Aland Islands Capitals

Mariehamn is the largest city and capital of the Åland Islands. It houses the government and the parliament. Mariehamn is a town, but it is commonly referred to as a city because it is the largest town and the home of government. Mariehamn was founded in 1861 and named after Russian Empress Maria Alexandrovna. It is located on a peninsula between two harbors, one on the east and the other on the west. Although not as populated as other cities in Europe, Mariehamn is quickly becoming a popular harbor for vessels sailing to Estonia, Sweden, and Finland.

Mariehamn is home to around 11,500 people, representing approximately 40% of the island's population. Between 2000 and 2015, the population grew by 1,000 people. The city covers an area of 4.55 square miles. A majority of the people living in the city speak Swedish as their mother tongue.

About 1.5 million people visit Åland each year, a majority of whom are from Finland and Sweden. The capital city of Mariehamn is popular amongst travelers. One of the city’s main attractions is the museum ship, Pommern, which was built in 1903 in Glasgow, Scotland. Thanks to its small size, most of the city’s cultural delight shopping and dining facilities, and entertainment joints can be found within walking distance from each other as well as from the town center. The city has one of the sunniest and warmest beaches in northern Europe. Live music festivals are popular during the winter, and the bars and clubs are open all night long.

The city of Mariehamn experiences a humid continental climate with a maritime influence due to winds blowing from the Baltic Sea. It is characterized by severe winters and warm summers. There are no dry seasons on the island. The average annual temperature is about 5.4°C. During spring, the temperature can rise to 6.3°C during midday and drops to -1.3°C at night. During summer, the average temperature is 19.3°C during the day which drops to about 10.7°C at night. The annual precipitation averages 558 mm.