The Finnish Archipelago and coastline regions by kristoffer donner

T HE FIN NISH ARCH I P E L A G O A ND COASTLINE REGIONS

KRISTOFFER DONNER

T HE FIN NISH ARCH I P E L A G O A ND COASTLINE REGIONS

Thank you A big thank you to my beloved fiancĂŠ, who has taken care of ever ything at ho me when I have traveled through the Archipelago with my camera. A warm thank you also to ever yone that have contributed to make this book possible.

T HE FIN NISH ARCH I P E L A G O A ND COASTLINE REGIONS

DESIGN KRISTOFFER DONNER

CONTENTS

Introduction

Geogarphy and geology

Winter

Spring

Summer

Introduction The Finnish Archipelago (Swedish skärgården, Finnish s a a r i s t o ) i s a p a r t of the Baltic Sea. The archipelago and costline regions a r e d i v i d e d i n t o tree seas, the Gulf of Bothnia between Finland and Sw e d e n i n t h e n o r t h , the Gulf of Finland between Finland, Estonia and Russia i n t h e E a s t a n d the Archipelago Sea. The archipelago stretches along t h e e n t i r e c o s t o f Finland. The main Archipelago and Archipelago Sea

T h e l a r g e r i s l a n d s t h a t are inhabited all year are

is situated between Hangö (Hankoo), Nystad

c o n n e c t e d b y f e r r i e s a nd bridges.

( U u s i k a u p u n k i ) a n d M a r i eh a m n ( M a r i a n h a m i n a ) . B y

T h e Å l a n d i s l a n d s , i n c l uding the largest islands

some definitions it is the largest Archipelago in

a r o u n d t h e m a i n i s l a n d of Åland, form an

the world by the number of islands. Although, the

a u t o n o m o u s r e g i o n w i t hin Finland. The rest of the

islands are small and tightly clustered.

i s l a n d s a r e a p a r t o f F inland Proper.

Outside Esbo, an early morning in spring. There is a lot of moister in the air over land. On the left you can see a large cruise ship in the distance heading for Sweden.

Geography and geology The archipelago region covers a triangular area with th e c i t i e s o f Mariehamn, Nystad and Hangö at the corners. From N y s t a d t h e coastline stretches nor thwards and from Hangö the co a s t l i n e s t r e t c h e s eastwards to Russia. These regions are not included in t h e A r c h i p e l a g o but are still clustered with large and small islands.

The archipelago area can be divided into inner and

S h o r t l y a f t e r t h e l a s t i ce age the islands star ted

outer archipelago, with the outer consisting mainly

t o e m e r g e f r o m t h e s ea. Due to the post-glacial

o f s m a l l e r, u n i n h a b i t e d i sl a n d s .

r e b o u n d t h e p r o c e s s i s still going on. The current r e b o u n d r a t e i s b e t w e en 4 and 10 millimeters.

The Archipelago and coastline regions are

B e c a u s e t h e i s l a n d a r e made of granite and gneiss

clustered with islands. The exact number depends

w i t c h a r e t w o v e r y h a r d type of rocks, the erosion

o n t h e d e f i n i t i o n o f t h e te r m “ i s l a n d ” , a s t h e s i z e

i s s l o w e r t h a n r e b o u n d.

of the patches of dry land in the area varies from small rocks peeking out of the water to large

I n t h e A r c h i p e l a g o a n d coastline regions the sea

islands with several villages or even a town. If

a r e a i s s h a l l o w, w i t h a mean depth of 23 meters in

an island is defind as a landmass over 100 m2

the Archipelago area.

s u r r o u n d e d b y w a t e r, t h en t h e r e a r e a b o u t 8 1 . 0 0 0 of them of the coast of Finland.

WINTER IN THE FINNISH ARCHIPELAGO

Ice covered bays and straits Although colours in the archipelago during winter are mostly grayish, it is also possible to experience magnificent and loud colours. One of these moments is when the sun sets. A beautiful display of colour in the cold winter afternoon. W i n t e r i n t h e a r c h i p e l a g o i s c o l d a n d l o w n l e y, w i t h

Te m p e r a t u r e s c a n d r o p to minus 25 Celsius.

j u s t a f e w h o u r s o f l i g h t e v e r y d a y. I t i s a b a r e

D u r i n g r e a l l y c o l d p e r i ods it can get even colder.

climate. The only inhabitants are those few who live there.

