  thumb|240px|one unofficial flag of Ãland thumb|240px|another unofficial flag of Ãland  (english: island land) is the second largest swedish island and the smallest of the traditional provinces of sweden. Ãland has an area of 1,342&nbsp;kmÂ² and is located in the baltic sea just off the coast of smÃ¥land. the island has 25,000 inhabitants. it is separated from the mainland by the kalmar strait and connected to it by the 6&nbsp;km Ãland bridge, which opened on 30 september in 1972. ==administration== the traditional provinces of sweden no longer serve administrative or political purposes but still exist as historical and cultural entities. Ãland is part of the administrative county of kalmar county (kalmar lÃ¤n) and consists of the two municipalities of borgholm municipality and mÃ¶rbylÃ¥nga municipality. there was an Ãland county in the short period between 1819 and 1826; otherwise, the island has been part of kalmar county since 1634. ==heraldry==  Ãland was granted provincial arms in 1560, but it would not be until the 1940s that the province was assigned its proper ones. the arms granted to Ãland had been mixed up with the arms granted to Ãland and this was not discovered until the 20th century. while Ãland changed its coat of arms, Ãland, which was now a finnish (autonomous) province, kept its established 
Geography_of_Kalmar_County Islands_of_Sweden Provinces_of_Sweden Aland