Kvarken Archipelago

The Kvarken Archipelago is Finland's only natural World Heritage site, honoured because the land here is still rising out of the sea about a centimetre a year, a slow rebound after the weight of the ice age lifted. The result is a low, changing landscape of washboard moraine ridges, shallow bays and thousands of islands.

Background

The Finnish name, Merenkurkku, means "throat of the sea", and the strait is the narrow neck of the Gulf of Bothnia between the Bothnian Bay and the Bothnian Sea. The two mainlands lie around 80 kilometres apart, the outermost islands only 25 kilometres, and the water is around 25 metres deep. The Finnish archipelago includes Replot, Björkö and more than 5,600 smaller islands. Since the ice withdrew around 9,600 years ago the land has risen 285 meters, and within about 2,000 years the seafloor is expected to emerge and divide the gulf. In 2006 the area became an extension of Sweden's High Coast World Heritage Site. On Valassaaret stands a lighthouse 36 metres tall, built in 1885.

Source: Wikipedia, "Kvarken"

The landscape

• The rising land - the low moraine ridges and new land emerging from the sea.
• Bjorkoby and Svedjehamn - fishing villages and the Saltkaret lookout tower over the islands.
• Boat trips - excursions through the shallow maze of islets and channels.
• The Replot bridge - the long bridge out to the main archipelago island.

When to go

Summer for boat trips, walking and the fishing villages; autumn for colour and birds. The archipelago is a warm-season destination, quiet and gentle.

What to expect

The land uplift is a scientific marvel more than a dramatic view, so the appeal is the low, subtle island landscape and the story behind it. You need a car and ideally a boat trip to appreciate it. It is far off the usual tourist track, which keeps it peaceful.

Nearby

Vaasa city and its ferry to Sweden are close; the Ostrobothnian coast runs north and south.

Key facts