T h e f r e e z i n g n o r m a l l y begin in November with t h e B a y o f B o t h n i a a n d the Gulf of Finland of f St.

When winter arrives to the archipelago the water

P e t e r s b u r g f r e e z i n g f i r st, after that the freezing

in all the small bays, creeks and straits between

s p r e a d s d e p e n d i n g o n if it is a cold or warm

the islands freeze to ice. The ice becomes quite

w i n t e r.

thick during cold winters and can hold a car or a s n o w m o b i l e q u i t e e a s i l y, b u t t h e i c e c a n b e r e a l l y weak in some places. Between islands current is common and current makes the ice weak.

D I D Y O U K N O W T H AT

above Korssundet Ingå a fishing boat left standing in the ice at the pier.

• I n 1 9 4 4 - 5 6 t h e a r e a of porkala was o c c u p i e d b y S o v i e t f o r ces. This was one o f t h e t h i n g s t h a t t h e Soviet gover nment d e m a n d e d d u r i n g t h e peace talks in Moscow a f t e r Wo r l d Wa r I I .

left Bar ösund Ingå is a densely populated place, specially during summer when the city people arrive to spend time at their summer houses.

• T h e s i z e o f t h e a r e a was 380.5 squar e k i l o m e t e r s , 1 0 . 0 0 0 p eople lost their homes. • P o r k a l a w a s r e t u r n ed to Finland in 1956.

Outside Helsingfors a d m i r i n g a l o u d a n d v e r y beautiful sunset. The t e m p e r a t u r e i s b e l o w m i n u s 20 Celsius. The ice i s c r e a k i n g a n d w a t e r i s spur ting up near the b u o y, t h i s i s d u e t o a b i g container ship movin g i n t o h a r b o r c l o s e b y.

D I D Y O U K N O W T H AT • In winter the ice can get thick enough for a car to drive on it.

above Emsalö, two swans are flying around looking fore open water where they can land. above left Bar ösund ingå, in places like ferr y crossings where there is current all the time the water stays open all winter. left Emsalö, a small rocky island surrounded by newly frozen ice.

Eken채 s , t h e r e a r e a l w a y s p l a c e s i n t h e archip e l a g o w h e r e t h e w a t e r d o e s n o t f r e e ze at all. I t i s d u e t o c u r r e n t o r a s i n t h i s c a s e, a ferr y c r o s s i n g .

Kemin k r a a s e l i l i g h t h o u s e o u t s i d e K e m i , a beauti f u l d i s p l a y of c o l o u r i n t h e d a r k e s t t i me of win t e r i n t h e o u t e r a r c h i p e l a g o .

Sunset outside Helsingfors City, a beautiful display of colour. The outside temperature is minus 20 degreas celcius and the snow is making a creaking sound under my feet.

far left Porkala, the i c e h a v e b e e n p u s h e d u p o n the ro cks by winds a n d w a v e s f r o m t h e s o u t h . left Ber dviken Helsin g f o r s , a l o n e l y s k i e r h a s ma d e this fr esh tracks in t h e n e w l y f a l l e n s n o w. right Hangö, a close u p o f o n e t y p e o f g r a n i t e . Granit e is the most c o m m o n r o c k i n t h e archipelago.

????? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

D I D Y O U K N O W T H AT • In 1940-41 the a r e a o f H a n g ö w a s o c c u p i e d b y Soviet for ces.

• The size of the ar e a w a s 1 1 5 s q u a r e kilometers and inclu d e d 4 0 0 i s l a n d s .

• Soviet for ces wer e t h r o w n o u t i n 1 9 4 1 b y

Finnish for ces when Wo r l d Wa r I I b o r o u g h o u t . ????????????????

O u t s i d e E m salรถ a cold winter day. There is a s t r o n g b r e e ze from the south, the ice is moving t o w a r d s l a n d and the sun is tr ying to break thru the clouds.

D I D Y O U K N O W T H AT • In 1940-41 the a r e a o f H a n g ö w a s o c c u p i e d b y Soviet for ces.

• The size of the ar e a w a s 1 1 5 s q u a r e kilometers and inclu d e d 4 0 0 i s l a n d s .

• Soviet for ces wer e t h r o w n o u t i n 1 9 4 1 b y

Finnish for ces when Wo r l d Wa r I I b o r o u g h o u t .

