Postcrossing Blog

Yay! ('morning!)

So, since I'm not there and I didn't want to use wikipedia, I decided to explore google maps to see if I'd find something interesting. And I did! I don't know if it counts, but for me it was fun to came across this.

https://ibb.co/0tbJJ6B

Which is a group of mailboxes in the middle of a road. At least it seems like some mailboxes to me! Maybe I'm totally wrong and it's something else entirely. Oh well, at least I had fun exploring a bit of the Åland Islands this morning. :)

I don't know if it's common (but I'm eager to learn. Anyone?), but I thought it was interesting since here we usually have it on our houses/buildings.

Bueno, I'm excited to learn new things so let the fun-fact-sharing begin! :)

Wow those stamps are really lovely! This is my first time hearing about the Åland Islands, so I did a bit of research and the most surprising fact was how many little islands there are! There are 6,700 islands and 20,000 smaller islands. Amazing!

Living not so far from Åland but have never been there. Need to fix this! Found that there are living 207 immigrants from Estonia :)

Great Stamp. I did not know Kastelholm Castle was the center of mail traffic between Finland & Sweden in the Middle Ages. And also, I did not know Åland island had a castle 😃.

@captainsamafs I think it is recycle bin? :) I don't know.

The capital city is Mariehamn. Simple fact ;)

I learned that local moose go island hopping in search of food on the Aland Islands :) I would love to visit some day!

What a beautiful Postcrossing stamp 💖! So, in researching Åland, I discovered that not only does Åland have over 6500 Skerries (which definition I had to look up😉) but also that - according to Wikipedia- we have a Skerry here in Oregon (USA) off of Garibaldi, which is one of our favorite places to go (RV) camping! The crabbing is pretty good there too!! Thanks for the inspiration to learn something new - learning should be a lifelong endeavor.

Interestingly, Swedish is the official language of Aland Is n not Finnish as some of us probably thought.....a short but interesting truth.

I have once been to Åland and I found it very confusing/funny that the roads (asphalt) have different colour there than in mainland Finland - or anywhere else I have seen. The roads are red! I learned later that this is because they use local red granite when making the asphalt.

Nice stamp.....hope to get one soon.......

I first learned about the åland Islands! Wow!... I looked at them from space and saw the "heart"! It's wonderful! And yet... I think there are no Russians ;)))

Camping is free n allowed on every part of the Aland Islands.........not in where I lived!

The first stamps of the Åland Islands were issued on 1 March 1984.

https://yandex.ru/maps/?l=map&ll=20.214160%2C60.154114&mode=search&sll=20.123349%2C60.244206&source=wizgeo&text=%D0%A4%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%BB%D1%8F%D0%BD%D0%B4%D0%B8%D1%8F%2C%20%D0%90%D0%BB%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B4%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B5%20%D0%9E%D1%81%D1%82%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B0&utm_medium=maps-desktop&utm_source=serp&z=8

The climate of Aland Islands is mild, despite the fact, they are located in the north.

Åland has internet top-level domain (.ax).

Mark is replaced by Euro as the currency in 2002.

The total of more than 6,700 islands of which 60 are inhabited.

Åland's original name was in the Proto-Norse language *Ahvaland which means "land of water". Ahva is related to the Latin word for water, "aqua". In Swedish, this first developed into Áland and eventually into Åland, literally "river land".

Åland islands' Sottunga is the smallest municipality in Finland by population, 91 people.

The Märket island is half-Swedish, half-Finnish (which makes it the smallest island in the world shared by two countries), and the Swedish part itself is divided between two counties: Uppsala and Stockholm. And the border is also special: it's S-shaped:) It happened because Russians have accidentally built a lighthouse on the Swedish part of the island, thinking it was the Finnish land (Russian Empire ruled Rinland at the time). So, the only option was to make the lighthouse and the land it stands on Finnish and give an equal part of territory to Sweden:)

Even though Euro is the official currency, Swedish Krona are usually also accepted.

Åland islands is a demilitarized territory, meaning that there are no Finnish troops there! 😵 It’s good to have friendly neighbouring countries — you don’t have to worry about your safety :)

There's a delicacy called 'Åland pancake' (in Finnish Ahvenanmaan pannukakku) which is a variation of the Finnish pancake. Here's some information and a receipt, of course. :)

http://www.helsinkitimes.fi/eat-and-drink/4573-aland-pancake-an-archipelago-treasure

anybody want to visit Åland Island please refer to the link below . with now the temperature is 3°c https://www.visitaland.com/en/

Åland is great for those who love cycling. The roads are flat and the numerous islands are connected by bridges and ferries.

I love food so looked up special dishes from Aland. Turns out you can enjoy a meal that is entirely Åland-produced. Sounds great.
Eventhough I'm not a pancake fan this typically Aland Pancake looks yummy to me:

https://biveros.se/aland-pancake/

Åland’s largest municipality is its only town, Mariehamn, which is home to over 40 per cent of the Islands’ population. Mariehamn was founded in 1861 and is the centre of political and economic activity in Åland.

Åland has its Autonomy Day/Självstyrelsedagen on June 9th!

More than 29000 people live here at Åland ❤

Since the territory of the islands is considered to be a demilitarized zone, and their permanent residents do not have the right to take part in wars, they do not perform military service. A person with Finnish citizenship who has lived here for at least five years is considered a permanent resident of the Alands. That is, if, for example, some Finn does not want to serve in the army, he may come to the Aland Islands five years before the draft age. After this period, he will be considered a permanent resident of the Alands and no one can call him into the army. True, if a resident of the Aland Islands suddenly relocates from them and does not live here for more than five years, then he will cease to be considered their permanent resident, and all the rules of the autonomy resident will not apply to him anymore

The Åland flag is the Swedish flag defaced a red cross symbolizing Finland. Cool to have a flag that contains the 2 countries in between Åland is situated.

Åland Islands, It is the only autonomous province of Finland. It is located on the southwest coast of Finland. It is composed of 6,500 small islands.Dotted with islets, huge reefs, wildflower valleys, and dense forests, the islands take on a special charm. Oland island has a very different landscape from the interior of Finland, with numerous monuments including medieval castles, churches and the sea fort of bomasund. In 1854, with the outbreak of the Crimean war, the great plan to build the fort was put on hold. All that was to be seen were the scattered ruins of the fort.

Found a postal curiosity :)
One of the ferry services (Eckerö Linjen) plies one of the most historic of Europe's old mail routes. From 1638, this was part of the postal route from Stockholm to the Swedish city of Åbo (now Turku in southwest Finland). After Sweden ceded Finland and Åland to Russia in 1809, the Åland mail route became one of the main arteries for conveying post to St Petersburg - the safe passage of the mail was entrusted to Åland's farmers and fishermen.

Source: https://www.hiddeneurope.co.uk/post-haste-through-the-aland-islands

So cute!!!

I'm too amazed with the stamp to search for something :D so I'd just like to congratulate Åland Post for this amazing issue and for their work! The rubber stamp is amazing too!

And I wish good luck to everyone participating in this offer. :)

Åland in brief:
Inhabitants: 29,000
Language: Swedish
Currency: Euro € is the official currency, and many service points also accept Swedish krona
Time: Eastern European Time (+ 2 GMT)
Total area: 6,787 km2
The total of more than 6,700 islands of which 60 are inhabited.

Ref: https://www.visitaland.com/en/good-to-know/

Åland Islands - the name sounds like a fairy tale. I am sure that hospitable kind people live in this place!I want to meet them! Or exchange cards!

Did you know that you can do farm hopping by bicycle in the Åland countryside? You can stop to meet the livestock, sample the local bounty, marvel at the scenery and inhale the fresh air. Possible destinations are Amalias Limonadfabrik, Smakbyn and Stallhagen Brewery.
I wanna do this!!!!!

This is the first stamps issued by
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aland_post_1984_Flag.jpg

The flag of Åland is the Swedish flag defaced by a red cross symbolizing Finland

Greetings from Åland Islands Postcrossing meeting and Adventure. I'm writing this in old barn at Pellas where we are visiting. Yesterday I learned that little road tunnel we drove trough is the first and smallest tunnel in Finland and also the only one in Åland Islands. It is only 51 meters long. There is wooden view tower and cafe at the top of the rock. I hope I can come back visit there.

Åland Island is less than 3million populations.
Happy Postcrossing !!!

Åland Islands has the chess club - aland.schack.se 😎

Åland in finnish is called Ahvenanmaa, and the transation of ahven means a perch.

Maybe I need to plan a trip to Åland this summer to mail some cards from there! :)

It was SO interesting to read about the islands!The issue of the ethnicity of the Ålanders, and the correct linguistic classification of their language, remains somewhat sensitive and controversial. They 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.

On my Interrail tour in 1984 in Scandinavia, my friends and I had to take the ferry in Turku to Stockholm . We then discovered the Mariehamn harbour on our journey and it was so strange for the young philatelist I was to see in real some of the landscapes I would be Happy to find back on the stamps of Aland as soon as I started a subscription, soon afterwards... Far away souvenirs but I will somehow carry those sunny pics in my heart and Aland stamps remind me of a loving part of my life .... Nostalgic James ( and girl -friend N. that summer...)

A Mariehamn registered tall ship, the Moshulu, was the winner of the last grain race from Australia to Europe in 1939. Travel writer Eric Newby was a member of the crew and his book, "The Last Grain Race" published in 1956, described the voyage - well worth reading. The ship still exists - it is a floating restaurant in the USA.

Åland is a wonderful place where virgin nature and high technology coexist peacefully. Here is the world's fastest Internet and a huge number of mushrooms and fish, bankers here ride bicycles, and almost every resident has his own yacht. Åland is a wonderful land of orange roads, untouched forests and rocky fjords.
Once upon a time, the Alands were the westernmost part of the Russian Empire, and now they are an autonomy within Finland. The inhabitants of these Islands have their own government and Parliament, their own citizenship, their own postage stamps and no army at all.

Historically, the Aland islands were part of medieval Sweden, not Finland. Only later Sweden conquered Finland (and a lot more coast all around the Baltic Sea). 1714-1721 and again 1741-1743 large parts of Finland as well as the Aland island were occupied by the Russian Empire. Finland was officially ceded to Russia (as autonomous gand-duchy) in 1809, and this included the Aland islands, which were now switched from the Kingdom of Sweden to the Grand-Duchy of Finland. After the Crimean War 1856 the Aland islands became demilitarized (with a short military period in World War II, which also saw a brief German occupation). When Finland became independent from Russia in 1917, the population tried to get back to Sweden, but the League of Nations becided to keep Aland with Finland, but insisted of internal political and cultural autonomy and the demilitarization. That's how it is until now.

Ulla-Lena Lundberg is an author who was born in the Aland Islands and is now 71 years old. One of her most famous novels is 'Kökar' written in 1976, which details inside stories about the island and its islanders!

I love history so exploring more into who first settle on the islands and why would be my choice of checking things out.

I'm from Morocco, North West Africa. I love Geography and learning about countries since I was young, but thanks to Postcrossing I ameliorate my knowledge about many places that I didn't know before. Äland Islands is one of those places, now I know the capital, the flag, the language ..... I have 3 postcards sent from there. Happy Postcrossing 🇲🇦🇲🇦🇲🇦

The åland Islands, according to the åland Convention, is a fully demilitarized territory. There are no military units, naval or air bases. Also, the Islands have the status of neutral territory and can not be involved in the theater of war in case of armed conflicts. In contrast to all other citizens of Finland, the inhabitants of the åland Islands are not recruited for military service. It is also prohibited to keep and carry any firearms except hunting (with the exception of the police).

I love camping so I found out you can camp almost anywhere in Åland Islands but you can’t stay in the same place for more than a few nights :))

Can’t wait to go one day :))

70% of Finland’s apples are grown on Aland.

The things that make Åland unique are its unspoiled archipelago and the beautiful bedrock, worn smooth by glacier ice, that gets its red color from the area’s rapakivi granite.

The main attraction of the archipelago is an amazing ancient castle Castelholm XVI, which is located in the east of the main island. Near the castle is an open-air ethnographic museum.

Åland has a helathy population of Elk, the "king of the forest", even as far out as in Kökar. During autumn elk hunting is an important tradition among the locals. During the warm part of the year you might meet an elk family swimming between the islands. The animals are active mostly during dawn and dusk.
I wish I could see them once, they're really beautiful animals! :)

The name ‘Aland’ means Noble and Land. It has its own taxation system, own flag and it own postal system so very much like my dear little Island of Guernsey. It is part of SEPAC ‘The Small European Postal Administration Co-operation’ They held the 2018 conference for it. They all produce one common themed stamp each year.

a place that far from here.
I got a nice shape postcard about Aland's fisherman so i just to imagine that place.

https://www.alandstamps.com/en/about-aland-post/letter-postage

Postage for a postcard is € 1.80 worldwide. The new stamp has this value.
But there are cheaper options for postcards to Finland Nordic countries and Europe. . .

