The State Provincial Office on the Åland Islands has a somewhat different function than the other Provinces of Finland due to its autonomy. Generally a State Provincial Office is a joint regional authority of sevend different ministries of the Government of Finland. In Åland the State Provincial Office also represents a set of other authorities of the central government, which in mainland-Finland has separate bureaucracies. On the other hand duties, which on mainland-Finland are handled by the provincial offices, are transferred to the autonomous government of Åland.