Hamina (Swedish: Fredrikshamn) is one of Finland's most important harbours. The town was chartered in 1653 at the proposal of Count Peter Brahe, Governor-General of Finland. Its original name was Veckelax Nystad (Newtown of Veckelax), according to the surrounding countryside, but in 1720s the town was renamed after King Frederick I of Sweden, Landgrave of Hesse. The population of the main town is approximately 5,000. The municipality of Hamina includes the town and has a population of about 22,000 inhabitants in an area of 630.65 km². Hamina is unilingually Finnish speaking. The Treaty of Fredrikshamn (1809), by which Sweden ceded Finland, along with parts of the provinces of Laponia and Västerbotten and the Åland Islands, was signed in Hamina. Thus Sweden was split and the eastern half, along with previously conquered territories including Hamina (Old Finland), was formed into the Grand Duchy of Finland, an autonomous part of the Russian Empire.