But I would recommend to use this beautifull heartshaped brandnew Postcrossing stamp.

Åland is full of contradictions and curiosities. It is an autonomous province of Finland and yet Swedish is the spoken language. Out of 20,000 islands only 60 are inhabited. For me as a postcard person I love their ships and lighthouse postcards and stamps.

WOHOOOOO lovely stamps❤
Today we are the 07/06/2019 and there are 37 postcrossing members and 5314 postcard have been sent .

I leaned Swedish is the official language of Aland!

I learnt that the Aland anthem was composed by the Journalist Johan Fridolf Hagfors on the lyrics by John Grandell, and is official anthem since 1922. It tells about the beauty of nature and the people of Aland.

Wow! The stamp looks great! :) I first heard of Åland Islands from Postcrossing!

Since 1984, Åland has issued its own postage stamps. Åland Post provides postal services to the islands, and it is also a member of the Small European Postal Administration Cooperation. 

The only official language of the åland Islands is Swedish

The nature reserves are protected and legal right of access to private land is partly restricted. In most of the areas camping and the picking of flowers are forbidden. Some islets and islands where there are birds that are susceptible to disturbance during the breeding season have a ban on going ashore there at certain times of the year.

Landmarks:
Kastelholm, a medieval castle in the municipality of Sund
Bomarsund — Russian fortress of the XIX century (in ruins)
Ekker (traditional transliteration Accero) — the Western mail of the Russian Empire in 1809-1917 years.
Vita Bjorn prison is a former prison in the commune of Sund, built more than 200 years ago.

Stallhagen. A fabulous beertasting. Even I WHO dont like beer had a great time. The good was awesome too

Did you know, that some meadows on the Åland Islands was changed into a conservation area, due to the fact that the milk of the cows has the flavor of onion or garlic, if they grazed there?

It was interesting to learn that because of the Japanese archipelago, that Finland could claim the islands.

My granddaughters and I have learned to make Aland Pancakes...
https://finland.fi/life-society/a-taste-of-the-aland-islands/

@captainsamafs @shc - it is mailboxes you see on the photo. Here in Norway it's also common to find the mailboxes for several houses along the road. Fewer stops for the mail man and some meters saved each day as he doesn't have to drive to each house to deliver the mail.

The Finnish name of Åland is Ahvenanmaa, which means "The land of the perch", where "ahven" means "perch".

This stamp is beautiful to a postcrosser🏵runokuono from finland

I am from Croatia. During the month of March i was for the first time in Finland. Somewhere I saw a sticker of a football team. I googled it and found out that the team was IFK Mariehamn from the Åland Islands. It was the first time i heard of the Åland Islands :-O. Next time im in Finland i will go there it looks like a nice place :D.
p.s.The fun fact is that St. Olaf's Church, Jomala, which is dating from the late 13th century is likely to be the oldest in Finland

I love nature and wildlife and I see there is an abundance here with over 40 nature reserves, lovely!

«During the Åland Islands dispute, the parties sought support from different maps of the islands. On the Swedish map, the most densely populated main island dominated, and many skerries were left out. On the Finnish map, many smaller islands or skerries were, for technical reasons, given a slightly exaggerated size. The Swedish map made the islands appear to be closer to the mainland of Sweden than to Finland; the Finnish map stressed the continuity of the archipelago between the main island and mainland Finland, while a greater gap appeared between the islands and the archipelago on the Swedish side»

I think this is the most interesting fact on this topic :)

In antiquity from 5500 BC people came from a long way away to hunt seal and to fish. The Vikings were here before Åland first came under Swedish rule in the 1100s and Russian rule in the 1800s. The best-known historical sights worth a visit are Kastelholm Castle, the Bomarsund fortress and the museum ship Pommern.

Happy Postcrossing.

Public transport is absolutely free. However, the most convenient and beloved by the ålanders form of transport – a Bicycle.

The land is still bouncing back after the effects of the last ice age and is rising by 0.3cm each year.

Wow, this is the first time I've heard about this island. It feels cool and the stamp looks great! Hope to have a chance to go to this island!!!

Wow! One more 'country' with a Postcrossing stamp!
Congratulations to Aland Post as well as to all the ones who contributed for this wonderful stamp.
By the way, here it is what I've found...

https://www.google.pt/maps/@60.1217003,19.9153186,3a,75y,267.47h,94.73t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s92nhbwc7hpTnFWPfzouFqw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=pt-PT

It is the smallest region of Finland, constituting 0.49% of its land area and 0.50% of its population. I have never know this country excited until I joined Postcrossing.

The Åland islands contain Finland's oldest Christian churches.

Åland's total population is about 29,800 and there are currently 37 postcrossing members from the country!

Since 1974, the Postal Boat Race is organized by Roslagen Marine History Society and Eckerö Local History Society in cooperation with Swedish PostNord and Åland Post. You can even send them mail to be transported and then mailed to you.

Hi!
So, for the 150th anniversary of demilitarisation of the Åland Islands, Finland made a high-value commemorative coin, the €5 150th Anniversary of Demilitarisation of Åland Islands commemorative coin, minted in 2006. You can see in it a pine tree, very typical in the Åland Islands. :)

The Grey Seal has been one of the most important animals in the archipelago. The first prehistoric settlers were seal hunters and fishermen, hunting seals for their meat and cooking oil.

From a trip visiting Åland a few years ago: There are many small post offices dotted all over the various islands and all have their individual postmark. If you drop your mail in the Westernmost postbox you can get a special postmark.

Finland’s oldest and biggest chips factory is situated on Åland. There is no McDonald’s. 🔥

There are 30 bridges! Can you imagine how old some of them are?

There's Eckero Post & Tullhus, which serves as a postal museum, post office, and cafe.

I was so excited to receive a card from Aland which is the first in my box of precious Postcrossing Postcards arranged alphabetically. I had not heard of it and found all this information shared fascinating. Thanks to all.

That’s such a beautiful stamp! Åland Islands always issue great stamps. Åland's 2014 Sepac (The Small European Postal Administration Cooperation) stamp displaying the nettle-leaved bellflower Campanula trachelium has been voted the most beautiful and won the competition.

Great stamp, wish Germany would finally make one too...
Fact: There is no McDonalds restaurant on Åland (which I believe is no big loss :) )

Beautiful stamp! It would be wonderful to receive a card from here with this stamp!

Every home has a sauna 🙌🙌🙌 I,m there with my morning coffee and a lovely book ❤️🤣

Awesome! The town of Mariehamn was founded in 1861 by the Russians!

It would be great to visit the Åland Maritime Museum.

Servus :)
Congratulations to Aland Post for this wonderful stamp!
...but I'm so curious the color of the heart & as well the continents in the stamp is "Falu Red"?
I red :) (read) some where .....that most of the houses in Åland are the same red colour named "Falu Red" :)
Here is what I've found about this specific color is more tehnic but useful:
https://encycolorpedia.com/801818
and on this link some history of the color :)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falu_red

Happy "color"reading - #801818!

Thicker Than Water / Tjockare än Vatten) was set on the Åland Islands - I loved it - three siblings return to run the family hotel and many secrets are discovered !

The Åland islands contain Finland's oldest Christian churches, including St. Olaf's Church, Jomala, which was built in the late 13th century.

These stamps are really nice! Thank Aland Poat:)
Here are some interesting facts:
The fortifications of bomarsund lie on the eastern point of the largest of the Aland islands.
A group of over 6000 islands under Finnish administration, in the gulf of Bothnia. The capital is Mariehamn.
Population: 26 347 (2003 est) Finnish name ahvenanmaa
Happy Postcrossing!

That's a really nice stamp from a very distant place (here from Chile).

I've heard about Åland Islands before, but I never took time to research about that place. As a newspaper lover, I found that the oldest-continuing newspaper in the islands is Tidningen Åland (also known as Ålandstidningen), which was founded in 1891. According to this site (http://www.aland.ax/en/facts-about-aland/media-and-communications/) the Åland Islands have about 60 journalists, and say they are a media-intensive society.

This is kind of a combination of a new fact I learned and a random thought. Apparently Åland is pronounced Olland and that's just one letter away from Holland 😅

I have learned that the St. Olaf's Church in Jomala, Aland is dating from the late 13th century is likely to be the oldest in Finland. As I love ancient buildings I am interested in such facts.
And I wonder if "Ahvaland" meaning land of water has a relation to "Avalon" which was that mystical island in king Arthur's time in England - where Norse people roamed. A relation among these cultures and languages...??? Pure magic....

An interesting thing I learned is The Finns are obsessed with saunas. Instead of basking in the sun like those of us who live in warmer climates, they head to the sauna, usually after dinner, and regularly pop out for a cold shower or dip in the nearest lake.

This obsession means that every home has access to a sauna, whether it be a private sauna inside the house, an external sauna that is shared between neighbours, or a shared sauna for an apartment building.

Congratulations to the Åland post with a great event! There is already so much written about the Aland Islands that I decided to share my own opinion. Do not you think that the Aland Islands are consonant with Atlantis? Well, in Russian, that's for sure) So maybe Atlantis is not looking there? Maybe it was always right in front of everyone?)

In Åland you can spend all day canoeing or kayaking without encountering anyone. Canoeing and kayaking are excellent ways to experience the natural beauty of Åland while getting great exercise – you might even catch a glimpse of a sea eagle!. Congratulations and good luck for the great event .

Lovely stamp!
I like the history of Coat of Arms of Aland: there has been a heraldic switch-up and the mistake was discovered after almost 400 years.
The golden red deer on blue field was originally granted to similar sounding province Öland, Aland should have two red deers with nine roses.

Actually, I haven't ever know about this island. After i search many websites, i found that the Åland Islands is so much beautiful! I wanna go to there!!!!
When i was looking the collection of stamps, i am really surprised that the website of the Åland post has the stamp and product catalogue which showed the stamp from 1984 to 2017!!
Moreover, there are many catalogue of things liked the history of those things too! XD
Here is the link: https://www.alandstamps.com/en/products/stamps/product-catalogue-1984-2017

Great read on the “worlds oldest beer” that a brew master on the Åland Islands recreated!

https://www.visitaland.com/en/articles/aldsta-olen/

Aland has a microbrewery, Stallhagen, that specializes in "slow beer," allowing fermentation to take its time and develop its taste.

Åland Islands - between Sweden and Finland.
⠀
Officially, this is Finland, the language is Swedish, in the past it is generally the Russian Empire. The inhabitants of the archipelago do not consider themselves neither to Finland nor to Sweden. A sort of Finnish Swedes, although the locals do not like being called that way.

Love the stamp, I wish Canada would produce a Postcrossing stamp!!
Aland has only 37 Postcrossing members but they have sent 5315 postcards. Impressive! Also, Aland is the smallest of the three Nordic autonomous territories.

Oldest bottle of champagne found in shipwreck there. Still in excellent taste!!

I have learnt that the finnish painter Victor Westerholm (1860-1919), who studied in Düsseldorf and Paris, invited some artist friends to his home "Tomtebo" in Önningeby in Aland in 1886 and so the Önningeby Artists Colony started for the next 30 years.
Nowadays the Önningeby Museum tells the story of the colony.

This sounds indeed brilliand from the Aland Post!! I;ve googled a year ago for the islands. I've never heard about them. On school it was alway Noway, Sweden, Finland but no Aland Islands. That's a pitty, but our world changes a lot with the comming of the internet. The next time when we are going on holiday to Sweden we're comming for a visit. Hopefully I've got youre stamp already in the house.

I just received a postcard from Åland today and informed me about it on the internet. What a coincidence.

I found out you can camp basically anywhere for free there. That would be so fun.

Fact: Aland has produced some beautiful Christmas stamps over the years.

Great stamp! I liked the heart. Must confess I never even heard of the place before you mentioned it. My excuse is that I'm living on the very southernmost tip of the African continent. Literally at the opposite end of the earth.

It has an airport that has direct flights to Stockholm, Helsinki and Turku.

It can be -2 centigrade in June :D

I love it! The Åland Islands have been on my travel bucket list for a while. Though I didn't know yet that only 80 of 300 habitable islands are actually inhabited :o

Åland is so beautiful that it has the ability to make you forget the past, you relax about the future and without even trying, you just live in the moment.

I learned that Swedish is spoken there.
What for a beautiful stamp! :D ♥

There are 28,500 people in Åland, and there are 20,00 islands – which means that there is one island for roughly every 1.5 people!

There are 55 immigrants from the United States to the Alands.

I asked a friend who studied in Finland for a year and visited the archipelago and he told me that the Moose will often swim from one island to another. He even showed me a video!

