Ostrobothnia (historical province)

Coordinates: 65°31′00″N 27°38′00″E / 65.5167°N 27.6333°E / 65.5167; 27.6333
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Historical province of Ostrobothnia
(in blue, modern regions in yellow)

Ostrobothnia,

Westrobothnia in the west, Laponia in the north and Russia
in the east.

Etymology

The word pohja means either "north" or "bottom", and maa is "land". There are two possible explanations for the dual meaning of pohja. The first is based on the ancient Scandinavian belief that the north was the bottom of the world,[citation needed] where the Sun disappeared each night. The second explanation points to the fact that houses were constructed with their backs to the north, the coldest direction, which may have given rise to the association.

Government

Ostrobothnia corresponds to the following modern

Peräpohjola. It is governed by the regional state administrative agencies of Länsi- ja Sisä-Suomi and Pohjois-Suomi; the former includes areas outside Ostrobothnia (Central Finland and Häme
).

History

18th century map of Ostrobothnia's parishes as well as cities and churches.

The earliest evidence of humans in Ostrobothnia is at the

Neanderthal man in Fennoscandia. Modern humans arrived 9,000 years ago, as soon as the ice sheet disappeared and enough land had risen above sea level. A complex hunter-gatherer society emerged along the coast. Among the visible remains from this time are the Neolithic stone enclosures unique to Ostrobothnia known locally as Giant's Churches (Finnish: Jätinkirkko).[2] They are a rare example of monumental architecture built by hunter-gatherers in northern Europe.[2]

During the Bronze and Iron Ages an agrarian society eventually replaced earlier structures in southern Ostrobothnia, whereas traditional economies survived much longer in the northern and inland locations. During the early

Treaty of Tyavzino
in 1595.

During the late stages of the war, the Swedish crown stationed regular troops in the province to help defend the population. This was in marked contrast to the earlier practice of making the province responsible for its own defence. After the war, the Ostrobothnians revolted against the troops' continued presence, leading to the

peasant uprising
in Finnish history. The peasants suffered devastating losses and the province was no longer a semi-independent, unregulated frontier.

Katarina Asplund (1690–1758), a Finnish pietist, was a leading figure within the pietism movement in Ostrobothnia, and was often in conflict with the authorities on charges of blasphemy.[3]

The first towns in Ostrobothnia were established in the 17th century, obtaining prominence through the import of

no-man's land between occupied Finland and Sweden proper. Northern Ostrobothnia suffered most heavily, losing a fourth of its population due to the ravages of war.[4]

In 1809 all of Finland, including Ostrobothnia, was separated from Sweden, though the regions of Norrbotten and Västerbotten remained on the Swedish side.

Geography

Historical Ostrobothnia was separated from southern Finland by

Torniojoki and Iijoki, without any formal definition inland, though the watershed between the Kemijoki, Iijoki and Olhavajoki
estuaries serves as an approximate definition.

The stereotypical topographic feature of historical Ostrbothnia was the coastal plain north of Suomenselkä, in the modern regions of Ostrobothnia, Southern Ostrobothnia and Central Ostrobothnia. It is glacial (Weichselian glaciation) seabed, flat with a few hills, and characterized by rivers formed at the end of the glaciation period which run southeast to northwest. Post-glacial rebound is still causing the ground level to rise at a rate of about 9 mm per annum. Due to the flat terrain, this causes the Gulf of Bothnia to recede several kilometers each century, impacting navigation and the harbours of coastal cities in the region. The bedrock in the area, where exposed, features southeast-northwest oriented lines carved by rocks pushed by the advancing ice mass during the glaciation. When the ice melted, huge boulders (glacial erratics) and sand pits were also left behind.

On the coast of modern Northern Ostrobothnia, the topography remains flat, but instead of the fields of modern Central and Southern Ostrobothnia, the land is largely covered with

coniferous forests and hills, with an occasional village or small town. The most important geographical feature of inland Ostrobothnia is the 887 km2 lake Oulujärvi. Most activity in the region of Kainuu is centered around this lake, which is connected to the sea via the Oulujoki. North of Kainuu, Koillismaa
forms one of the most rural and poorest sub-regions in Finland.

Heraldry

Ostrobothnia coat of arms

The

ermines
courant argent, tail-tips sable.

References

  1. ^ "Bottenhavet, Bottniska viken". Svensk etymologisk ordbok (1st ed.). 1922 – via Project Runeberg.
  2. ^
    ISBN 9047418921
    .
  3. ^ Suomen kansallisbiografia/Finlands nationalbiografi
  4. ISBN 951-0-23739-6

External links

65°31′00″N 27°38′00″E / 65.5167°N 27.6333°E / 65.5167; 27.6333

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