Western Finland Province

Western Finland (Finnish: Länsi-Suomen lääni, Swedish: Västra Finlands län) was a province of Finland from 1997 to 2009. It bordered the provinces of Oulu, Eastern Finland and Southern Finland. It also bordered the Gulf of Bothnia towards Åland. Tampere was the largest city of the province.

Western Finland
Länsi-Suomen lääni
Västra Finlands län
Coat of arms of Western Finland
Coat of arms
Location of Western Finland
CountryFinland
EstablishedSeptember 1, 1997
AbolishedJanuary 1, 2010
CapitalTurku
Largest cityTampere
Government
 • GovernorRauno Saari
Area
 • Total74,185 km2 (28,643 sq mi)
Population
 (December 31, 2009)
 • Total1,889,542
 • Density25/km2 (66/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
ISO 3166 codeLS
NUTS code19

History
For history, geography, and culture, see Finland Proper (historical province), Satakunta (historical province), and Ostrobothnia (region).

On September 1, 1997 the Province of Turku and Pori, the Province of Vaasa, the Province of Central Finland, the northern parts of the Province of Häme and the western parts of the Mikkeli Province were joined to form the then new Province of Western Finland.

All the provinces of Finland were abolished on January 1, 2010.[1]

Administration

The State Provincial Office was a joint regional administrative authority of seven ministries. The State Provincial Office served at five localities; the main office was placed in Turku, and regional service offices were located in Jyväskylä, Tampere, Vaasa, and Pori. Approximately 350 persons worked at the State Provincial Office. The agency was divided into eight departments.

Regions
Main article: Regions of Western Finland

Western Finland was divided into seven regions:

Municipalities in 2009 (cities in bold)

Western Finland was divided into 142 municipalities in 2009.

Former municipalities (disestablished before 2009)

Governors
  • Heikki Koski 1997-2003
  • Rauno Saari 2003-2009

Heraldry

The coat of arms of Western Finland was composed of the arms of Finland Proper, Satakunta and Ostrobothnia.

Notes
  1. "New regional administration model abolishes provinces in 2010". Helsingin Sanomat International Edition. Sanoma Corporation. 31 December 2009. Retrieved 1 January 2010.
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