The temperature is 21 C over there right now, it's warmer than Canada

Aland is a wonderful place for ice skaters! You can out into the sea for a distance sometimes when the ice freezes! Skaters heaven!

Everyone is interested in what Souvenirs you can bring from the åland Islands. Any from silverware and local Handicrafts that you can buy in the Maritime quarter to products: the famous Aland black bread, cheese and yogurt, local milk plant, beer and local spirits Olivados

The area around the town of Saltvik was the first land to be seen around 8,000 BC, when the islands started rising (after the ice sheet retreated). The highest elevation on the island is 129 meters/ 424 feet, a hill named Orrdalsklint. It is about 7 km northeast of downtown Saltvik. It has an old WWII observation tower there, and a cabin for hikers.

I guess there is nobody on this world who doesn't love this wonderful nature and animal life on the islands!!! Marvellous!

Between May and August, Åland has more sunshine hours than anywhere else in Northern Europe!

the coat of arms of Aland features a golden "red deer" on a blue field.

Wonderful stamps.
They have whit post busses on Aland: i got a card with a picture on it
https://www.flickr.com/photos/88526197@N00/35710032934
:)

Some of the best diving in the world is there. In fact, local divers once discovered a shipwreck containing five bottles of beer and 145 bottles of excellently preserved champagne from the 1840s!

Åland Islands belong to Finland, but the Swedes live here. Once the Islands were part of Russia, as well as Finland.

Most Åland folks are in work. Just 3 % are unimployed. So cool!

I found out that the official language is Swedish, but it has so many dialect words that are different to mainland Swedish: it has some influences from Finnish, old Swedish, English, Russian, German and even Latin! I just discovered the word "julgubbe" which means Father Christmas/Santa Claus, and I love it! :)

Its flag is the merge between Sweden and Finland flags.

Kastelholm Castle is a medieval castle in Åland, overlooking a fjord. It was built in the 14th century, severely damaged during a Civil War in 1598, re-built, gutted and ruined in 1745 and restored in the 1980s. It contains an outdoor museum and looks really beautiful!

The Åland Islands Dispute was one of the first matters on the table for the League of Nations after WWI! :)

A little bit research on this place. And found that, if you love nature and camping, visit Åland! :D

I learned that I have to add the Aland Islands to my list of place to visit! The Achipelago National Park sounds like my kind of place :) Congrats on your new stamp!!

Åland's oldest (and also largest) brewery is only 15 years old! Stallhagen, if you're interested. Great stamps! :)

Thanks for the opportunity! It’s surprising that only 37 Postcrossing members are active in Aland, but they have sent 5315 postcards. Aland seems like a pretty place and is the smallest of the three Nordic autonomous territories.

When I was a little girl I was gobsmacked to realize that different types of apples existed, and throughout my life and travels I've sort of "collected" the names and flavors of the apple varieties I encounter. Aland's cultivars include the tantalizingly named Transparent Blanche, Discovery, and Lobo, so now I think I must add Aland to my travel (and apple) bucket list!

Congratulations to the Åland Post for this memorable issue and to all the numerous postcrossers who made the trip to these lovely islands!

Here is something about the capital of this archipelago.

Mariehamn is also called “the town of the thousand Linden trees”, referring to the Linden trees which line an avenue across town (I love Linden trees!).

Anchored alongside the quay in Mariehamn’s western harbor, there is the majestic “Pommern”, the only four-masted merchant sailing ship in the world still in its original state! She is a typical cargo carrier, built 1903 in Scotland and bought by the Åland shipowner Gustaf Erikson in 1923. Pommern has carried timber from Scandinavia, saltpetre from Chile and grain from Australia. Her last commercial voyage was done in 1939 and since 1952 Pommern has been a museum ship. Today the ship is owned by the Town of Mariehamn, but is managed by the Åland Maritime Museum Trust. It must be really worth a visit!

Thanks a million for this giveaway which gives me the chance to find out so many interesting facts about this archipelago! ^_^

The Åland Islands have been issuing their own stamps since 1984.

There are many types of insects in the Åland Islands, due to all the meadows there!

Since I am a history buff I did a little digging and found this information about the Battle of Åland Islands!
It reads, "The Battle of Aland Islands, or the Battle of Gotland, which occurred in July 1915, was a naval battle of World War I between the German Empire and the Russian Empire, assisted by a submarine of the British Baltic Flotilla. It took place in the Baltic Sea off the shores of Gotland, Sweden, a country neutral in World War I."
Thank you for the opportunity and thanks for helping me learn something new today!

hello, when I read this I thought I should find something historical, but about post too.
so here is my fact:

The first stamps made by the Aland islands was issued in 1984, they were issued by Finnish postal administration. "post och tele". In cooperation with the Aland goverment.

The Åland islands contain Finland's oldest Christian churches.

The attractions of the archipelago include diving, which can sometimes bring unexpected benefits. Coastal waters are swarming with wrecks. In one of the sunken ships 170 years ago, were found 145 bottles of the oldest champagne in the World and five bottles of beer. They were put up for auction and sold.

There are 28 500 citizens, and there are
20 000 islands - which means 1 island is for every 1,5 people. oO

There are 30 seats in the Parliament of Åland, which is called the "Ålands Lagting" in Swedish.

Even though I know quite a bit about Åland, I didn't know the original name of the Åland Islands Ahvaland means "land of water" and ahva is related to the Latin word aqua, water.

I was surprised to discover that one can rent one’s own island, and the price is even quite reasonable!

60 of Åland's over 6700 islands are uninhabited!

I have been on a boat docked in Mariehamn many many times when I was younger, but I have never stepped foot on any of the islands... I feel like I need to make amends!

The capital of the Åland Islands is the city of Mariehamn. It was founded in 1859. At the time the Islands were a part of the Russian Empire and the city was named after Maria Alexandrovna, the wife of the Russian emperor Alexander II. And there is a monument in Mariehamn https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f7/Staty_av_Maria_Alexandrovna_i_Mariehamn_%28landscape%29.jpg

Also the Russian post issued a stamp commemorating the 150th anniversary of the foundation of Mariehamn in 2011. http://rusmarka.ru/en/catalog/marki/marka/position/21561.aspx

This is inside information: For a Finnish speaker it is more difficult to find a home in the Åland Islands than for a Swedish speaker, because Swedish speakers are favoured, even though it is a part of Finland.

I used to work in real estate, so I chose to share something related to that: You can't buy a house in Aland Islands because the law says that only residents can have property there. So, your parents have to have been born there, or you have to be born there, or you have to be a Finnish person who lived there at least for 5 years in order to own property in Aland Islands.

A fun fact: Only 60 islands of the 20,000 are inhabited, but there is technically 1 island for 1.5 residents.

One more fun fact: Moose swim between islands to look for food.

The Åland Islands had some severe malaria outbreaks in the 1600s and 1800s. I thought this was odd because malaria is usually thought to be a tropical disease!

As a fan of Rugby Union, I'm glad to see that the Åland island have a club; though they don't seem to currently have anyone representing the national team, maybe this can "try" to change this in the future!

The Åland Islands occupy a position of strategic importance, as they command one of the entrances to the port of Stockholm, as well as the approaches to the Gulf of Bothnia, in addition to being situated near the Gulf of Finland.

I have a GF Aland card that I LOVE

I found this at https://aglobewelltravelled.com/2016/07/26/cool-facts-you-probably-didnt-know-about-aland-islands/

Most houses are the same red colour

There is a reason that most of the houses in Åland are the same red colour. The paint, named ‘Falu Red’, was made from copper found in a Swedish mine in Dalarna. The copper was oxidised to get rid of the iron, which produced a by-product called red soil.

It was discovered that the minerals in this red soil help preserve wood from rot, so they decided to make it into a paint and then started slapping it on nearly every house in Sweden, Finland, and Norway.

It's a fantastic stamp and a great idea!
I just looked for some pictures and I was impressed by several rocks from red granite. They call it rapakiwi granite. Beautiful!

Fun Fact: Lumparland (a municipality of Åland) borders the eastern edge of a billion-year-old nine-kilometer wide water filled impact crater, Lumparn, which is devoid of islands.

Also I love this stamp they put out previously:
https://webshop.alandpost.com/en/stamps/stamps_2015/europa_2015_old_toys/301-000337

Åland is part of European Union since 1995.

I'm always surprised when I'm reminded they are not part of Sweden, but I didn't know they are demilitarized.

I didn't know that Åland has its own internet top-level domain (.ax)!

I visited The Åland Island as a child, and I remember that one of the highlights of my trip was a visit to a factory that made chips/crisps. Now I googled that the factory was Taffel's, and that the crisps are mostly made from potatoes that grow in the Åland Islands.

While 20,000 islands make up the archipelago, only 60 are inhabited as many are incredibly small. Of the 28,500 residents, 90 percent of them reside on the largest island, Fasta Åland, which accounts for 70% of the country's land area. Most residents have a summer home on one of the smaller islands.

Reading the comments, it came back to me that Lotta Jansdotter, a popular graphic artist, is from Aland. Lotta, currently lives in New York and is married to an American, but goes back to Aland every summer, where she has a summer home and teaches workshops. Aland is actually an archipelago, a term I re-learned since joining Post Crossing! I'd like to attend one of those classes!

The Island had been settled since the Bronze age and there is evidence of farming as well as hunter-gatherers. A 5,000-year-old barley grain was found on Aland. The oldest grain of cereal ever found in Finland.
Lovely stamp 📬. I am hoping really hard to win a Maxi postcard especially. 🙂

Aland Islands has a mean elevation of 0 m above sea level.

Ålands capital is Mariehamn.

The smallest school in Åland has only 1 pupil in grades 1-6 while the largest primary school has ca 280 pupils.

I didn't know that the group consists of so many islands (nearly three hundred habitable islands).

There's one seal conservation area in the Åland Islands: Karlbybådarna in Kökar.

Wow, what an awesome stamp! I have learnt that the Åland Islands have issued their own stamps since 1984!

Open Water Brewery is a Specialty Grain which has a good rating for the first beer ever brewed with malts from the Åland Islands.

Never heard of it. Learning so much! Thanks everyone

Åland Islands are an anchipelago composed by one main island and over 6500 smaller isles and rocks!
Wish a very good time to all the partecipants in the meeting!

MOST HOUSES ARE THE SAME RED COLOUR
There is a reason that most of the houses in Åland are the same red colour. The paint, named ‘Falu Red’, was made from copper found in a Swedish mine in Dalarna. The copper was oxidised to get rid of the iron, which produced a by-product called red soil.

It was discovered that the minerals in this red soil help preserve wood from rot, so they decided to make it into a paint and then started slapping it on nearly every house in Sweden, Finland, and Norway.

A few simple but nonetheless interesting "Did you know..."s
- Åland is a short ferry ride away from Stockholm.
- Much cheaper to stay in Åland then Stocholm.
- Åland brews it's own beer locally.
- Åland has over 1000+ islands both inhabited and uninhabited, so tons of places to explore!
- You can rent an island for less than rent in NYC!

There a number of books set in Aland. One I read and remember is The Ice Cage. A thriller which alerted me to this unique place.
Now, to read more, learn more and one day receive a postcard and stamps hi-lighting the beauty of this country.

Great idea! Thank you for launching this. Doing some research and found that the main island of the archipelago is called' Fasta Åland' in Swedish and is about 50 km north to south and 45 km east to west. Mariehamn is the only town on the main island. About 90% of the inhabitants of the archipelago lives on the main island, that means a population density of 999 people per square km. If you want some peace you rather go and live in Kumlinge or Sottunga, in the east part of the archipelago, which has only a density of 3 people per square km. Great to learn something new!

Lovely stamp and interesting to learn about the Aland Islands. I learned that The Åland islands contain Finland's oldest Christian churches, dating to the 13th century. That is old and amazing that they are still standing. It's great when a culture appreciates history ad preserves it.

They farms produce wheat, oats, barley, rye, cucumbers, sugar beets, potatoes, onions, apples, plum and pear orchards because the soil is very fertile

So for those of us who probably won't win the stamp, they can be purchased for 1,80 EUR. Hopefully this is an interesting tidbit.

https://webshop.alandpost.com/en/stamps/stamps_2019/postcrossing/301-000392

Postcrossing FDC also available for 2,60 EUR.

https://webshop.alandpost.com/en/collectibles/fdcs/fdc_postcrossing/416-000392

A lovely assortment of other stamps are available as well.

Did you know that the Bank of Åland have replaced the traditional plastic cards to environmental friendly cards that can offer the customers an opportunity to see both their environmental footprint and how to compensate for it. This is made possible by the Åland Index that calculates the environmental impact of each credit card transaction. See http://www.balticseaproject.org/the-aland-index-and-the-baltic-sea-card

Fun fact: - they accept Euros as currency, but they also accept Swedish Krona in some areas.

