that. They may speak Swedish yeah, but the dialect is their own and not "standard" Swedish. Btw.. Stallhagen beer is awesome =)
@ThreeStarVagabondАй бұрын
Now, that's actually a really good idea - even if it would end up as an incredibly tiny country. I'd be all for it as long as the EU doesn't mess with the special tax exceptions :D Haha, and I totally agree!
@Claude_van Жыл бұрын
Very interesting. I have a question: are the Ålands a NATO member now and what would happen if the islands would be attacked or conquered? NATO Article 5?
@ThreeStarVagabond Жыл бұрын
That is such an interesting question, and I have no idea - but I'd guess that Article 5 applies yes
@Tingletonttu3 ай бұрын
Finland will protect Åland in case of a war - which came into effect during ww2. Demilitarization only applies to time of peace.
@AHVENAN Жыл бұрын
Pommern used to be part of what once was the largest privately owned fleet of sailing ships in the entire world, and the owner was from Åland, I know this sounds kind of strange given the small size of the islands, but it is a fact
@ThreeStarVagabond Жыл бұрын
That's so cool! I actually loved everything about Pommern - it was such a well-preserved ship, and the information about it was really interesting. And I loved the interactive parts as well. Amazing museum all in all!
@LarzGustafsson Жыл бұрын
Don't forget the Åland stamps. They are lovely.
@hedviglinnea Жыл бұрын
Famous people from Åland could be Anders Wiklöf or Erik Enge, but it depends on what you would call famous.
@ThreeStarVagabond Жыл бұрын
Fair enough! Yeah, I was just being a bit tongue in cheek, but I was actually surprised when I checked the "notable people" section on wikipedia, and didn't recognize any of the names! So it wasn't too far off :)
@charleskristiansson12962 ай бұрын
I think Aland prefers to be Alandic rather than 'belonging' to either Sweden or Finland :) I am pretty sure that they prefer demilitarisation to NATO.
@ThreeStarVagabondАй бұрын
Oh right... Yes, that might actually be a much more realistic way to put it. And more sensible as well. I should have used that phrasing :/
@monsterlove2323 Жыл бұрын
Is Aland Swedish different from the one spoken in Sweden?
@ThreeStarVagabond Жыл бұрын
Good question! It's a different dialect but other than that it's just plain ol' Swedish
@PatrikStarFunk Жыл бұрын
It's a Swedish dialect and a part of the so called Östsvenska mål. There are smaller variants of the dialect in the different parts of Åland too, for example in Vårdö compared to Eckerö.
@brigidspencer5123 Жыл бұрын
The reindeer on the Coat of Arms is sticking out its tongue, I wonder why?
@ThreeStarVagabond Жыл бұрын
I just had to read up on it a bit.. And one theory is that it's just an artistic touch. Another theory is that it's a hunter's tradition to pull out the tongue of a magnificent beast and place a last piece of food on its tongue.
@andersliwenborg33557 ай бұрын
No tension at all …
@syedshah6392 Жыл бұрын
Lovely 🌹
@ThreeStarVagabond Жыл бұрын
Thank you so much! :)
@astridcyanistescaeruleus4126 Жыл бұрын
Wait.. we actually have an Öland next to Kalmar and before Gotland. Not the same of Åland tho
@ThreeStarVagabond Жыл бұрын
The big question is where Äland is though!
@astridcyanistescaeruleus4126 Жыл бұрын
@@ThreeStarVagabond alright so here we are implying the Öland next to karlmar is the same Åland which is next to Norrtälje, maybe? That's why SL always gives me confusing directions 😀. In the map I see Åland although no name is given to the island, while Öland has a name on the map. That's fascinating. A ghost iland!
@ThreeStarVagabond Жыл бұрын
@@astridcyanistescaeruleus4126 The ways of SL...and Google...and cartographers are mysterious indeed :D
@LarzGustafsson Жыл бұрын
"Sauna" is Finnish, not Swedish.
@AHVENAN Жыл бұрын
I also reacted to this, but I think what he meant was that "Bastun" is swedish for Sauna
@LarzGustafsson Жыл бұрын
San Marino is independent.
@LarzGustafsson Жыл бұрын
Åland rightfully belongs to Sweden.
@Fluffy_Penguin727 Жыл бұрын
It belongs to Russia
@AHVENAN Жыл бұрын
Hard disagree on that! Swedens claim to Åland is about as strong as its claim to the rest of Finland, yes, it used to be a part of Sweden hundreds and hundreds of years ago, but not anymore
@venzraps Жыл бұрын
@@AHVENANits different since Åland speaks Swedish
@AHVENAN Жыл бұрын
@@venzraps parts of mainland Finland are mostly Swedish speaking to, so if that's the only criteria then all those parts should also belong to Sweden! 😂 Dumb reasoning
@venzraps Жыл бұрын
@@AHVENAN who said they shouldnt my friend?😈
@Lowkicksfordayz Жыл бұрын
You forgot the “ military “ operation Sweden did while Finland was in civil war , Sweden tried to steal the island , but Finland and Germany came to the island , and the Swedish commander got shot in the head , and Sweden left immediately. Then Sweden complained to the United Nations , and United nation reminded Sweden that the area belong to Finland . And you say occupation , what ? Do you want to come try to take it ? Remember the last time somebody tried to take our land , we became legends . We absolutely destroyed the Soviet Union. And you are thinking little Sweden has a chance ? Finland is the 2 strongest army in Europe , our equipment is more than Germany , France and England combined . We have over 900.000 reserves . All our soldiers are based upon performance. We have the strongest airforce in the north with f35, we have the largest artillery in Europe . Sweden has the smallest army in Europe . You have high amount of girls in your army , and pride flags hahaha! And the funniest thing is this , Sweden doesn’t pick soldiers based on performance, in Swedish army it’s all about school grades ! Hahahaha ! Come and try . And then when your country is on fire , call Poland again ;)
@ThreeStarVagabond Жыл бұрын
Save us from the Russians and we'll give you free IKEA furniture for life!
@tsoii11 ай бұрын
you forgot the part where the reason Sweden tried to take the Island was because they didn't want to risk the Soviets taking it first. and theres no record of a commander being shot in the head thats a lie. The only casualty on the Swedish side was a Sergeant who shot himself