Provinces are regional administrative units of the State of Finland. In provinces Provincial State Offices act as general administrative authorities and have other separately stipulated duties. Provincial State Offices perform the regional administrative duties of seven ministries relating to the social, education, police, traffic and judicial administration.
By virtue of a Parliament decision, the number of provinces was reduced to six from 1 September 1997. The Act on Provincial State Offices (22/1997) issued in January 1997 prescribes on the division into provinces. According to the decision in principle (Government 6 Feb.1997) on harmonisation of State regional divisions, the division into regional councils is also used as the basis of the new provincial division.