I learned their climate is similar to my home town of chicago

First of all, lovely stamp.
When I think of Åland I think about the serie Thicker than water or in Swedish Tjockare än vatten which was mainly recorded at this Island.

The best pancake dessert is Ahvenanmaan pannukakku, or Åland pancake. You can find it here: https://www.viimeistamuruamyoten.com/ahvenanmaan-pannukakku-v/

You can even play golf on the Åland Islands..there are three golf courses.

Åland has over 26,700 islands to explore! That would take a while.

This new stamp has been issued on my daughter's birthday :)

The Åland Islands joined the European Union in 1995! I learnt this somewhere whilst reading about Brexit (*ugh*).

Wow, what a cool stamp!

Fun fact about the Åland Islands: Many cruise ships traveling between Stockholm and Helsinki make a short (5-minute) stop at the islands. This is so that, thanks to some tax loophole, they can sell alcohol duty-free for the entire trip.

I didn’t realize Swedish was the official language. I had assumed Finnish. I have learned something new.

Nature conservation is relatively well developed in Åland, which has its own nature conservation laws, including special provisions relating to the protection of wild plant and animal species. About 50 plants, including most orchids, are protected, and so are most mammals and birds, except for those game species which may be killed during their respective shooting seasons. Under an Åland Government resolution, all amphibians and reptiles, except the common adder, as well as some endangered butterfly species, are protected.

Aland Islands first issued stamps in 1984. This stamp illustrated the Aland flag. Presumably stamps of Finland were used prior to 1984.

This is so cool! As a linguist, I loved learning that 90%+ speak Swedish and 5% speak Finnish. I've had some of my Postcrossing friends visit here and send me one or two stamps and postcards in the past. I must add this to the "Visit!" list!

Their flag is made up of only primary colors!

That is a beautiful stamp! Good for you Åland!

With all these wonderful Islands, there are some amazing lighthouses! (Wish some day to see them lol)
1. Sälskär lighthouse was built in 1868 and was manned until 1948.
2. Lågskär Lighthouse. There are many sunken rocks around the exposed lighthouse island of Lågskär, 17 nautical miles south of Mariehamn. This was why a beacon was set up on the island as far back as the 1600s. In 1840 Åland’s first lighthouse beacon was built here. The current one dates from 1920. People lived here until 1961 when the lighthouse was automated.
3.BOGSKÄR Lighthouse. It is extremely difficult to land on Bogskär. If you come in your own boat, the best thing is to enjoy the lighthouse environment from a distance. Finland’s first wireless telegraphy line was opened between Bogskär and Mariehamn in 1906. After the first World War the 1882 lighthouse was automated and came to run on acetylene gas. When it was refurbished in 1981, a helicopter pad was built. Bogskär became a radar lighthouse and was equipped as a weather observatory. Nowadays it runs on solar energy.
4.MÄRKET Lighthouse. The border between Sweden and Finland runs through the island where Märket lighthouse is located. Märket was the last manned lighthouse in Åland waters. Today there are about 50 lighthouses along the whole of the Finnish coast. They are all automated and unmanned.

Lighthouses are truly amazing, the entire world needs them, and it is a beautiful thing that we all need the Light in our lives.

The majority of the population, 73.1%, belongs to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland.

Aland celebrates Autonomy Day every June 9th.

I learned that Swedish homeschooling families move to Åland because it's legal there and not in Sweden.

I learned that as of 2017, there are 55 immigrants in the Åland Islads who originate from the United States!

I read if you wanted to learn how to be a Captain this is the place to go. love the stamp.

The name Åland is in Swedish. The name of the islands in Finnish is Ahvenanmaa. Continental Finland stamps bear both the Finnish name of the country SUOMI and the Swedish name of the Country FINLAND. Åland stamps however, bear only the Swedish name because that is the only official language of the islands.

There is special postal boat race across the sea of Åland.
More information can b found here :
https://www.visitaland.com/en/articles/postal-route-aland/

The stamp is very beautiful. This is my first time to know about Åland. Åland Islands is an autonomous region of Finland. Comprising around 6,700 islands, this Swedish-speaking archipelago is in the Baltic Sea.

Such a cute stamp!
I learned that the islands grow a lot of their own produce, including enough apples to supply Finland with most of their apple needs - who knew?;-)

The most interesting things I have found that is you can ski or bicycle everywhere.ALanders are incredibly outdoorsy. With beautiful paths for cross-country skiing in the winter and bicycling in the summer, Aland is an outdoor lover’s paradise.
Aland also produces beer. Apparently the StaLlhagen Microbrewery is sort of a big deal.

!!!!!

IF you are a foodie and love not just great beer, but a beautiful sea and sunset, exploring by bicycle, remote lighthouses and taking a ferry too- don’t hesitate. It’s waiting just for you to enjoy. The decision is where should I launch from- FInland , Sweden or Estonia?? LIfe is short, hurry.

It interested me that the signature dish of Åland is served as breakfast, snack or dinner. The dish is pancakes with stewed prunes and cream, or fresh berry jam and whipped cream. I could handle that I am a breakfast all day type person!

Mariehamn was founded in 1861 by Czar Alexander II, who gave the town its name, meaning ‘Marie’s Harbour’, after his wife.

After reserching.... I want to rent an island and ride a bike to buy local beers. Enjoy the scenic view while sipping beer at your own rented island is a luxury. But the peace and serenity of the surroundingis to die for... And if sober enough, i can always visit museum and dive at the world's best diving spot. Everything will be perfect. That is why receiving those stamps would be super awesome. Thanks.

This special post crossing stamp will be the first Aland stamp with a heart on it!

Åland Islands in Finland – a fairy tale in reality

Aland Island is a good place for camping!
There are buses, but cycling is the best means of transportation.

Wow, postal operations dates back to 1638!

The Aland Islands are made up of thousands of small islands. Amazing!

IFK Mariehamn plays too well !!!
Thank you, have a good day :)

It is my first time to learn about Åland Islands. It is also called Ahvenanmaa. Bicycles are the best means of transportation on the island. There is a great Maritime Museum. Hope one day I could visit these beautiful islands.

Thosestamps are so nice

Since I work at a coffee roastery, I was interested to see if there was any coffee roasteries in Åland, and I found one: Sarlings coffee roastery (https://www.sesarling.ax/) was founded in 2017 and it's the first specialty coffee roastery on the island! They also have their own teas with some local ingredients, like sea buckthorn.

Russians tried to build there. 1829 started the construction of the Bomarsund fortress, designed to protect the islands. undertook frisky, but the character can not be redone, not completed.

Well, a personal fact. I had a penpal from Aland Islands, Susann. She lived in Mariehamn until she moved to Finland for her studies. So I still have various covers with Aland stamps at home. :)

Since she has her own family and less time for penpalling our contact is less, but still alive via social media channels.

OMG this stamp is clearly a work of art.

I've heard of Aland islands before in coversations about rare countries in postcrossing. I've never received anything from there though.

Good to see that there are so many fun facts in the commet section here. So much to read!
I will add something (maybe it was mentioned before): the Aland islands are one of the sunniest areas among other northern countries!

"Ålanders are incredibly outdoorsy, and I can see why. With beautiful paths for cross-country skiing in the winter and bicycling in the summer, Åland is an outdoor lover’s paradise." -heartmybackpack ( https://www.heartmybackpack.com/finland/reasons-visit-aland-winter/ )
I don think someone can describe more beautiful Aland Islands, or any place, better then heartmybackpack. Go check out her blog, maybe will inspire you to visit some awesome places.
As for the giveaway is truly beautiful, those stamps are so nice!!

Märket Island is part of Sweden and Finland. The Grand Duchy of Finland built a lighthouse on it in 1885. But in 1985 they saw that the lighthouse was part of Sweden ! So, they decided to draw again the border and it looks like that :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A4rket#/media/File:M%C3%A4rket_Island_map.svg

Åland is not a small group of islands but a compound made of around 6700 islands, islets and rocks.
Åland seems to be a very safe place- the police is stationed on the main iland and if there are problems on the other islands, the costguard will come to help.
It is also a demilitarized zone, that means that soliders are not allowed to go there.

Åland produces a third of Finland's apples so apple juice and apple liquors are said to be very good.
Pancakes from Åland are made from rice (or semolina porridge?) and are served (much like in former bohemia) with stewed plums and whipped creme, with sugar, salt and vanilla.. and cardamom

For a short time it was possible to drink the world´s oldest beer on ships of the Viking Lines.
In 2010 a shipwreck from around 1840 was found, on board where 3 bottles of beer and one bottle of champagne.
The Landskapsregering is the owner of the wreck and the load so they started to examine the find and discovered that the lactic acid bacteria in the beers where still alive- asleep but alive.
They then proceeded to re-create this beer and also crafted 2000 mouth-blown beer-bottles to store the beer in.
This beer called " Stallhagen Historic Beer 1842" was then sold in 2014/2015 to get funding for additional research for the marine archeological research.

Such an interesting region!
Thank you for the opportunity to discover such a gem!

Åland’s maritime museum got voted the best museum in all of Finland in 2016. They have one of only two genuine pirate flags in the world. :)

You can fish there in specially designated places. Each season is caught a different fish. In the summer - pike and salmon, in the fall - frightening pike sizes and sea taimen, in winter the ice fishing goes well with a short rod, and in the spring salmon, sea taimen and pike notably peck.
Рыбачить там можно в специально отведённых местах. В каждое время года ловится разная рыба. Летом — судак и лосось, осенью — пугающих размеров щуки и морской таймень, зимой хорошо идёт подлёдный лов короткой удочкой, а весной знатно клюют сёмга, морской таймень и щука.

Åland's original name was in the Proto-Norse language *Ahvaland which means "land of water"

I learned that even though Åland politically belongs to Finland, the official language is only Swedish. Even some political rights are restricted for finnish inhabitants :o

in 1638 Queen Christina of Sweden issued regular postal service for Aland!!! (found that in local Aland Post museum, near the monument for commemorate the 200 postman died during time.... in sea storms.)

The stamps are really beautiful. Congratulations to all postcrossers.
Åland has about 28,500 inhabitants and about 11,000 of them live in Åland's only town, Mariehamn.

Wow this is an amazing idea! Thanks very much!!

Aland Islands have a wonderful nature. it is very normal for a gazelle and a rabbit to pass in front of you.
There is a fridge that stands in the middle of the road (actually in the middle of the forest). Peoples take what people want and leaves money in the box next to fridge value.
By the way, Aland Islands have 145 oldest champagne in the world. 200 years of champagne kept 50 meters below the ground, 75,000 dollars each.

And finally, If you do not have a reflector on you after dark, the police can punish you. (I do not know the situation in the implementation phase, but there is such a rule)

Good luck everyone!

Åland is a wonderful place where virgin nature and high technology coexist peacefully. Here is the world's fastest Internet and a huge number of mushrooms and fish, bankers here ride bicycles, and almost every resident has his own yacht. Åland is a wonderful land of orange roads, untouched forests and rocky fjords.

Residents of the Aland Islands are very sensitive to their mailboxes. On the streets and houses you will see a lot of old mailboxes made of wood, painted by hand. This beauty surprises!!! Mailboxes are the pride of this country.
On 1 March 1984, the Aland Islands issued their own postage stamps bearing the inscription "Aland" in Swedish. Interestingly, charitable stamps are also provided here, for example, in favor of the cancer societies of the Aland Islands can make a contribution of 20 cents.Marine theme on the stamps can be traced quite often. This sailing ships, and even divers exploring the wrecks, which in these parts are not uncommon. By the way, one of the stamps is dedicated to the bottle of champagne and beer raised from the shipwreck. The latter was particularly investigated for the restoration of the ancient drink recipes.
So, this is a very interesting place on the map. I would like to visit the Islands!!!!!!

Here is something I learned about Aland Islands:
If you decide that you want to buy a house in Åland, then too bad – there’s a law that states only residents can be in possession of property. Either you or one of your parents have to have been born in Åland, or you have to be a Finnish citizen who has lived in Åland for 5 years.

I had never heard of the Aland Islands until very recently. Apparently in Åland, there is a rule called Everyman’s right. It means that you can camp anywhere, as long as you don’t stay more than a few nights in the one place, don’t light an open campfire, and aren’t too close to a house on someone’s private property.

Hi, everyone. Do you know a Japanese person called Inazo Nitobe? He was a undersecretary of the League of Nations. He worked for the autonomy of Åland in the 19th century.

Wow, it's a great chance to win such a wonderful prize! It was really cool to know that Aland Islands have no army on its territiry! And I also found out that the archipelago is one of the best places for fishing❤️

Åland Islands do not have railways.

I found it interesting that Swedish is the official language, not Finnish. I would love to win one of these generous prizes. Thanks!

The Aland islands contain Finland’s oldest Christian churches (from the 13th century) and the majority of the population belongs to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland.