SPRING IN THE FINNISH ARCHIPELAGO

The Archipelago is coming to life again Spring is a beautiful time of year in the archipelago. The ice and snow is melting reviling cliffs and rocky shores after a long winter of hiding. Birds are arriving back from the south. Reviling

n e e d o f t h e g r o w i n g i n habitants. Ever ybody is

there presents with loud singing. Everything

e n j o y i n g t h e i n c r e a s i n g light and looking for ward to

s p r i n g s t o l i f e a g a i n . B o at s , b i g a n d s m a l l a r e

t h e w a r m a n d s u n n y s ummer.

m a d e r e a d y f o r t h e s u m m e r. P e o p l e f r o m t h e c i t i e s arrive to spend weekends in their summer houses. Petrol stations and food markets open to fill the

D I D Y O U K N O W T H AT

above a slice from a pine tree, the coastline regions and the archipelago are full of pine trees.

• The mean depth of the archipelago is only 23 meters.

left Tvär minne Hangö is a beautiful area with long sand beaches, lagoons and big shallow areas per fect for windsur fing.

Somm ar รถ Esbo. The i n n e r a r c h i p e l a g o a n d coastline regions sti l l h a v e a t h i n c o v e r o f i c e , b u t it is melting rapidly.

O u t s i d e H e l s ingfors a beautiful spring morning, t h e s u n i s s hining and the nature is coming to life b e t w e e n r o c ks and skerries.

Porkkala. The sun is s e t t i n g i n t h e w e s t a n d i t i s getting colder. The ic e h a s j u s t g o n e o u t t o s e e and the water tempe r a t u r e w i c h i s j u s t 4 d e g r e e s celcius makes the ai r f e e l c o l d i n t h e e v n i n g .

D I D Y O U K N O W T H AT • The Finnish Archipelago consists of about 81.000 islands.

above outer ar chipelago outside Ekenäs, two seabirds are sitting on the rocks enjoying the morning sun. left outside Ingå, a red buoy that guides the seafarer along the right route.

D I D Y O U K N O W T H AT â&#x20AC;˘ The Finnish Archipelago and the Swedish archipelago are the only two brackish water archipelagos in the world.

left outer ar chipelago near EkenĂ¤s, a red boat house on the protected side of the small island. The red boat house gives colour to the landscape.

In the outer ar chipelago south of Bar รถsund, a bright and sunny morning. The sea galls are flying around, even they seem to happily welcome spring. The islands around and fur ther south are only small and rocky islands that have little or now vegetation.

SUMMER IN THE FINNISH ARCHIPELAGO

Light summer nights Summer is a wonderful time of year in the archipelago. Bright summer nights, sauna bathing and fishing are just a few of the w o n d e r f u l t h i n g s y o u c a n e n j o y. T h e r e a r e a l o t o f s h a l l o w w a t e r beaches with perfect bathing spots. The summer in the archipelago is normally quite

A m o n g t h e 8 1 . 0 0 0 i s l ands of f the coast of Finland

d r y a n d s u n n y. A l t h o u g h , t e m p e r a t u r e s a r e m o r e

t h e r e a r e l o t s o f s m a l l harbors that you can only

h u m a n e o u t i n t h e a r c h i pe l a g o t h a n o n t h e m a i n

v i s i t b y b o a t . I f y o u d o not have a boat of your own,

land. This is because of the constant wind and

r e a c h i n g t h e a r c h i p e l a go is still easy. There are

the water temperature that seldom rises over 20

f e r r i e s c o n e c t i n g m a n y large islands with Finland

degrees Celsius.

P r o p e r. I t i s a c t u a l l y p ossible to travel by car from F i n l a n d P r o p e r t o Ă&#x2026; l a n d with small ferries that

During summer there is a large number of sailing boats and motor boats cruising around in the archipelago enjoying the sunny days with a light seabreeze, the warm and light summer nights.

s h u t t l e b e t w e e n i s l a n d s.

D I D Y O U K N O W T H AT

above Åbo, two swans are fighting fore the chance to mate a cloudy summer evening.

• In summer the temperature of the seawater can rise to above 20 degrees Celsius. (above 68 degrees Fahrenheit.)

left Emsalö, a lonely sur fer is out making the best out of the decreasing wind.

D I D Y O U K N O W T H AT • Barösund is a beautiful strait about 5 km long. • As early as 1930 it was believed that Barösund would become a popular summer house area, and it turned out to become just that.

above Åland, a swan photographed from a motorboat outside Mariehamn. above left. A close up of a beautiful flower where a bee is feeding on it´s sweet nectar. right Bar ösund. A summer morning when the fog is rolling in from the west.

