Finland is divided into 20 regions (maakunta in Finnish, landskap in Swedish). The regions are governed by regional councils, which serve as forums of cooperation for the municipalities of a region. The main tasks of the regions are regional planning and development of enterprise and education. Currently, the only region where a popular election is held for the council is Kainuu.
Regions represent dialectal, cultural and economic variations better than the provinces, which are purely administrative divisions of the central government.