The stamp is absolutely beautiful :)
Åland archipelago consists of about 6500 islands! Difficult to imagine really. At the moment I don't know anything really unique and not discoverable by Google, but in about 3 weeks my husband is going to paddle with a kayak from Sweden to Finland through Åland islands, spending each night on a different uninhabited island. I'm sure he'll tell me lots of interesting facts after the trip :)

Congratulations! In Canada, we can't wait for it... Beautiful stamp, I hope to have the opportunity to receive one from there in one of my next postcards. I discover Aland Islands with Postcrossing, good point for my geography. Act on the Autonomy of Åland Islands: May 7, 1920 And finally, thank you so much for the contest.

The anthem of Åland is "Ålänningens sång" respectively "Ahvenanmaalaisten laulu".

I just opened my world street atlas (yes, a book 😉) and looked for Aland islands up in the Baltic sea 😅 I could not find them because in my book they are called Ahvenanmaa, which seem to be the Finnish name, meaning (according to Wikipedia) 'land of perch fish' Good luck and happy postcrossing to all islanders

Lovely stamps - I have wanted to visit the Åland Islands for a long time, and take the ferry. I love the ocean and sea birds of islands across the world (I live on a island in Lake Huron, myself).

Here is what I found about the sea life of the islands:

Åland is called Ahvenanmaa in Finland, which means "Perch land". Perch is a tiger striped and tasty, but not the only fish that is abundant in the waters. Almost all cabin rentals include fishing options and the possibility of renting an equipped fishing boat or even a guide. The Åland Islands are a very popular destination for sport fishing, with the great pike as the favorite challenge to catch. During winter, people head out onto the frozen bays to drill holes in the ice for fishing.

So pretty. Never heard about this Postcrossing promotion before, but I love it!

I learned that citizens of the island may be considered either ethnic Swedes or Swedish-speaking Finns.

Super! I still have the joint issued stamps left (Switzerland & Åland). 👍👍👍

The red granite is used as a road surface so both gravel and tarmac roads tend to be red in Åland.

More than half of the territory of the Aland Islands is covered with forests

I wanted to know how many lighthouses are in this area since we saw so many nearby off the coast of Sweden. Apparently there are so many that they are not even all listed! Wow! Beautiful area of the world!!!

when I discover a new region or a country, I focus on the culinary specialties and I found that in Aland it was "puolukka pannukakku" , a delicious pancake ...... I can't resist to find the recipe ;)

Aland mean Noble-land :)

The Åland Maritime Museum Trust offers a new visitor experience on board the Pommern. The exhibition 'Pommern – 100 days under sail' made the ship come alive with the crew’s own stories. It is an exciting experience based on real events, where the visitors get to explore the ship and sense the presence of her elusive crew.

Wow, I've never received any mail at all from the remote Aland isles. They sound like a lovely place, full of woods, mystery and seascapes!

Hello! What a wonderful place. Found a site that tells a lot of interesting facts. One of my favourite fact is this: Åland has more sunshine hours than anywhere else in Northern Europe between May and August. Sunshine hours sound so bright and cheerful and seems wonderful.

Åland (Ahvenanmaa) is the sunniest place in Scandinavia from May to August. In my mind it's always sunny there - though winter months must be tough for the locals. I've been lucky enough to visit Åland just once. I should definitely go back!

I learnt that Sally Alina Ingeborg Salminen is a writer from Aland, I would love to read one of her books!

I learned it would cost me $3,093 to fly to Aland Islans from Milwaukee but only $2,600 from Chicago O'Hare

it has 20,000 islands.....omg that’s amazing!

St. Olaf's church is there, named after King Oalf II, possibly the oldest church in Finland, dating from the 13th century!

What an amazing place Aland is! I would love to win a Postcrossing stamp, but with what I learned about this interesting group of islands is a win all by itself.

Åland’s capital city, Mariehamn (Maarianhamina), was named after the Russian empress Maria Alexandrovna and it means “the harbor of Maria».

Aland has its own flag and has issued its own stamps since 1984! Would love to see this place!

"There are 28,500 people in Åland, and there are 20,000 islands – which means that there is one island for roughly every 1.5 people! Only 6700 of the islands are named, and only 60 are inhabited, as most of them are small and rocky.
Many of the Åland people have summer houses on the smaller islands. Most of the time, you will have to own a boat to get there in the summer, or use a hovercraft or snowmobile to get to your island when the water freezes over in the winter."

Source: https://aglobewelltravelled.com/2016/07/26/cool-facts-you-probably-didnt-know-about-aland-islands/

The official currency of the Aland Islands is the Euro. I did not know this! But I do now! :)

Since I homeschool my children, I thought this fact of particular interest: "Homeschooling, which was effectively banned in Sweden in 2011, is allowed by the Finnish government. Due to the islands' proximity to Sweden and because the islands are Swedish speaking, a number of Swedish homeschooling families have moved from the Swedish mainland to Åland, including Jonas Himmelstrand, the chairman of the Swedish association for homeschooling."

There are 54 nature reserves in Åland. Today, about 1.8% of Åland's land area is protected as a nature reserve.

Åland 🇦🇽 issued the first postage stamps on March 1st,1984, so it is a relatively young postal authority, celebrating 35 years 🥳
The UAE 🇦🇪 - where I live - issued it’s first federal stamps as an independent nation on Januar 1st, 1973

In the mid-1800's, Admiral Sulivan wrote letters about his expedition to the Aland Islands. The citizens were afraid when they saw his ship and hid. But he soon made friends with them, but waving a white flag, leaving a coin in their boat for peace, among other things, and by acting civilly. Peace is powerful.

Åland 🇦🇽 Issued it’s the first postage stamps on March 1st,1984 showing national symbols, including the flag, map and seal.

The Sultanate of Oman 🇴🇲 - where I live - issued it’s first federal stamps as an independent nation in January 1971

In Åland, there is a rule called Everyman’s right. It means that you can camp anywhere, as long as you don’t stay more than a few nights in the one place, don’t light an open campfire, and aren’t too close to a house on someone’s private property.

They make and sell delicious apple juice in Åland, it's called Grannas äppel. Last year when I visited Åland, I bought a few big packs to bring to Finland.

The fact that most caught my attention was to know Åland Islands that is totally demilitarized, unlike the country where I live. How good that living in Åland Islands is peaceful.

Wow, this is a beautiful place. I'm surprised I've never heard of it before.
I would love to visit during The Viking Market in July. It feels as if going back in time and there is food, crafts and even a viking ship.
It would be such fun.

Åland United (Finnish women's football club) and IFK Mariehamn (It plays in the finnish Premier Division) are the islands' leading football clubs.

Most of the houses in Aland are the same red color - 'Falu Red'. The paint is made from copper found in a Swedish mine Dalarna. The copper was oxidized to get rid of the iron, which produced a by-product called red soil. It was discovered the minerals in this red soil help preserve wood from rot, so it was made into paint and used on houses. It is a very pretty color & looks nice on the houses.

The main town, Mariehamn, was the center of an entire fleet of ships engaged in the grain trade with Australia! Talk about a long haul!

I just learned about Aland by now... But I want to go there now! 6500 islands, lots of see, fish, a castle, a golf course, Love it!
As I grew up on a former Island, I just love islands, see and fishing.

Receiving this would be so pretty!!!

So I read an article published in 2005 by "The Hindu" comparing the Kashmir issue in the Indian subcontinent to Åland Island and this paragraph struck me hard and made me appreciate the island even more -

*Here is a territory, overwhelmingly Swedish, which is under Finnish sovereignty. Sweden accepted the status quo once Finland agreed to international guarantees of its autonomy. It proceeded thereafter to widen, not restrict, the scope of that autonomy. Sweden is not a bit sorry that it agreed to the arrangement. Alanders are proud to be Swedish in culture and Finnish by nationality. *

hello you all, thanks to Postcrossing I got to know about Aland.
Did you know It's part of Finland, but not only in day to day life, but also officially, Swedish is the language they use.

I'm intrigued about this place now.

VERA Film Festival is an annual film festival held in the capital :D, I learned about it from our art teacher, quite some time ago :>

What a beautiful stamp and a wonderful recognition of the postcrossing community in Åland.
I'm always interested in local literature so while researching this beautiful archipelago, I read that Åland produced several authors including Sally Salminen (Nobel Prize in Literature nominee), her sister Aili Nordgren and cousin Anni Blomqvist.
After moving to the USA and while working as a maid in New York, Sally Salminen wrote KATRINA which was based on her memories of the strong women of Åland. Her first novel became a success after winning a competition and the prize money allowed her to travel back to Åland. It has been translated into more than 20 different languages as well as the subject of a film (1943), musical (1997) and a literary research book (2015),
Going to try and find me a copy.

There is a Soviet submarine that was sinks next to the alands islands to 79 years.

Oh my! It contains 6757 islands all together. I didn't know that! And also that the Kastelholm castle belonged in middle ages to Katarzyna Jagiellonka, a Polish princess who married Swedish king :-) :-) I wonder what langueage they spoke :-)

I wanted to go obscure and list/show mineral specimens from Aland... MINDAT doesn't actually show any! BUT, I did find out why most of the houses there are the same red color:

The paint, named ‘Falu Red’, was made from copper found in a Swedish mine in Dalarna. The copper was oxidised to get rid of the iron, which produced a by-product called red soil.

It was discovered that the minerals in this red soil help preserve wood from rot, so they decided to make it into a paint and then started slapping it on nearly every house in Sweden, Finland, and Norway.

The distance between the Aland Islands and Lithuania is 605 km or 376 miles. My grandparents were from Lithuania so I decided to look for that info (although I live near Seattle, Washington, USA.)

Åland Flag Day is celebrated the last Sunday in April.

Their men's football team is good. In 2016, IFK Mariehamn won Finland's football Premier League. In 2015, they won the Finnish Cup.

The official money used is the Euro, but it says in what I was reading most places accept the Krona (Sweden).

There are 28,500 people who call the Aland Islands home! This means there are roughly one island for every 1.5 people! Only 60 of the islands are inhabited! Amazing! I added it to my list of places I hope to visit one day!

Did you know that Åland means "Noble land"? :)

The people of Aland speak Swedish but they are a Sovereign state of Finland.

Aland has it own nature conservation laws. About 50 plants are protected by them. Also about 40 nature reserves are in Aland. Protected are some endangered butterflies. Finland has quite a few endangered butterfly species.

You can camp anywhere in Aland Island, as long as you follow the Everyman's right rule.

The highest point Orrdalsklint is just 129 ASL

In July, they have a Viking Market festival in Kvambo where you can check Viking replica houses and try Viking-style food and drinks.

LWow the coat of arms of the Aland Islands features a golden red deer!

I love to know what kind of animals live in an area. The Tufted Duck breeds at Aland. And superstitious people will hang a dried pipefish from the ceiling to predict the winds.

Well, the map of Finland is just like a dancing woman who is as graceful as a swan while the Aland is the fringe or glitter or something like that of her beautiful skirt：）

I hv no idea about this Island until the first meeting in Aland a few years ago.
So I'd like to get more info about this place, I found that The Åland postal services got the first prize in the contest with “The most beautiful stamp of Europe 1997.” The motive of the winning stamp illustrated “Ålands independence 75 years”.
Btw, I do love those meeting cards and stamp,FDC

It's really beautiful!
Maybe I don't have a chance to the Åland Islands.
But now,I can know and visit this island by postcrossing.
It's so great!

Beautiful stamp....would love to have one...
As per the stats put out by Postcrossing, Aland has an estimated population of 26,711 and about 37 postcrossers...this stamp issue would boost the interest in Postcrossing and definitely help in promotion of tourism...
Finland issued set of 4 Postcrossing stamps in 2013 (Postcrossing blog 21st May 2013) ..so I guess it was a matter of time before Aland followed suit...
By the way it would be interesting to have the details of all the countries that have issued Postcrossing stamps to date..

This stamp is gorgeous!
The population density of Åland Islands is 18.36/km^2, which is 2.2 times bigger than my country’s :)
That’s all because of Siberia, a region in Russia that is not really populated

The åland Islands are an Autonomous territory within the Republic of Finland. They received their autonomy in 1921. Since then, it has had its own Parliament – lagging, its own budget, its own legislation, which relates to the internal self-government of the province: education and culture, health, economy and business, public administration and transport. Even machines have their Aland registration number. There is a flag, anthem and postage stamps. My åland Bank. The official language is Swedish only, although the metropolis has two official languages – Finnish and Swedish. June 9 – Day of self-government of åland.

Little known fact--my great great grandparents are from an Aland island!

In the centre of the Aland Islands there is an astonishing place - the village Smakbyn, it`s the place of traditions in cooking. Here you can taste unusual things such as fried seaweed, beer with the taste of blueberry, grape jelly and so on. And don`t forget to visit the Museum of shipping on the sailing ship "Pommern", built in 1903.

