group of Finn. islands at the entrance to the Gulf of Bothnia: 590 sq mi (1,528 sq km); pop. 25,000
See Ahvenanmaa in American Heritage Dictionary 4
An archipelago in the Baltic Sea at the entrance to the Gulf of Bothnia between Sweden and Finland. Colonized in the 12th century by Swedes, the islands were ceded to Russia in 1809 and became part of Finland after World War I.