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Ostrobothnia

*Österbotten* (Swedish)
*Pohjanmaa* (Finnish)
Ostrobothnia Österbotten (Swedish); Pohjanmaa (Finnish)
Region
	Region of Ostrobothnia; Landskapet Österbotten; Pohjanmaan maakunta
	Coat of arms
	Ostrobothnia on a map of Finland
Country	Finland
Historical province	Ostrobothnia
Capital	Vaasa
Other towns	Jakobstad, Kaskinen, Kristinestad, Närpes and Nykarleby
Area
• Total	7,932.36 km2 (3,062.70 sq mi)
Population (2019)
• Total	180,445
• Density	23/km2 (59/sq mi)
GDP
• Total	€6.929 billion (2015)
• Per capita	€38,193 (2015)
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
ISO 3166 code	FI-12
NUTS	195
Regional bird	Common swift (Apus apus)
Regional fish	Common whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus)
Regional flower	European meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria)
Website	osterbotten.fi

Ostrobothnia (Swedish: Österbotten; Finnish: Pohjanmaa) is a region in western Finland. It borders the regions of Central Ostrobothnia, South Ostrobothnia, and Satakunta. It is one of six regions considered historical Ostrobothnia, hence it is also referred to as Coastal Ostrobothnia to avoid confusion.

Ostrobothnia is one of two Finnish regions with a Swedish-speaking majority (the other being the constitutionally monolingual province of Åland); Swedish-speakers make up 51.2% of the total population.^[2] The region contains thirteen bilingual municipalities and one that is exclusively Finnish-speaking. The capital of Vaasa is predominantly inhabited by Finnish speakers, whereas smaller towns and rural areas are generally dominated by the Swedish language. The three municipalities with the largest number of Swedish speakers are Korsholm, Jakobstad and Pedersöre.

Geographically, Ostrobothnia has little topographical relief, because it is mostly former seafloor brought to surface by post-glacial rebound and the accumulation of alluvial sediment. Ostrobothnia has both vast expanses of cultivated fields (lakeus) as in Southern Ostrobothnia, and the archipelago of Kvarken (Finnish: Merenkurkku). Glacial transport has deposited large quantities of rocks in the area.^[3] Like elsewhere in Ostrobothnia, rivers are a prominent part of the landscape. The major rivers that discharge into the Gulf of Bothnia in Ostrobothnia are Kyrönjoki, Lapuanjoki and Ähtävänjoki.

Kaskinen, a coastal town located in the southern part of the region, is the smallest town in Finland in terms of both area and population.^[4]

Name and symbols

Prior to the officialization of the names of the Finnish regions, Ostrobothnia was also known as Vasa kustregionen in Swedish and Vaasan rannikkoseutu in Finnish, both of which translate into "[the] coastal region of Vaasa". The Institute for the Languages of Finland recommended that the region be named Kustösterbotten in Swedish and Rannikko-Pohjanmaa in Finnish, meaning "coastal Ostrobothnia" in English. However, upon the confirmation of the names of the Finnish regions on 26 February 1998, the current name of the region was officialized instead, according to the wishes of the regional government. The central government cited the Swedish language's prevalence in the region, as well as the lack of a common consensus on an alternative name the reasons for its decision.^[5] In local circles or communities, Ostrobothnia is often referred to as "Pampas". The word derives from the similarities in the flat landscape with the Pampas area in South America.^[6]

The regional tree is the black alder (Alnus glutinosa), the regional mammal is the common elk (Alces alces), the regional stone is Vaasa granite and the regional song is "The march of Vaasa" (Swedish: Vasamarschen, Finnish: Vaasan marssi).

Coat of arms

Gules, a sheaf Or; on chief countercharged four ermines 2+2 courant.

The sprouting wheatsheaf is a symbol of the Royal House of Vasa; a Vasa king established the city of Vaasa, the capital of the region. The running stoats are a symbol of Ostrobothnia.

