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75-528: The park encompasses most of the Archipelago Sea region east of Åland and south of the main islands of Korpo , Nagu , Pargas , and Kimitoön . The park is mainly situated in the (former) municipalities of Nagu, Korpo, Houtskär , Iniö , Hitis , and southern Pargas. The Archipelago Sea Biosphere reserve consists of the national park's cooperative area and the rest of the islands in the Åboland archipelago only accessible by boat or ferry. One of

150-492: A border stone can be found in the street Västerlånggatan in Stockholm Old Town ( Gamla stan ). Since 1634, Sweden has been divided into counties instead of provinces (see Län ). Although Svealand is defined in terms of the historical provinces and not the counties, it roughly comprises the modern counties of Dalarna , Örebro , Södermanland , Stockholm , Uppsala , Värmland and Västmanland . Svealand

225-422: A few tens of meters in diameter. Many plants have altered phenotypes due to the environment. For example, junipers on small islands grow only to a height less than 0.5 metres (1.6 feet), but can cover several square meters. In contrast to the terrestrial and coastal ecosystems of the islands, the sea itself has a relatively low biodiversity . The reason for this is the brackish nature of the water. The salinity

300-431: A haven for seabirds . Species include mute swan , black guillemot , great crested grebe and numerous species of gulls . Recently great cormorants have spread to the archipelago and their numbers are increasing. This not necessarily viewed as a good thing by nature lovers, since great cormorants live in dense colonies which will eventually poison surrounding plant life by their excrement . The greatest threat to

375-569: A moderate continental climate with a gradual decline of precipitation and increase of temperatures moving eastwards as the elevation descends. Stockholm , the capital and largest city in Sweden, is Svealand's primate city and historical urban centre. The other administrative capitals are Falun , Karlstad , Nyköping , Uppsala , Västerås and Örebro . The older name of Sweden in Swedish , Svea rike (modern spelling: Sverige ) Realm of

450-466: A radically different environment. Smaller islands are devoid of trees, but still harbour a rich plantlife. The environment is sunny, has a relatively long growing season and is fertilised by guano . On the other hand, nearly constant wind and thin or non-existent soil limit plant growth. The very low salinity of the Baltic Sea makes splashes of seawater more benign for plant life. While most of

525-613: A warmer climate at the time. Due to post-glacial rebound , the habitable islands in the Archipelago Sea have slowly risen over time. The ground still rises in the Archipelago Sea at a rate of approximately 3–4.2 mm (0.12–0.17 in) per year. During the Neolithic period and the Bronze Age, the archipelago's outermost islets were located around the present-day main islands of Nagu , Korpo , and Houtskär . Meanwhile,

600-514: Is a significant tourist destination. The Guardian ' s journalist Tristan Parker wrote an article praising the Turku Archipelago on July 29, 2021, mentioning that "nowhere has the gentle magic of the smaller islands – or their wildlife." The Archipelago Sea covers a roughly triangular area with the cities of Mariehamn , Uusikaupunki , and Hanko at the corners. The archipelago can be divided into inner and outer archipelagos, with

675-471: Is approximately 125 km (78 mi). The ring road is usually traveled by car or by bicycle. Most of the ferries along the road are free, but ferries between Houtskär and Iniö charge a small fee. It is possible to cover the Ring Road in one day by car, but usually travellers spend at least one night along the way. Approximately 20 000 tourist travel the Ring Road every year. The main tourist season

750-509: Is autonomous and demilitarized. It has its own regional parliament and has Swedish as its sole official language. The regional parliament has power over wide-ranging matters, including health services, education, environment, and postal services. Monetary and foreign policy are handled by the Parliament of Finland . The president of Finland has, in theory, right to veto the laws passed by the Åland regional parliament. The eastern part of

825-486: Is between 4 and 10 millimetres (¼" to ½") a year. Because the islands are made of mainly granite and gneiss , two very hard types of rock , erosion is significantly slower than rebound. However, due to its southern location, the effect of postglacial rebound is smaller than – for example – in Kvarken (Finnish: Merenkurkku ) further north. The sea area is shallow, with a mean depth of 23 metres (75 ft). Most of

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900-525: Is from June to August. The principal tourist attraction is scenery and nature along the way, but significant sights also include the Louhisaari manor and several medieval churches. The culture of the archipelago resembles that of the Swedish-speaking coastal areas of Finland. Many features of typically Finnish culture, such as the popularity of sauna , have become ingrained in the culture of

975-649: Is made hazardous by the labyrinthine archipelago, varying depth and numerous skerries . For this reason the islands are dotted with lighthouses of varying sizes and navigational marks. Maritime pilot services are maintained by the state. The most inhabited islands in the eastern archipelago in Southwest Finland are connected by the Archipelago Ring Road. There are approximately 160 to 190 kilometres (99–118 miles) of public roads and 30 to 50 kilometres (19–31 miles) of waterways along

