The Ă…land Islands is a territory in Northern Europe, and it is not a sovereign state in its own right. Government sits in Mariehamn.
The population is about 30,500, placing it 222nd of 250 by population — between San Marino above it and the Caribbean Netherlands below. Within Northern Europe alone it is the 12th largest of 16 and the 15th most populous.
The land area is 1,580 km², which ranks it 186th of the 250 countries and territories in this dataset — just behind Guadeloupe and just ahead of the Faroe Islands. For scale, it is about two thirds the size of Luxembourg.
The Ă…land Islands on the map
Plotted on a globe it falls at 60.1° north, 19.9° east, which puts it in the northern hemisphere, roughly 6,692 km from the equator, in what geographers would call high-latitude latitudes.
Follow that same latitude east or west and you reach Russia and Canada — places that share its distance from the equator but little else.
There is no land frontier at all — every boundary it has is a coastline. That puts it among the 85 entries of 250 here with no land neighbours, a group made up mostly of islands and island groups.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
Who lives in the Ă…land Islands
Density comes out at around 19 people per square kilometre, which makes it less crowded than the typical entry on this list. Half the entries in this dataset fall below roughly 90 per square kilometre.
Swedish is the only official language. It shares that with Finland and Sweden.
The demonym is Ă…landish, so residents are Ă…landish.
Against Europe as a whole it is the 51st most populous of 53 entries, and it accounts for under 1% of everyone living in Northern Europe.
Useful reference details
It uses the Euro (€, EUR). Another 37 entries use the same currency — Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria and Croatia among them — so exchange rates move for reasons that have nothing to do with the Åland Islands.
The top-level domain is .ax. Calls from overseas start with +35818. In ISO terms it is ax in two letters and ALA in three.
Mariehamn is the seat of government and the answer most quizzes are looking for.
On the UN list it does not appear as a member. The dataset does not record which state administers it, so this page does not guess. Of the 250 entries here, 57 are territories or observers rather than member states.
Fun facts about Ă…land Islands
- It is 222nd of 250 by population, with about 30,500 residents.
- Websites based there use the .ax domain.
- It is a territory rather than a UN member state.
- Swedish is official here and in 2 other entries worldwide.
- Within Northern Europe it is the 12th largest of 16.
- Russia and Canada sit at almost the same latitude, on the far side of the globe.
Åland Islands — frequently asked questions
- What is the capital of the Ă…land Islands?
- The capital of the Ă…land Islands is Mariehamn.
- How big is the Ă…land Islands?
- The Åland Islands covers 1,580 km², ranking 186th of 250 by land area. That makes it about two thirds the size of Luxembourg.
- Does the Ă…land Islands border any other country?
- No. The Ă…land Islands has no land border with any other country, so every route in or out is by sea or air. 85 of the 250 entries on this site are in the same position.
- Where is the Ă…land Islands located?
- The Åland Islands is in Northern Europe, part of Europe. Its reference coordinates are 60.1° north and 19.9° east, roughly 6,692 km from the equator in high-latitude latitudes.
- Is the Ă…land Islands a country?
- Not in the political sense. The Ă…land Islands is a dependent territory rather than a sovereign state, and it is not a UN member. It appears on this site because it has its own flag, codes and statistics, but it does not have a seat at the United Nations.
- What language is spoken in the Ă…land Islands?
- The official language of the Ă…land Islands is Swedish. It is also official in 2 other entries on this list.
- What is the population of the Ă…land Islands?
- The Ă…land Islands has a population of about 30,500, which makes it the 222nd most populous of the 250 countries and territories listed on this site. San Marino sits just above it and the Caribbean Netherlands just below.
- What currency does the Ă…land Islands use?
- The Åland Islands uses the Euro, written € (currency code EUR). It is shared with 37 other entries.
