Åland is not an independent country. It is an autonomous and demilitarized region of Finland. Located in the Baltic Sea, between Sweden and the mainland of Finland, Åland comprises a group of islands with Swedish as its official language. Åland does have its own flag  and its own parliament, the Lagting, but it is not a separate nation-state. The people of Åland are Finnish citizens. As part of Finland, Åland is also part of the European Union.