Oulu Province

The Province of Oulu (Finnish Oulu, swedish Uleåborgs län) was from 1775 to 2009 a province of Finland. It included the landscapes ( Maakunta ) Northern Ostrobothnia and Kainuu. The area was 61 602 square kilometers and its population was approximately 470,000 ( 2009). Administrative headquarters was the eponymous city of Oulu.

The Oulu province was still founded during Finland's membership in Sweden in 1775. After Finland was in 1809 became an autonomous Grand Duchy under Russian rule, the Finnish part of Lapland was incorporated into the province of Oulu. In order for the province of Oulu comprised well over half the land area of Finland. According to the Finnish independence was 1922, the area of Petsamo to do so. 1938, the province of Oulu reduced but again, when the northern part of the province of Oulu split off as Lapland. From the administrative reform in 1997, in which the number of provinces was cut in half from twelve to six, Oulu remained untouched, at the beginning of 2010, the provinces but were eventually canceled. The state administration of the territory is now exercised by the Regional State Administrative Agency ( aluehallintovirasto ) Northern Finland.

For the Province of Oulu is one of the northern part of the historic landscape Ostrobothnia. The coat of arms of the province is composed of the coat of arms of Ostrobothnia and Oulu.