Tuesday 22 July 2014
Lapland is the largest and northernmost of the regions
of Finland. The municipalities in the region cooperate in a Regional Council.
Lapland borders the Region of North Ostrobothnia in the south. It also borders
the Gulf of Bothnia, Norrbotten County in Sweden, Finnmark County and Troms
County in Norway, and Murmansk Oblast in Russia. The region is also home to
many National Parks and Wilderness Areas. The area of Lapland was split between
two counties of the Swedish Realm from 1634 to 1809. The northern and western
areas were part of Vasterbotten County, while the southern areas were part of Ostrobothnia
County (after 1755 Oulu County). The northern and western areas were
transferred in 1809 to Oulu County, which became Oulu Province. Under the
royalist constitution of Finland during the first half of 1918, Lapland was to
become a Grand Principality and part of the inheritance of the proposed king of
Finland. Lapland Province was separated from Oulu Province in 1938. Source
