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"Many people wonder why Swedish is one of the official languages of Finland. The Finnish language is more understandable to a lot of people, but the Swedish language requires a little more explanation. \n\n\n\nSo how did this come to be?\n\n\n\nThat the Swedish language is one of the official languages of Finland is rooted in the historical period in which Finland was a part of Sweden. \n\n\n\nThough less than 10% of Finnish people speak Swedish today, the language was important in the country from the 16th century to the late 19th century.\n\n\n\nSwedish became one of the official languages of Finland in 1863. Before and after that time, it was considered more of a formal language, while Finnish was considered more common. \n\n\n\nSwedish may be used in courts and schools for example, but Finnish would be spoken in many homes and at many non-elite social gatherings.\n\n\n\nSwedish and Finnish have interesting histories in Finland and their current use has changed over the years. The article below provides interesting details on these facts.\n\n\n\nTraveling to Sweden doesn't have to be difficult. See Paying in Sweden: Can You Use Euro or Danish Krone? to learn more.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMost people in Finland Speak Finnish\n\n\n\nWhen people start to learn more about Finland, such as when they are preparing a trip to visit the Scandinavian nation, Finnish is understandably the first language to come to mind.\n\n\n\nFirst, the name of the language and the name of the country are practically identical.\n\n\n\nSecond, a person may even know that the majority of the Finnish population speaks Finnish. In fact, about 90-95% of people in Finland speak Finnish. [1]&nbsp;\n\n\n\nYet some may wonder: What about the rest of the country?\n\n\n\nApproximately 5% of the population of Finland speaks Swedish as their native language. Despite the small number, Swedish is equal with Finnish in terms of being a national language. \n\n\n\nHowever, practically, Swedish isn’t equal with Finnish because of its limited use.\n\n\n\nFinland Swedish\n\n\n\nThe Swedish spoken by residents of Finland is pronounced slightly differently than the Swedish spoken in Sweden. They also refer to Finland Swedish as Suomenruotsi.\n\n\n\nWhile the majority of the nation's population is familiar with the Swedish language, it is mostly spoken by those who live in the southern and western coast of Finland.\n\n\n\nThe four main regions where Swedish is spoken are:\n\n\n\n\nUusimaa\n\n\n\nAland Islands\n\n\n\nOstrobothnia\n\n\n\nSouthwest Finland\n\n\n\n\nEven though the pronunciation of the Swedish language varies between Finland and Sweden residents, for the most part they are still able to understand each other well enough to carry out a conversation. [2]\n\n\n\nA lot of native Swedish speakers consider Finland Swedish to be dialects of Swedish varieties.&nbsp;\n\n\n\nIt is not true that Finish Swedish is just Swedish spoken with a Finnish accent:\n\n\n\n\n“A common misconception among many Swedes is that Finland Swedish is simply Swedish spoken with a Finnish accent, something that can be a considerable source of frustration to most native Swedish-speakers in Finland.” [2]\n\n\n\n\nSweden celebrates many holidays. See Do They Celebrate Halloween in Sweden? to learn more.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Roots of Swedish in Finland\n\n\n\nBack in the 16th century Finland was a part of Sweden. Swedish was considered the main language taught in schools and used for jurisdiction and administration.\n\n\n\nHowever, most Finland citizens would speak Finnish in casual social situations. Swedish was considered a more formal language.\n\n\n\nIt wasn't until 1863 that both Finnish and Swedish became official languages of the country, both having an equal status.&nbsp;\n\n\n\nIn 1900 Helsinki, the capital of Finland, became a predominantly Finnish-speaking city. A few decades later in 1917, the country of Finland declared independence and Finnish started to take over as the country's main language spoken.&nbsp;\n\n\n\nThe government and society all began to use Finnish on a regular basis, making Swedish less common among everyday conversations.\n\n\n\nFor more than 100 years, Finland has been known as a bilingual country. The urbanization and Industrial Revolution of the 20th century have prompted more Finnish speakers in each city.&nbsp;\n\n\n\nAlthough Swedish still remains one of the official languages of Finland, it is less common to be the main language spoken.