is Vaasa granite and the regional song is "The march of Vaasa" (, ). Coat of arms Gules, a sheaf Or; on chief countercharged four ermines 2+2 courant. The sprouting wheatsheaf is a symbol of the Royal House of Vasa; a Vasa king established the city of Vaasa, the capital of the region. The running stoats are a symbol of Ostrobothnia. Municipalities and languages The region of Ostrobothnia is made up of 14 municipalities, of which six have city status (marked in bold), and the links are only in the majority language names. The greater Vaasa region has about 40% Swedish native speakers and a Finnish majority, whereas the Jakobstad region has about 70% and the southern region about 57% Swedish speakers. The rural part of the Vaasa region has a sizeable Swedish-speaking majority, with the majority of native Finnish speakers in Ostrobothnia as a whole living in Vaasa city proper. Isokyrö is a former unilingually Finnish municipality of the region, but was transferred to South Ostrobothnia in 2021. Ostrobothnia is similar to German-speaking South Tyrol in Italy, in that the main language spoken in its capital is the majority language of the country, but the main language spoken in the region as a whole is a minority language. The main difference is that Swedish is an official language throughout Finland, but German is an official language only within South Tyrol. Former municipalities: The current Vörå is the result of consolidation of Maxmo and Oravais. Nykarleby has been merged with Jeppo, Munsala and Nykarleby landskommun. Korsholm has been consolidated from the five municipalities of Korsholm, , Replot, Björköby and Kvevlax. Vaasa has been merged with parts of Solf and Korsholm. Pedersöre has been merged with Esse and Purmo. Malax has been consolidated from the municipalities of Malax, Petalax, Bergö and the northern part of Pörtom. Närpes has been merged with Övermark and Pörtom. Kristinestad has been consolidated from Kristinestad, Tjöck, Lappfjärd and Sideby. Kronoby is consolidated from Kronoby, Nedervetil and Terjärv. Isokyrö is joined to the South Ostrobothnia region. Climate Ostrobothnia is located in the borderlands between the humid continental and subarctic climates (Köppen Dfb/Dfc). Its winters are moderated by prevailing westerly winds from the mild North Atlantic Current travelling across Norway, Sweden and the Bay of Bothnia. Although the sea tends to easily freeze over in winter during prolonged spells of cold weather due to the low salinity, winters