I learnt an interesting thing that Aland Islands speak Sweden but belong to Finland! ^.^

The Aaland Islands was the first noteworthy success of the League of Nations back in the late 1910s!

I knew nothing about the åland Islands. Therefore, all the information for me was new and interesting. I was very surprised by their close location to Russia. The archipelago is located at the entrance from the Baltic sea to the Gulf of Bothnia.

I have always wondered if there is a connection between the Aland Islands, and an old school friend whose second name was Aland. Perhaps ancestors came from there?

I am from India and I haven't heard about Aland Islands until I received this interesting Postcrossing blog e-mail this week. How wonderful a place it is!!!! It is a part of Finland but is completely autonomous with it own Flag, Stamps, Parliament, can pass its own laws and a Swedish speaking region in a Finnish country. A cool 2000 islands for a population of 28,500. Each family can individually own an Island and name it after their family name :) How fun it would be! The sun follows every where you go and a Sauna to refresh and a free camping anywhere in any island unless its a private property. Hope I make a visit to this heaven on earth!

The first geocache on the Aland Islands was placed 1st August 2003 and can still be visited. :-)

Go here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGKldSW4WrU

and listen to a beautiful National Anthem (with English translations).

I learned that most houses on the Aland islands are the same red color!!.

There are lots of ferries connecting Sweden and Finland- and the Aland islands in between. Some go just for a day trip, being on the ferry is a holiday on its own ;O)!

40 km from Sweden and 15 from Finland- that's here they lie- inmidst of beautiful water!!

And, especially for postcrossers, if you go to Aland, visit the Mail route museum.

http://www2.visitaland.com/en/to-do/1137384/mail-route-museum/showdetails

Around 88% of the 28,000 population of Aland islands speak Swedish as their first language, although it's part of Finland.

Great stamps indeed. Since my 2nd passion besides Postcrossing is Groundhopping, I did some research about soccer on the Aland islands.
The IFK Mariehamn had won the title in the first Finnish league ( Veikkausliiga) in 2016, which was a sensation like Leicester winning the Premier League. Wow! Congratulations!

I did not know these Islands. I have found them very welcomes, maritime zone like Asturias, (Spain). I hope to be able to go on occasion
Greetings from Spain
Manuel

They have a special sea-buckthorn yoghurt and big cheese production on Aland.

Wow!! What a special place.
Today I know that Åland has its own postal administration but still uses the Finnish five-digit postal code system, using the number range 22000–22999, with the prefix AX.

Love the stamp!!

This has gotten me to know more about Aland Island and apparently, we can rent a private island!! This is so fun! Imagine having a private island all for your own for a few days... Bliss!!

History. In the early middle ages, the fjords of the åland Islands were an ideal refuge for Vikings (Scandinavian sailors) who made long sea voyages.

What a great chance to get stamps from Aland Island, a place I'd love to see. It would be nice to be one of the seven lucky winners. If not, well I gave it a try

The islands are 40 km away from the Swedish coast and about 100 km away from the Finnish coast. The islands are part of the EU since 1995 and the official currency is the Euro. Since 1992 there is a "Peace Institute" in the islands.
The stamps are gorgeous. Thank you for this "lottery". :-)

The Åland islands contain Finland's oldest Christian churches, including St. Olaf's Church, Jomala, which dating from the late 13th century is likely to be the oldest in Finland.

They have been printing their own stamps since 1984.

The stamp looks great! I have ordered a few of them and am looking forward to receive them soon, hopefully next week. :)
Although Åland has few inhabitants, there have been and are quite many authors. I have read several books written by Anni Blomqvist, and Sally Salminen's "Katrina" is waiting to be read.
In one of Blomqvist's books I learned about a really tragic way to die: Just before the onset of winter, a farmer and some farmhands went by boat to another island belonging to the farm, to get the hay from there, which they needed to feed the animals during winter. Just when they were on their way back - it was late november and dark - it got cold, and the water began to freeze. The water became more and more viscous, making it harder and harder to row, and the oars were coated with ice, making it even harder. At last the men were so exhausted that they gave up, well knowing that they were only a kilometre or so from their island. But they couldn't fight the water and ice any more.
And at home their family was waiting, knowing very well what was happening. Hoping against hope that their people might somehow make it home, but knowing that it just wasn't possible. And they were utterly helpless. Going to meet them with another boat would just mean to die as well. So they had to wait for some days until the water was frozen and could bear people. Then they went and found their frozen to death comrades and took them home for burial. Isn't that horrible?

Every home in Åland has access to a sauna! Access can mean a personal in home sauna, a shared sauna with a neighbor, or a sauna in your apartment building.

Great stamp! Thanks for the chance to win. Fact: While filming the 2013 film Disciple (original title Lärjungen) on location at Långskär, the filmmakers were living in a sailing ship, which can be seen in some scenes of the film. They used an inflatable boat to transfer from the ship to the island, which was not always guaranteed due to weather.

It turns out that the Aland Islands in the beginning of the 19th century were part of the Russian Empire, and withdrew from its composition during the revolution after the fall of the monarchy in Russia. I like the fact that the islands are a completely demilitarized territory, because war is terrible. I also found it interesting Ålandic right of domicile.

I've neve been to Aland Islands, but after that post I want to. The fact I found interesting.
Since 1984, Åland Islands have released their own postage stamps. :)
Thank you for this chance!

Most houses are the same red colour. The paint called "Falu Red" was made from copper found in a Swedish mine in Dalarna. The copper was oxidized to get rid of the iron, which produced a by-product called red soil.

The minerals in this red soil helped preserve wood from rot so they decided to make it into a paint and used it on the most houses.

Haddon Sundblom's father was born in Föglö, Äland Islands.

(Never heard of Mr. Sundblom? Surely you have at least seen his illustrations, for example Coke ads with Santa Claus...)

I love the fact that the name Åland may come from an English princess who shouted ”Oh land” when she saw Åland and it was interprented as Åland because they didn’t know English

I ❤ Åland. And I ❤ castles.
In Åland is one of my favourite castle, Kastelholm. Originally it has been built in the island in 1388. Because the land uplift, it's no longer in the island. But it's not the only one and oldest castle in Åland, in Borboga mountain is viking ages ancient castle.

From reading many of these comments, I have learned that the Aland Islands are both Swedish and Finish, sharing a border that goes thru the islands. What a cool thing that is...and there are TWO other "two-country islands." They are Hispanola, which is an island shared by Haiti and The Dominican Republic. The other one is Saint -Martin/Sint-Maarten, located between Anguilla and St. Kitts-Nevis in the Caribbean. Saint Martin is French and Sint-Maarten is Dutch.
Now you know!! Fun places to visit on our world tours via Postcrossing, yes?? Blessings to all from the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, USA <3

One fact I learned about Åland island is that more than 130 different types of birds use the area for nesting.

Oh wow such an amazing offer. Would one day love to visit the island and attend the meet up

When I was in Helsinki airport last week, I saw a small plane of Norra with destination Mariehamm and I immediately tought of the Aland meeting ♥

Most houses are the same red color, and every home has a sauna! That's pretty interesting.

I did not know Aland Islands part of Finland??
Ck

The stamp is now selling for over £3 on e-bay!!!

I thought they were Swedish due to their proximity.

It’s fascinating that Aland is completely demilitarized and politically neutral by law. I love learning about the world through Postcrossing!

On the ferries that sail between Finland and Sweden, and stop at a harbor in Åland, mail can be sent with stamps (separately) of three postal administrations, Finland, Åland and Sweden. This is a nice possibility to use Åland stamps and postal stationery (like their beautiful prepaid maxicards), even if one is not visiting Åland at that time:)

The Åland islands has the oldest church in Finland - St. Olaf's Church, from the late 13th century

Princess Marie of Hesse and by Rhine is the namesake of the aland capital.

The average life expectancy is 80 years old.

"Aland? And an island?", was what I thought the first time I scrolled down Postcrossing's list of countries. The islands were originally called Ahvaland (Land of Water), and subsequently Åland or River Land.

Been searching on internet what to write on Aland Islands.... Such beautiful place. Greenery, water, so much to see.. Would certainly love to visit one day to explore in person rather on internet. I read there are Indian restaurants too there....

There are quite a few windmills, too!!

Almost all Åland Islands have the region’s characteristic red rapakivi granite which is from the Proterozoic Period which dates back 2.5 billion to 543 million years ago, which is older than the glacier that helped form the islands!

Åland Islands are perfect for a relaxing holiday. You can go on a trip by bike, you can go kayaking between the Islands

From Wiki2 "Åland Stags is the islands' only Rugby Union club."

Roads and some old stone chruches around the island looks very reddish as they are made of the red granite predominating on the island.

And also, the fact that the island has 20,000 islands but only 6.700 are named is so cool. Here I am thought that the 7.000+ island of the Philippines is so many...

The Aland IFK Mariehamn football team won the FInland Premier League cup in 2016.

Postal operation in Aland dates back to 1638...and the first Aland stamps were issued in 1984.

Aland Island is part of Finland, but they have produce own stamps

St Olaf church Jomala, is the oldest church in Finland

Aland Island consists of 6700 islands and mostly beautfiul

Mariehamn is a town of 11,500 inhabitants, that welcomes 1.5 million tourists each year! Wow, it sounds like a wonderful place that I would like to visit too!

Wow Åland Islands is the smallest region in Finland yet people there speaks mostly Swedish. Even though Euro is the official currency, most businesses also accept Swedish krona. Such an interesting place and thank you post crossing for introducing it to me!

Hey, My dad collects stamps, he has been collecting stamps for over 50 years, he doesn’t have 1 from the Aland Island. He has around 46000 stamps. Non of these are repeated. He would love to finally have one to add to his collection. The Aland Island issues approx 16 stamps per year. The first stamps of the Åland Islands were issued on 1st March 1984. Approx 210 stamps then

Aland is a special country/place, where it belongs to Finland bur people speaks Swedish !!

When looking at the weather records of the Aland Islands, I found it interesting to see that the record of highest temperature is about 30 degrees Celsius, while the record for lowest temperature is about -32 degrees Celsius! That is a huge difference for one small place!

Borgboda is one of Åland’s most interesting prehistoric sites with archaeological remains from the Bronze Age until the early Middle Ages.About one thousand years ago Borge, the largest fort hill in the region, was surrounded by water in three directions and guarded a waterway from Kvarnboviken bay to Kyrksundet sound in Sund.

A province of Finland composed of a group of islands situated by the north end of the Baltic sea, at the mouth of the gulf of Bothnia, between Sweden and Finland.

Aland Islands consist of about 6,500 granite island and rocky reefs. Mariehamn, is the administrative centre and chief port, located on Aland, the largest island.

Inhabited since prehistoric times, was Christianized by Sweden in the 12th century, and were ceded to Russia in 1809. The positions of the islands made them of strategic importance during the Crimean War, after which they were demilitarized. At the end of WW1, Finland granted the islands autonomy.

Such a nice post! I was surprised to learn that most companies in Åland have no more than 10 employees!

Tourism is also very important for the economy os the province :)

In Finnish, the battles of the Crimean War that reached Åland Islands are called Oolannin sota (Oolanti comes from the Swedish name Åland).

Wow!! That’s amazing!! Thank you for this lottery 🙂
..about Åland Islands 🇦🇽 I’ve discovered that:
You can camp anywhere for free!! Thanks to a rule called “Everyman’s right” so It means that you can camp anywhere, as long as you don’t stay more than a few nights in the same place, don’t light an open campfire, and aren’t too close to a house on someone’s private property.
So Basically you can pack a tent, pick any spot ashore and set yourself up for the night with only the local wildlife as your neighbor! I thibk it’s wonderful!!! And sure I want to do it!!!

The Åland archipelago consists of around 6 500 islands, but only more than 60 are inhabited. Åland has its own taxation system, its own postage stamps, its own flag and Swedish as its only official language.

Aland Islands (Aland Islands, Sweden. Aland Islands - Aland Islands, Fin. Ahvenanmaa - Ahvenanmaa, literally - the country perch). The city was founded in 1861. Most believers are Lutherans. Administrative unit - commune. In total on the Åland Islands - 16 communes. Very unusual archipelago! =)

Wow! I had never heard of the Aland Islands before! Found out there are 200 empty islands and you can rent one for $160 a night for up to 4 people! Sounds like a party to me! Cheers!

That stamp looks really nice!
I was trying to come across a fact on Google maps, but I found a nice building called "Sjöfararkapellet" on the Åland islands. It's a really small church that's also right by the bay! I'd imagine the view would be really nice there!

There's a football team in Åland called the IFK Mariehamn. This football team won the Finnish Premier football league in 2016 and also the Finnish Cup in 2015. Not bad.