\n\n\n\nThe one exception to this is the province of Aland Islands. They have remained a mainly Swedish speaking community.&nbsp;\n\n\n\nThe Swedish they speak is more similar to the native Sweden spoken Swedish as opposed to the Swedish most citizens of Finland speak.&nbsp;\n\n\n\nSwedish on the Aland Islands\n\n\n\nThe Swedish language still remains an important part of Finland's heritage because it is the main language used in the province of Aland Island.\n\n\n\nThis island is the entrance to the Gulf of Bothnia in the Baltic Sea. It is the only single-language Swedish region of Finland. \n\n\n\nThis was a decision agreed upon in 1920 by the League of Nations.\n\n\n\nThe Aland Islands is the smallest region of Finland. It only makes up 0.51 % of the land and 0.54 % of the population.\n\n\n\nThere are thousands of islands making up Aland Islands, but only 60 of them are inhabited. \n\n\n\nThe most populated of the Aland Islands is Fasta Aland, which is located just 38 kilometers away from the coast of Sweden. \n\n\n\nAland Islands is largely exercised by its own government, separate from the provincial powers exercised among the rest of Finland.&nbsp;\n\n\n\nThis can be dated back to 1850, right after the Aland War there was a Paris Peace Treaty which formed the current neutral position of Aland Islands. [3]\n\n\n\nThinking about moving to Finland?\n\n\n\nFor anyone who is considering applying for immigration to Finland a certificate of sufficient proficiency of either Finnish or Swedish is necessary.&nbsp;\n\n\n\nSince Finland is so close to Sweden, this is why Swedish is an official language in Finland. It makes it easier for citizens of Sweden to do business or go to school in Finland.&nbsp;\n\n\n\nSwedish can be used with all government authorities and registrations. Anyone who does plan to apply for immigration to Finland with Swedish being their language of choice, it is important to choose a bilingual region of Finland.&nbsp;\n\n\n\nWhile the country has two official languages, each region is different. \n\n\n\nSome regions are monolingual and only speak Finnish, while others are bilingual and people can get around only speaking Swedish.\n\n\n\nWhile a Swedish speaking immigrant can make a life for themselves in the province of Aland Islands, if they intend to live elsewhere they should learn the language of Finnish.&nbsp;\n\n\n\nIt is difficult to find a job or make friends for people in Finland when they are not familiar with Finnish.\n\n\n\nGovernment business in Finland\n\n\n\nMost government offices in Finland offer Finnish-speaking services.\n\n\n\n\n\"Municipalities in Finland can be either monolingual or bilingual. \n\n\n\nMost of the municipalities in Finland are Finnish-speaking. \n\n\n\nThere are bilingual municipalities on the southern and western coasts. \n\n\n\nIf your municipality of residence is bilingual, you can also use Swedish with municipal services, such as the health centre.\" [2]\n\n\n\n\nSweden is known for some unique dishes. See Do Swedes Actually Like Surstromming? to learn more.\n\n\n\nThinking about learning Swedish?\n\n\n\nFor Finland natives, Swedish integration is always a good idea. It can improve their skills in the language in case they ever want to travel nearby to Sweden. \n\n\n\nIt will also come in handy for traveling to bilingual regions of Finland. \n\n\n\nWhile most jobs in Finland require a strong knowledge of Finnish, being bilingual increases their chances for finding better-paying jobs in Finland.\n\n\n\nSome regions in Finland offer Swedish language training to teach their natives the basics of the language. Many workplaces also offer additional Swedish language training if it is necessary for the positions.&nbsp;\n\n\n\nFinland offers numerous resources for Swedish language training, including educational institutes, language counselors, summer programs, and online training. \n\n\n\nThey offer courses, exercises, and games to help individuals get a better grasp of the language.\n\n\n\nThe counselors work to help students read, write, and speak Swedish. They help students get a better understanding of their grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation. This helps prepare them to have fluent conversations in Swedish.&nbsp;\n\n\n\nReferences\n\n\n\n[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finland_Swedish#History\n\n\n\n[2] https://www.infofinland.fi/en/living-in-finland/finnish-and-swedish/swedish-language-in-finland\n\n\n\n[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%85land_Islands"
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