Län

Län (Swedish, IPA: [ˈlɛːn] ^ⓘ), len (Danish, IPA: [leːn]), lääni (Finnish, IPA: [ˈlæːni]) and len (Norwegian, IPA: [leːn]) refer to the administrative divisions used in Sweden and previously in Denmark, Finland and Norway. The provinces of Finland were abolished on 1 January 2010. In Norway, the term was in use from 1308 and in Denmark from the beginning of the 13th century. As of 19 February 1662 the len of Denmark-Norway were converted into amt.

They are also sometimes used in other countries, especially as a translation of the Russian word volost. During the period when Finland was a part of the Russian Empire (1809–1917), when Russian was made an official language alongside Swedish, it was synonymous with the word guberniya.