The oland Marine museum is one of the best Marine museums in the world!!

Åland has been issuing its own postage stamps since 1984.

I am embarrassed that I am just learning about this island at the age of 54 but it sounds like a fabulous place to visit! I also learned in my research that it is home to the Glanville fritillary butterfly which I also did not know existed. Combine that will all the wonderful comments & I have learned a lot today! : )

There is a skerry in Åland called Märket which has a lighthouse on it.

I am thrilled to welcome the new Postcrossing stamp from the Aland Islands, because it has been issued on my birthday!

Interestingly, even though the first letter of "Åland" looks like alphabet "A" but it is pronounced as "O" and thus the word should be pronounced as "Oh-land"

well done Åland Islands - what a wonderful stamp :)

I found out that Åland has many species of orchids and is widely known for its wooded meadows, which are richer in species than anywhere else in the country.

Increible saber un poco mas de cualquier parte de este maravilloso planeta que llamamos Tierra .Viajar hasta alli seria la bomba .Saludos a todos/as

The meaning of Aland is: Noble+Land. :)

I have had my eye on the Aland Islands for quite some time. As I am always drawn to places that are not that well known around the world, and discovering that the Aland Islands are autonomous territory within Finland, was something very fun. From what I can remember without any help is the Jomala Church, I think it was called also Saint Olaf which has very interesting shape. Also, another interesting thing was the boats. Every family needs to have one in order to go from one place to another around the territory. Going there would be a dream come true!

I love recipes and making jams therefore my favourite discovery is Åland pancake served with whipped cream and jam (made from different berries. For me the most interesting one was buckthorn berry jam.)

The majority of inhabitants speak Swedish in this Finnish islands. And, it has its own stamps. It has more sunshine hours than anywhere else in Northern Europe between May and August.

Aland island situated in Baltic see is composed of more than 6700 islands in total

Åland is divided into 15 municipalities and one city - Mariehamn

I never heard from Aland Island - but then I get an adress to sent a card to this country - and what I found out sound like a good place to live.

There is not a single McDonald's restaurant on Åland.

Looking at the map of the Aland Islands (from Wikipedia), I could actually visualize that the largest island resembled a "heart" shape. It also sounds like the population "loves" having tourists, based upon some of the amazing sites. Kastelholm would be on my list of places to see. I was impressed that the majority of the population (73.1%) supports the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland and the Islands are home to both the largest and oldest Christian churches of Finland.

Aland Islands farms grow wheat, oats, barley, rye, cucumbers, sugar beets, potatoes, and onions. The climate is also good for apple, plum, and pear orchards. You might also have Ayrshire dairy cattle or maybe some sheep.

Swimming moose! They swim between islands looking for food - how lovely. Congratulations on the new stamp guys :)

Smakby, 'taste village', offers local food, prepared with local ingredients. For instance local honey and Alvados cognac. A beautiful and delicious place!

I found it interesting among others facts that by law, Åland is politically neutral and entirely demilitarized, and residents are exempt from compulsory enlistment in a national service. =)

I first "discovered" Åland several years ago while working on an European cartography project.

My interesting fact about Åland, is that one of its descendants, Haddon Sundblom (whose father came from the village of Sonnboda in Föglö, Åland), worked as an artist in the 1930's and created the Santa Claus images for the Coca Cola company between 1931 and 1965, which included some based on his own self- portrait. Sundblom's images are used by Coca-Cola to this day. He was recognised in a commemorative Åland Christmas stamp in 2007.

The main religion is Christin Lutheran.

70% of Finland's apples are grown in Åland. The people there are very proud of their local produce.

I first heard of Åland in 1995 when I received a letter from someone there, and I've enjoyed every cover since. Their stamps often depict ships, local flora and fauna, churches, and items of historical interest. This new post-crossing stamp is a delightful addition to their collection.

Åland grows 70% of Finland's apples! 🍎🍏

55 people have immigrated to Aland from the USA. I may want to go there if Trump gets re-elected.

The decision to give the Aland Islands sovereignty was one of the first things legislated by the League of Nations. They previously belonged to Sweden and wanted to be autonomous but Finland retained them.

The motto is the islands of peace 😊

The residents of Åland are more Swedish than Finnish, and the young men of the islands are exempt from serving in the Finnish armed forces.

Moored outside the Maritime Museum in the western harbor of Mariehamn, the Pommern is a wooden cargo ship (or windjammer) built in the early 20th century. A person is able to take a guided tour of this ship. I would love to take my son to see it!

At the entrance to the Gulf of Bothnia, the åland Islands are located off the South-Western coast of Finland. Today they have the status of an Autonomous region within Finland. In total there are about 6700 Islands and it is one of the largest clusters on the planet. The population is only about 30,000 people who speak Swedish with a local dialect.

There are more than 130 birds species to be found on the Åland archipel; more than in the mainland around.

Hej! I am from Japan!

When I was searching about Åland Islands, I found out that Inazo Nitobe, the Japanese diplomat settled the territorial dispute between Sweden and Finland over the Åland Islands in 1920. He is also well-known as the auther of Bushido: The soul of Japan. I am so impressed and happy to know that a Japanese person was in a part of Åland Islands history!

Heaven for bicycle enthusiasts...fun way to see the places and beautiful nature.

Aland's rugby club is called Aland Stags

Hello All,

They do have beautiful ship stamps!! Really love them!! Also the newest released 'PostCrossing' stamp is awesome!! I hope I am lucky!!

Looks like an awesome place for a holiday... I didn't knew much about Åland Islands - but it seems to be a very good arrangement between Finland and Sweden. I wish more such examples pop-up all around the world - as @bhumika commented above citing a newspaper article about Kashmir - wouldn't world be such a better place if we have more examples like Åland Islands!!!

Love and peace from India,
Abdullah

This is awesome: People of all nationalities have the right to enjoy the Finnish countryside freely under the traditional Finnish legal concept known as everyman's right. But together with these wide-ranging rights comes the responsibility to respect nature, other people, and property.
This is now in my bucket list

Безумно интересно узнать о том,что никогда не знал!Например о том,что между островами курсирует 8 паромов, самый малый из которых перевозит исключительно пешеходов и велосипедистов!:)

First Time to hear of Aland. Becos the prizes are so attractive I cant hekp but did a online research on it.
Fun Facts:
1) Åland even grows 70% of Finland’s apples
2) Some local divers once discovered a shipwreck containing five bottles of beer and 145 bottles of excellently preserved champagne from the 1840s.
3 ) Rent service of a private island with a cottage on Åland start at around 160 euros/night for four people.!!
4) t Åland consists of 80 inhabited islands, and then over 6,000 uninhabited islands that is ideal for hiking or cycling..!! Wow!!
5) Aland Brewrery is the home Åland’s beer, Stallhagen. The best part of any visit is testing their product in the brewery’s pub.
6) The maritime museum also won Finnish Museum of the Year in 2016.
Wow! What an interesting place to visit!!"

Looking forward to win these awesome prizes and also hope to visit Aland soon!

8000 B.C. The highest parts of Åland emerge from the sea.

5000 B.C. The first human beings, hunters and fishermen, came from the east. They belong to the Comb Ceramic culture. Seasonal settlement.

13th century Several churches originate from this period. Åland is subject to the Swedish Crown. Place-names from Åland are documented for the first time in a 700-year-old description of a sailing route from Blekinge in Sweden via Åland to Reval (now Tallinn) in Estonia.

1388 Kastelholm Castle is mentioned for the first time.

1638 Regular mail services are organized between Sweden and Finland across Åland.

1921 The Åland Islands question in settled in the Council of the League of Nations. Finland is awarded sovereignty over the Åland Islands.

1954 Åland receives its own flag.

1984 The first Åland postage stamps are issued.

1995 Together with Finland, Åland joins the EU.

2002 Mark is replaced by Euro as the currency in Åland.

It takes 3rd place in download speed, 4th place in the speed of the Internet on the planet.

Åland has a humid continental climate that is influenced by its maritime position, especially in summer. While summers are cooler than on both the Swedish and Finnish mainland, winters see little difference to the adjacent parts of Sweden and are only narrowly milder than in mainland Finland.

Greetings. The brands are amazing !!! I always follow your updates :) In my dreams to visit Mariehamn, where only 11,000 people live. The Aland Islands are a wonderful corner in which virgin nature and high technologies peacefully coexist. Here is the world's fastest Internet and a huge number of mushrooms and fish, bankers ride bicycles here, and almost every inhabitant has his own yacht. Åland is an amazing land of orange roads, pristine forests and rocky fjords.

Statistically May is the month with the least number of days with rain. So let's plan a trip for next May :-)

As a diver I have a diving fact for you...
There are loads and loads of shipwrecks to dive in Åland. You also need a permit to dive those which helps to preserve them. (I think thats a good way of dealing with numbers of divers.)
Anyways... in 2010 a group of divers found champagne from the 1840s on one of their dives inside a wreck. It is supposedly the oldest champagne in the world (c. 170 yrs old). Some of it was auctioned off in 2011 - the Veuve Clicquot went for 30 000 € for the bottle. It was a new record set for auctions in the wine/champagne business as well.

I travelled to Stockholm once and our guide told us there are no wolves on Åland Islands, so it's a safe place for sheep. I joked that the farmers should be afraid of sea-wolves but I got interested in the issue. It turned out that wolves recently started to migrate to Åland from continental Finland. They were not seen there for 30 years.

You can rent your own private island for about 160 euros a night for 4 people.

there are only 37 Postcrossing members from Aland islands, and the postage is quite expensive too, make Aland a quite 'rare countries'

I love that Åland is demilitarized...no military presence or fortification is allowed on the islands.

Beautiful stamp! Did you know that the Åland Islands have more hours of daylight from May to August than anywhere else in Northern Europe?

58,7 percent of the Åland Islands are covered by forests!

Åland Islands are located in the middle of the Baltic sea. This archipelago consists of 6500 Islands and elevations, which are called "the Pearl of Scandinavia". This is a special political position of the Finnish province, the so-called state in the state. Mariehamn or "the harbour of Mary" is the capital of the archipelago and the third largest port in Finland. Åland Islands are especially appreciated by Europeans who like to fish. The local sea water, but the amount of salt is too small, because the number of fish species is really large. Islands give peace of mind alone with nature. This is a great way to fully relax after the bustling working days. Renting a house for a weekend, a week or even a month, you can enjoy the amazing nature.

It is roughly 6270km from Canada to the Åland Islands - and Canadians don't need a tourist Visa to go there! Maybe I should visit?

I never been to this island, also never heard anything about this island. But the introduction on wikipedia are very attracting me.
I like the meaning of the island's name "Åland's original name was in the Proto-Norse language *Ahvaland which means "land of water". Ahva is related to the Latin word for water, "aqua". "
Hope someday I can visit there!

I loved this opportunity to learn more about the Åland islands that I never knew they existed before. Did you know they have their own postal administration but still use the Finnish five-digit postal code system?

Aland motto "Islands of Peace"

The postage stamp is extraordinary! How nice it would be to have it in your collection! It turns out that the inhabitants of the åland Islands are not called up for military service.

In the åland Islands, apples ripen due to the climate and fertile soils. Therefore, there is a winery, which produces cider and Calvados from apples.

As a knitter, I was interested to learn that in recent decades the Åland sheep were nearing extinction.

Congratulations, Aland Post ! Beautiful stamp !

Mariehamn , is the capital and the largest city of Åland, an autonomous Swedish-speaking region in Finland.
Nearly 12,000 people (40% of its total population) reside in the capital;

the city has -
- its own University of Applied Sciences,

- parliament and government buildings...….

- surprisingly, only 3 (three) traffic lights !

I learned that the Aland Islands national animal is the Red deer. They have a population of 1.3 million. The Aland Islands seem like a truly wonderful place!

The color a lot of houses in Åland are painted with is called Falu Red 😀 I love these red houses

Nåtö is a wooded meadow and one of Åland’s most diverse and richest type of habitat. Wooded meadows were common in Åland until the late 1800s, but changes in farming have led to the disappearance of most of these areas. Nåtö has flowering meadows with e.g. wild orchids, old pastures, coastal meadows and verdant groves of hazelnut trees. Every year in July the meadows are mowed in traditional manner. Nåtö has a rich birdlife with e.g. in Finland rare spotted-nutcracker and other birds nesting in old hollow trees.

Aland has homeschooling - the only area allowed. the name means land of rivers - which is similar to my state's translation.

I would love to visit. It is lovely!

The Åland Islands has a Peace Institute! They research and use science to develop methods aimed to encourage empowerment. The Åland status is demilitarized and neutralized territory.

Big rocks on Åland Islands look like enormously big Moomins. But it shouldn't be very surprising as Tove Jansson has written her books on the Åland Islands! We know where the inspiration came from!

