Names of places in Finland in Finnish and in Swedish

Finland has two official languages, Finnish and Swedish. Many places in the country have different names in Finnish and Swedish, both being official endonyms.

Two names for the same city on a Finnish road sign.

Regions

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English name (often the same as the Finnish name) Finnish name Swedish name
Central Finland Keski-Suomi Mellersta Finland
Central Ostrobothnia Keski-Pohjanmaa Mellersta Österbotten
Kainuu Kainuu Kajanaland
Kymenlaakso Kymenlaakso Kymmenedalen
Lapland Lappi Lappland
North Karelia Pohjois-Karjala Norra Karelen
North Ostrobothnia Pohjois-Pohjanmaa Norra Österbotten
Pohjois-Savo Pohjois-Savo Norra Savolax
Ostrobothnia Pohjanmaa Österbotten
Päijät-Häme Päijät-Häme Päijänne-Tavastland
Pirkanmaa Pirkanmaa Birkaland
Satakunta Satakunta Satakunta
South Karelia Etelä-Karjala Södra Karelen
South Ostrobothnia Etelä-Pohjanmaa Södra Österbotten
Etelä-Savo Etelä-Savo Södra Savolax
Southwest Finland Varsinais-Suomi Egentliga Finland
Kanta-Häme Kanta-Häme Egentliga Tavastland
Uusimaa Uusimaa Nyland
Åland[1] Ahvenanmaa Åland

Municipalities

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Some Finnish municipalities with endonyms in both Finnish and Swedish, the majority language of the municipality stands first:

Districts in cities and towns

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Helsinki

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Other towns and municipalities

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In addition to Helsinki other bilingual towns and municipalities in Finland often have bilingual names for districts, villages, and places in nature, such as lakes and rivers. Some examples are:

  • Finnish Lohjanjärvi / Swedish Lojo sjö (Lake in Uusimaa)
  • Finnish Kymijoki / Swedish Kymmene älv (River in Kymenlaakso)
  • Finnish Lauttaranta / Swedish Färjstranden (Suburb in Turku)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Do note status as only autonomous region: Åland will officially only accept Swedish language.