Län
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Län (Swedish, IPA: [ˈlɛːn] ⓘ), lääni (Finnish, IPA: [ˈlæːni]) and len (Norwegian, IPA: [leːn]) refer to the administrative divisions used in Sweden and previously in Finland and Norway. The provinces of Finland were abolished on January 1, 2010.[1] In Norway, the term was in use between 1308 and 1662.[2]
They are also sometimes used in other countries, especially as a translation of the
The term
The word literally means "fief" and is cognate with English loan. The usual English language terms used are separate for the two countries, where Sweden has chosen to translate the term as "county" while Finland prefers "province". With a shared administrative tradition spanning centuries, ending only in 1809, this is a separation by convention, rather than by distinction.
The term matches reasonably well the British term "
The reason why Sweden has chosen to translate the term to "county" is that in Swedish and English, the word "provins"/"province" has come to mean different things.[citation needed] In the Swedish Empire, all lands conquered became provinser (provinces); Swedish law, which granted the common people much more freedom and influence than any other European law at the time, was not extended to them, remaining confined to the landskap (in plural) which made up the Swedish-and-Finnish heartland (roughly corresponding to present-day Sweden and Finland). Examples of such former Swedish provinser are Estonia and Swedish Pomerania. Another reason is that in education, Sweden has preferred British English over American English. "County" is a reasonable British English translation of Län.[citation needed]
Before län were adopted, the historical provinces were defined as either "hertigdöme" (duchy) or "grevskap" (county), which adds further confusion. Later all historical provinces have been given "hertigdöme" (duchy) as honorary title.
The län
In Sweden a län is but an arm of the executive power of the national government, and has no autonomy nor legislative power. The län subdivision does not always match the traditional provinces, which are called landskap (singular and plural) in Swedish (including Swedish-speaking Finland) and maakunnat (singular maakunta) in Finnish. The same situation existed in Finland until län/lääni were abolished in 2010.
- Counties of Sweden (Sveriges län)
- Provinces of Finland (Suomen läänit / Finlands län, abolished 2010)
Historically the term
The landsting
In every Swedish län (except Gotland) there was a
The landshövding
The governor has the title landshövding (Swedish) (previously maaherra in Finnish). He or she is appointed by the government, and presides over the länsstyrelse (Swedish; previously lääninhallitus in Finnish) – translated as
Notes
- ^ "New regional administration model abolishes provinces in 2010". Helsingin Sanomat International Edition. Sanoma Corporation. 31 December 2009. Archived from the original on 3 January 2010. Retrieved 1 January 2010.
- ^ "Counties of Norway", Wikipedia, 2020-02-20, retrieved 2020-02-21