Län

Län and Läänit are the Swedish and Finnish terms for the administrative divisions used in Sweden and Finland, and sometimes in other countries, especially as a translation of the Russian word oblast.

The word literally means fief, but the English language terms used are separate for the two countries, where Sweden has chosen to translate the term to "counties" while Finland has chosen "provinces". With a shared administrative tradition spanning centuries, ending only in 1809, this a separation by convention, rather than by distinction.

• Counties of Sweden - (Sveriges län)
• Provinces of Finland - (Finlands län/Suomen läänit)

The governor has the title Landshövding and he or she is the head of a Länsstyrelse, which translates into either a County Administrative Board or a State Provincial Office depending on the country.

Finland has two official languages and the equivalent terms in Finnish are Maaherra and Lääninhallitus.

See also: Letter Ä