Åland has 20,000 island and 28,500 inhabitants. Such an interesting ratio!

Åland has it's own vehicle registration plates even though it's part of Finland.

I’ve never heard of Aland, so it’s all new and interesting, Odly, not only is Swedish the official language, but it is also the only monolingual Swedish speaking area in Finland.

Åland has its own micro brewery - the Stallhagen microbrewery!

Did you know that the Åland Islands joined the EU
On New Year’s Day of 1995?
I didn’t! Happy Postcrossing! 🥳

This is all new to me, so thank you Postcrossing for widing our horizon, so many things I learned while googling this, did you know the depth of the sea between Åland and Sweden is deeper than between Finland and Åland.
I do not want to give a fact already given, I tried to read them all, did not come across this one.
I came across this as well;

Before the Napoleonic wars, Finland WAS Sweden. Finland was a part of the Swedish kingdom, an just as much Sweden as Svealand, Götaland or Norrland. Finland and Sweden shared the same laws, same religion and same culture, and Åland was merely a part of this domain.

When Russia annexed Finland in the aftermath of 1808–1809 war, also Åland Islands were annexed. Before that, there was a language and dialect continuum from Svealand to Roslagen to Åland Islands, to Turku archipelago and all the way to the Swedish-speaking parishes in Finland along the coasts both the north, east all the way to Viborg/Viipuri and the Karelian Isthmus, south to the Estonian coasts and archipelago, and previously also further south to present-day Latvia. So Åland wasn’t in complete isolation.

When Finland declared itself independent in the turmoil of the Russian revolution 1918, there were indeed disputes whether Åland would become a part of Finland or whether Sweden would annex it. In the end the League of Nations negotiated an agreement, which gave Åland autonomy and guarantees for both language and certain customs (such as hunting seafowl in spring, which is prohibited elsewhere in Finand).

Came WWII. While the islands have been demilitarized since the Crimean War peace treaty, Finland sent troops there (operation Kilpapurjehdus) to prevent Russians invading the archipelago, and it turned out the Ålanders were generally supportive to Finnish troops. It was clearly a sign Ålanders were content with being part of Finland.

Now as both Sweden and Finland are both members of EU, the question is pretty much moot. The Ålanders like it more as a semi-independent autonomic province of Finland rather than as hinterland archipelago of Stockholm. While the Ålanders read newspapers of Sweden and watch Swedish TV, they also have representants in the Finnish parliament, and the archipelago is also a tax-free zone of EU and an own internet domain (.ax). While the monetary unit of Finland is euro, many Åland shops also take Swedish krona. Åland has no conscription, but several boys and girls serve as volunteers in the Finnish military.

and this band has written over their experiences, and put some pics on, https://passepartoutduo.com/newspost/2018/5/28/land

So, thanks and good luck Paulo for picking winners
The stamp is beautiful.

inspired? https://www.booking.com/region/fi/land.en-gb.html?aid=356980&label=gog235jc-1BCAYoSEIEbGFuZEgzWANoqQGIAQGYARy4ARfIAQzYAQHoAQGIAgGoAgO4AqbvgOgFwAIB&sid=de5f4626ba20d31d1031eaec7ae756cc&lang=en-gb&soz=1&lang_click=top;cdl=nl;lang_changed=1

Local food and drinks to taste are apple juice, cinnamon rolls, berries, rapeseed oil, potatoes and anything with sea buckthorn!

Åland competes in the biennial Island Games, which it hosted in 1991 and 2009

Glanville fritillary Butterflies with checkerboard wing patterns live here but are in population decline now because they are not migratory.

Åland has a beautiful website: www.visitaland.com! I'm a nature lover and was pleased to discover Åland has 53 nature preserves and approx. 30 nature trails and footpaths around Åland.

Aland is part of Finland but its language is Swedish.

The Turku archipelago, where Aland islands are located, is the biggest archipelago in the world. Interesting! I always thought Indonesia is the largest!

The official language of Åland is Swedish, both on the streets and in the official communication with the Finnish government.
Also Swedish and Finnish are the official languages of Finland. Never knew that!

Did you know that Åland means "Noble Land"? Pretty cool, huh?

It is worth noting that åland is for the most part a summer destination, because it is at this time of year you will be able to appreciate the beauty of these Islands. The weather is smooth and warm, music festivals, various fairs, theatrical performances and sports competitions are held annually.

The interesting history of Aland Islands is nice to read!! 😊

☂☂It looks like rain⻗⻗
Good Morning, Åland Islands!
It's now 11°C, cloudy, and seems to be raining later.

I've red that everyone can rent an own island with a cottage! Amazing! The stamp is so cute :) I wish I could win it or the maxicard!

You can camp for free in Åland! :)

Napoleon named the Åland Islands as a "gun pointed in the heart of Sweden".
www.le-cartographe.net

I <3 Ahvenanmaa!
Ahvenanmaa=Åland in Finnish

Åland has its own taxation system, its own postage stamps, its own flag and Swedish as its only official language

Postcrossing fact : Âland Islands have their own postal stamps since only 1984 !

Beautiful one. I'm getting it. So excited 😊

You can rent your own island. In fact prices for renting a private island with a cottage on Åland start at around 160 euros/night for four people.

Aland with so many islands will have direct impact of climate change. With increase in sea levels and extreme weather because of Global warming, soon beautiful beaches will vanish. All countries should work together to tackle climate change and make these beautiful islands a great destination for postcrossers and tourists in future.

This is super exciting and I hope the USPS will do the same one day! This stamp has put Aland on the map for me!

Exciting, hope to get to see these one day!

Interesting about Åland Islands: The islands are only about 10.000 years old. Before, there was just water. Only 8000 BC the highest peaks started rising from the Baltic sea. The oldest finds of human presence on the islands are from about 6000-7000 years ago. So these islands are very young in geologic terms!

"Skerries" are rocky islands that are too small for human habitation....As of 2017 the Aland Islands have residents from 20 different countries living there!

What a good looking stamp here! Wish someday I can go to Åland too.

Marques super .... as well as the rest of the gifts! And on the islands after everything that was read about them, I really want to go ...
On the islands of the Aland Archipelago, there is a peaceful peace, which attracts travelers from all over the world to return here again and again to enjoy the breath of an unusually picturesque nature. Wherever you look, fantastic views open up behind every hill and every turn: sometimes bizarrely winding roads, or fabulous wooden houses, lush apple trees, leafy thickets and the beauty of the sea landscape with their diversity.

not sure if it is true but I read that the cars are driving in clusters, cause they all are either going to or coming from the ferry :)) so after the ferry has left: the road belongs again to the bicycles :))

I don't know much about Åland, but the beautiful heart-shaped stamps have attracted me, and I really like to collect stamps with clear postmarks, I hope to receive them.

What I did not know about Alands is that Tove Jansson was writing Moomins there.

Did you know that quite possibly the oldest Church in all of Finland, St. Olaf's Church, is located in the town of Jomala not far from Mariehamn? It was built between 1260-1280 and is made of local red granite and limestone. It is named for the Patron Saint of the Åaland Islands, King Olaf II of Norway.

There are many beautiful photos of the Church on-line if you would like to Google St. Olaf's Church, Jomala.

I love visiting historic churches, and now, because of this blog I have learned about the Åaland Islands and this lovely building. It is now on my Bucket List!

Thank you Åland Islanders!

I'm learning Swedish so it was interesting to read more about åländska (Åland Swedish) :)
This is the link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%85land_Swedish
I would love to visit Åland one day, it looks very beautiful.

Even though Åland belongs to Finland, they don't speak Finnish. They use Åland Swedish. This is also the main reason why Finnish people have to learn Swedish.

The Aland Islands are one of our favourite holiday destionations since some years. They are a paradise when you like kajaking.
The old pharmacie in Kummlinge is really nice and a tourist attraction. The lady that is running it is very friendly and loves to talk to people that come to see that lovely place.
If you are at Kökar for midsummer, you can take part in deocrating and rising the midsummer-pole, or let they: If you want just look at it, they ask you to help ;)

We hope we can visit Åland Islands one day. We think it's special and we would love to see it with our own eyes! We love to make boattrips so for sure there's occasion enough there ^_^
It was surprising us that although it belongs to Finland that Finish isn't their language but Swedish.
They have many nice stamps!!!
We hope you all enjoyed your trip and meeting there! :o)

What a lovely stamp <3 Thanks a lot for the give away :)

I just learned you can rent a private island for a moderate rate - definitely want to do that one day!!

I don't know much about Aland because i've never been there. Many friends went last weekend to the meet-up there and i saw many photo's passing by on Facebook. It really looks so beautful. I hope i can join you one of the next years :-)

I had never even heard of Åland Islands until today. After looking at the Wiki info I know I would only want to visit there on holiday during August or September. As a philatelist I would LOVE to win the stamps. Thank you!

I just learned that there is only one town in Åland Islands! It is called Mariehamn.
I would love to visit the city one day. Another interesting thing is that the main language there is Swedish. Going there for me would be interesting as I am currently learning Swedish :)

I learned that a lot of the homes in this area are painted the same red color. When the copper mined in Sweden was oxidized to purify it, it makes something called red soil, which was found to help prevent wood rot so it was made into paint and used everywhere!

There are 38 Indian immigrants living in the Åland Islands! I wish i could make it 39.

I love the stamps from Aland and collect them since my childhood. The first ones were issued in 1984.

I love the Postcrossin stamps :) I would be happy to include this new one into my collection!
I learned that Aland has it's own stamps since 1984. Not long, but I saw many beautiful ones!

The flag of Åland is very similar to that of Sweden. It's actually the Swedish flag with an additional red cross inside the yellow cross. The red cross is a symbol of Finland.
In Greek Åland is written Ώλαντ and pronounced just /oland/.

I was lucky to receive a postcard from this area; it's one of my favorites! According to the Åland Islands' tourism board the first settlers were seal hunters who landed over 5,000 years ago.

A few postcrossing friends are attending the big PC-meeting at the Aland Islands....wish I could be there, too!
That stamp is nice, and of course as a postcrossing-stamp-collector I would be thrilled to have it!

Here in Germany everything is bound by paragraphs, so I'm intrigued by this fact:
In Åland, there is a rule called Everyman’s right. It means that you can camp just about anywhere, as long as you don’t stay more than a few nights in the one place, don’t light an open campfire, and aren’t too close to a house on someone’s private property.

So this means that if you have a boat or a kayak and decide to go and explore one of those 20,000 islands in Åland, you can pack a tent, pick any spot to come ashore, and set yourself up for the night with only the local wildlife as your neighbours.

Here in Germany (or at least in this part of Germany) it's pretty much the opposite...you can only go to Campgrounds or on private property, everything else is "wild camping" and illegal.

I liked knowing about the Åland Islands. I loved that by law, Åland is politically neutral and completely demilitarized. The world needs peace.

Before my postcrossing adventure I never heard about Åland Islands. I thought to come this year but the program was way too busy and exhausted for me. I hope I can visit it one day because I think it's an amazing place. It's situated between Sweden and Finland and counts lots of islands. You can even 'rent' one and it's not so expensive.
It belongs to Finland but their official language is Swedish. Mariehamn is the capital. Åland Islands has his own stamps since 1984 and I saw they released already beautiful ones!!! 😍😍😍 They have also nice maxicards and now this new postcrossing stamp is a beauty too, wauw! ❤ Winning this giveaway would be awesome❣ Thanks for this chance! I hope you had fun last weekend!
Peace! ^_^

I find it pleasantly surprising that despite its size, the Åland Islands have one of the fastest Internet connection in the world. Wow!

It is so great! I love those special edition stamps! Postcrossing is so wonderful for discoveries and learning! It's such an amazing opportunity to learn more about the Åland islands! I googled and read on wikipedia, and I think the thing I found the more exciting is all the importance that is given to the art, and all the different ways in wich it's encouraged! I am thrilled at the idea that there is a "Åland Archipelago Guest Artist Residence", I'm sure the setting must be very inspiring!

Awesome stamp! So exciting for the community. Fun fact: The Åland Islands are governed according to the Act on the Autonomy of Åland and international treaties. These laws guarantee the islands' autonomy from Finland, which has ultimate sovereignty over them, as well as a demilitarised status.

Wonderful I having a stamp from a country that I haven't heard in awhile I think that's really interesting I only know that aland island through postcrossing but I haven't heard it exactly but I haven't had a postcard from it I mailed one already from to there but it's cool that it they have their postcard I want everybody to wish them luck around the world it's inspiring of this post Crossing it's a great tool to get to know people around the world especially for this cool for this country :)

Beautiful Stamp!!! I can't wait to see if I get one!

Åland is an autonomous region of Finland, and has the largest Swedish-speaking majority in Finland!!!The official language of Åland is Swedish! Most would think it would be Finnish, but it is not. Fun fact!!