N y h a m n Ă&#x2026; l a n d, these wind generators standing on t h e r o c k y s h o res of clif fs of Nyhamn. They make a p e r f e c t l a n d mark for seafarers approaching Ă&#x2026;land f r o m t h e w e s t or southwest.

D I D Y O U K N O W T H AT • Han gö point is the m o s t s o u t h e r n p o i n t o f t h e Finnish mainland. • The lighthouse of B e n g t s k ä r i s a l s o c a l l e d T h e eye of Hangö. • The lighthouse is a l s o t h e h i g h e s t l i g h t h o u s e i n Scand inavia.

a b o v e l e f t B e n g t s k ä r outside Hangö point. B e n g t s k ä r i s a r o c k y little island with a big l i g h t h o u s e . I t i s s i t u ated 25 kilometers outside H a n g ö p o i n t . T h i s l i g hthouse have guided big and s m a l l s h i p s i n t o H a ngö point safely since 1906. It t o w e r s a a s t o n i s h i n g of 52 meters above the sea. ( T h e l i g h t h o u s e c a n be seen on the previous page.) a b o v e B e n g t s k ä r, v i ew from a window in the lighthouse. r i g h t B a r ö s u n d. V i e w of a narrow straight on the w a y t o t h e o u t e r a r c hipelago. A bird is enjoying the w a r m s u m m e r b r e e z e.

E m s a l Ăś B o r g ĂĽ, the sea breeze has gone home f o r e t h e d a y and the sun is soon setting, it is a b e a u t i f u l s c e ne.

D I D Y O U K N O W T H AT • The Åland Islands a r e g o v e r n e d a c c o r d i n g t o the Act on Åland Au t o n o m y a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l tr eaties, which guar a n t e e s a u t o n o m y a n d demilitarized status . • The flag of Åland i s b l u e w i t h a y e l l o w / r ed cr oss. Åland als o h a s i t s o w n s t a m p s , licence plats and a o w n g o v e r n m e n t c a l l e d “Landskapsr egering ” . • Ther e ar e 27,500 p e r s . l i v i n g i n Å l a n d . 1 1 , 0 0 0 live in the only town i n Å l a n d , M a r i e h a m n .

a b o v e f a r u p p e r l e f t Gullkr ona, it is a idyllic small i s l a n d i n t h e o u t e r a r chipelago, it is well sheltered f o r m s t o r m s a n d y o u can buy fresh fish ever y m o r n i n g s t r a i g h t f r o m the sea. a b o v e ( 3 i m a g e s a r o und Gullkr ona) Åland, t h e m a i n i s l a n d o f Å l a nd and the surrounding a r c h i p e l a g o i s m a g n i f i cent, the people of Åland are w e l c o m i n g a n d f r i e n d l y. a b o v e K a l a j o k i , a w o oden plank path from the w a t e r l i n e o v e r t h e b eaches and sand dunes to h o t e l s a n d c a r p a r k i n g.

E m s a l รถ a b e a utiful place at the southern point of E m s a l รถ i s l a n d outside Borgรฅ east of Helsingfors. T h e r e i s j u s t a few small and rocky island to the s o u t h . D u r i n g autumn storms you can really feel t h e f o r c e o f n ature along this rocky shore.

Emsalรถ Bor gรฅ a bea u t i f u l s u m m e r m o r n i n g , t h e wind is light and the s u n i s w a r m o n t h e s k i n . I t i s a per fect morning.

B a r Ăś s u n d I n g ĂĽ, a beautiful narrow straight in the i n n e r a r c h i p e lago. Seafarers traveling along the c o a s t c a n t a k e cover from stormy sea by traveling t h o u g h t h i s d ensely populated summer house area.

THE FINNISH A R C H I P E L A G O A N D C O A S T L I N E R E G I O N S The Finnish Archipelago and coastline regions. W i t h m a g n i f i c e n t surroundings, unique and diverse environment, beautif u l s u n s e t s a n d v i e w s that can make anyone loose their breath. Nice and we l c o m i n g p e o p l e a n d a unique and magnificent nature in one of the worlds la r g e s t A r c h i p e l a g o s . â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Finnish Archipelago and coastline regionsâ&#x20AC;? tak e y o u o n a b r e a t h taking picture odyssey through the Archipelago, from w i n t e r t o s u m m e r.