Municipalities

The region of Ostrobothnia consists of 14 municipalities, 6 of which have city status (marked in bold).

Map of municipalities

Vaasa

Jakobstad

Korsholm

Pedersöre

Närpes

Laihia

Nykarleby

Kristinestad

Kaskinen

Bothnian Bay

Kvarken

Bothnian Sea

Satakunta

South Ostrobothnia

Central Ostrobothnia

Municipalities

Over 30 000 inhabitants

Over 10 000 inhabitants

Over 3 000 inhabitants

< 3 000 inhabitants

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Cities and municipalities of Ostrobothnia.

Sub-regions

Vaasa sub-region

Jakobstad sub-region

Sydösterbotten

List of municipalities

Municipality	Population	Land area (km²)	Density (/km²)	Finnish speakers	Swedish speakers	Other speakers
Jakobstad	19,520	89	221	31 %	54 %	15 %
Kaskinen	1,246	11	117	57 %	27 %	13 %
Korsholm	19,739	849	23	28 %	68 %	3 %
Korsnäs	1,997	236	8	4 %	84 %	13 %
Kristinestad	6,143	683	9	41 %	53 %	7 %
Kronoby	6,345	713	9	19 %	76 %	5 %
Laihia	7,651	505	15	97 %	1 %	2 %
Larsmo	5,876	143	41	5 %	91 %	3 %
Malax	5,414	522	10	9 %	85 %	6 %
Närpes	9,574	978	10	5 %	74 %	21 %
Nykarleby	7,450	733	10	7 %	84 %	10 %
Pedersöre	11,206	794	14	8 %	89 %	4 %
Vaasa	70,382	365	193	63 %	23 %	12 %
Vörå	6,199	782	8	12 %	82 %	7 %
Total	178,742	7,403	24	40 %	50 %	10 %

Language numbers

Language numbers for Ostrobothnia from 1990 to 2020^[7]
Year	Swedish		Finnish		Russian		Other		Total
Year	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Total
1990	92,827	55.55%	73,648	44.07%	46	0.03%	587	0.35%	167,108
1995	92,372	54.69%	74,723	44.24%	190	0.11%	1,603	0.95%	168,888
2000	90,778	54.01%	74,780	44.49%	336	0.20%	2,182	1.30%	168,077
2005	90,083	53.44%	74,597	44.25%	436	0.26%	3,903	2.32%	168,583 Figures don't add
2010	90,375	52.25%	75,542	43.67%	650	0.38%	6,414	3.71%	172,981
2015	90,083	50.92%	76,156	43.05%	917	0.52%	9,738	5.50%	176,894
2020	89,085	50.67%	73,610	41.87%	975	0.55%	12,146	6.91%	175,816

Climate

Ostrobothnia is located in the borderlands between the humid continental and subarctic climates (Köppen Dfb/Dfc). Its winters are moderated by prevailing westerly winds from the mild North Atlantic Current travelling across Norway, Sweden and the Bay of Bothnia. Although the sea tends to easily freeze over in winter during prolonged spells of cold weather due to the low salinity, winters seldom get severely cold.

In general during latter decades, the southern Bothnia Bay coastlines of central Norrland in Sweden across the strait and Ostrobothnia mostly range from slightly above 20 °C (68 °F) average highs in summer to about −3 °C (27 °F) highs and −10 °C (14 °F) lows in winter. Due to the vastness of the region from north to south, this will vary by a bit from one place to another depending on latitude.

Precipitation is quite variable but is enough to build up a reliable snowpack all through the region during winter months. In summer, Ostrobothnia experiences perpetual civil twilight due to its high latitude with the sun angle never falling below -3° at summer solstice in Vaasa and -2° in Jakobstad.^[8]^[9] During that time of the year, daylight remains bright enough to permit daytime outdoor activities without artificial lighting especially under clear skies. As a result, days are short during winter although all areas of Ostrobothnia are far south of the Arctic Circle.