Further information can be obtained from Mr Staffan Martikainen preferably by e-mail . Those admitted to the course will be notified before 15 June. Swedish-speaking people have lived in land since circa 500 A.D., and on the Finnish mainland at least since the 12th century. For 650 years Finland constituted part of the kingdom of Sweden, with the same rights as the provinces in Sweden proper. Swedish is also important in Finland as a language used in contacts between Finns and their Scandinavian neighbours.
Today there is relatively little friction between the language groups.
The land Islands are a unilingual Swedish-speaking region. The way Finland has solved the question of the Swedish-speaking minority is often set as an example for dealing with minority rights internationally. There are good opportunities here for fishing, cycling, rambling and other outdoor life. The only town, Mariehamn is situated on the main island, where you can also find rocky hills, vast pine forests and villages with traditional red wooden cottages. Today it has a population of 25,000.