Uusimaa (historical province)

Historical province of Uusimaa
(borders of the modern provinces,
i.e. regions with pink colour)

Uusimaa (Swedish: Nyland), is a historical province in the south of Finland. It borders to Finland Proper, Tavastia, Savonia, and Karelia. The English translation would be "new land". From the Middle Ages to 1809, most of the present-day Finland was a part of Kingdom of Sweden. Uusimaa (Nyland) was thus included also among the historical Swedish provinces.

Administration

For current affairs see: Southern Finland and Uusimaa

Uusimaa is confined within the boundaries of the administrative province of Southern Finland, and was until 1997 a province (lääni)

History

Uusimaa was, along with the rest of Southern and Western Finland, held by the Kingdom of Sweden from the 12th or 13th century. The coastal Uusimaa had earlier been semi-deserted, but was now populated by Swedish settlers. The Finnish provinces were ceded to Imperial Russia in the War of Finland in 1809. After this, Uusimaa became Uudenmaan lääni of the old lääni system. Today, it is divided in the regions of Uusimaa and Eastern Uusimaa.

Geography

Main article: Geography of Uusimaa

Culture

Main article: Culture of Uusimaa

Historically, the coastal Uusimaa is a Swedish-speaking area. However, the capital of Finland, Helsinki, and most of the other towns in Uusimaa have now a Finnish-speaking majority.

Heraldry

Arms granted at the burial of Gustav I of Sweden in 1560. The arms is crowned by a countal coronet, though by Finnish tradition this more resembles a Swedish baronal coronet. Blazon: "Azure, between two bars wavy argent, a boat with rudder, or."