Sottunga
Sottunga is a municipality in the autonomous Finnish province (Finnish: Lääni ) Åland.
Sottunga with 101 inhabitants (as at 31 December 2012), the municipality in Finland, with the smallest population. As in Åland is Swedish is the official language, 94 percent of the population are Swedish-speaking.
Sottunga is composed of many islands, only three of which are inhabited. Normally one thinks with Sottunga the largest of the three islands. Despite the small size of the community has various service facilities: In the center there is a village shop, a bank and a post office and a primary school. Compared to the emergency department is even a helicopter landing pad.
In the community there is full employment, the unemployment rate was officially recognized in January 2007 with 0 percent.
In 2011, the financial situation of the municipality deteriorated so much that she had to ask at the Åland government for help. Before being elected to Lagting in October 2011 it was announced that the municipality would run out of money within two months, which at worst could lead to defaults towards employees and suppliers. The so-called " Sottungakrise " has even been compared to the Greek sovereign debt crisis from 2010. Although the church has no debt, but by their small size led the cost of care for four old people to the fact that the expenditure for these doubled and now 30 to 40 percent of the municipal budget account within a short time, while tax revenues declined .. The government now requires a five-year plan for the finances of the church.
Community name
It is believed that the community name from the words sotig and tunga comes, what about "dirty language " means and could point to the peculiar variant of the dialect of the island of Åland.
Traffic
Sottunga achieved with the archipelago ferries from Ålandstrafiken that runs all year round on the route from Långnäs (municipality Lumparland ) to Kökar and on to Galtby (municipality Korpo, Finland).
Attractions
Sottungas wooden church is located since 1661 in its current location. The present church was built after the fire of 1728. It is the smallest wooden church in Finland.
Islands
To the municipality includes the islands Finnö, Husö, Hästö Mosshaga and Storsottunga.