1050-588: Is only 0.6% in the Archipelago. The salinity has also varied greatly during the past, making it difficult for species to adapt. However, the great number of individuals indicates a favourable environment. Typical fish species are the Baltic herring, pike, white-fish, perch and flounder. The area is home to many species which are not found elsewhere in Finland. Harbour porpoise is one example of such species. It

1125-686: Is probably a good estimate. In comparison, the number of islands in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago is 36,563. Indonesia has 17,508 islands, according to the Indonesian Naval Hydro-Oceanographic Office. The Philippines has 7,107 islands. The islands began emerging from the sea shortly after the last ice age . Due to the post-glacial rebound the process is still going on, with new skerries and islands being slowly created and old ones enlarged or merged. The current rate of rebound

1200-469: Is the historical core region of Sweden . It is located in south-central Sweden and is one of the three historical lands of Sweden , bounded to the north by Norrland and to the south by Götaland . Deep forests, Tiveden , Tylöskog , and Kolmården , separated Svealand from Götaland. Historically, its inhabitants were called Svear , from which is derived the English ' Swedes '. Svealand consists of

1275-493: Is the only cetacean which is regularly sighted in the northern part of the Baltic Sea. The current population in the entire Baltic is estimated at 600 individuals, down from estimated 10 to 20 thousand a century ago. Another example is white-tailed eagle , which has a significant breeding population in the Archipelago Sea. Rare or endangered bird and mammal species found in the archipelago also include Caspian tern , greater scaup , grey seal and ringed seal . The islands are

1350-559: The Early Middle Ages , the modern province of Gästrikland was part of Tiundaland , one of the three constituent parts of the modern province of Uppland , and therefore counted as a part of Svealand. For a time in the early 19th century, the province of Värmland belonged to the Court of Appeal for Svealand. Even though Värmland historically belonged to Götaland (from 1815 until a new court, Court of Appeal for Western Sweden ,

1425-504: The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland , and this proportion is even higher in the archipelago, as the area doesn't have an orthodox or catholic parish. The culinary culture of the archipelago resembles continental Finnish cuisine . Naturally, there is a greater emphasis on fish, particularly baltic herring , salmon and rainbow trout . The island are also famous for traditional dark bread distinguished by

1500-686: The Scandinavian Mountains . Two large rivers run through Svealand. Klarälven originates in Norway and enters lake Vänern through Värmland, whereas Dalälven runs from Dalarna through the lake of Siljan . The other major river basins in Svealand are Norrström that runs up in Bergslagen through lakes Hjälmaren and Mälaren , along with Nyköpingsån that covers the post-glacial lake district of Södermanland. Svealand generally has

1575-534: The Swedes , "Swea Region", originally only referred to Svealand. Other forms are Sweoðeod ( Old Norse / Icelandic Svíþjóð ), and Sweorice . As the domains of the Swedish kings grew, the name Svealand began to be used to separate the original territory from the new. Svealand is made up of the following six provinces : Stockholm , the Swedish capital, is located in both Uppland and Södermanland , and

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1650-538: The War of Finland broke out between Sweden and Russia . In April Russian troops occupied the archipelago, including Åland. Soon after the local residents, enraged by the confiscation of ships, rebelled. Aided by troops from Sweden the archipelago was cleared from Russian troops in May. The Swedish troops then used the islands as a staging area for the recapture of continental Finland. The archipelago remained in Swedish control until

1725-494: The demographics in the archipelago is the number of twins . The tendency for non-identical twin births is partly hereditary , and the necessary genes are prevalent in the archipelago. In the 18th and 19th centuries the proportion of twin births was greater than anywhere in Europe, and enormously higher than in continental Finland . The reason for this was fishing. Fish is an excellent source of protein and unsaturated fat . It

1800-422: The largest archipelago in the world by the number of islands , estimated at around 50,000, although many of the islands are very small and tightly clustered. The larger islands are inhabited and connected by ferries and bridges. Åland , including the largest islands of the region, forms an autonomous region within Finland. The rest of the islands are part of the region of Southwest Finland . The Archipelago Sea

1875-585: The Åland crisis . The League of Nations was called in to resolve the situation, and in 1921 the League granted the sovereignty of the entire archipelago to Finland, despite the objections of the majority of Ålanders. However, Åland was given a wide autonomy, and its demilitarised status was reaffirmed. In 1939 the Soviet Union attacked Finland in the Winter War . At the end of the war in 1940 Finland

1950-443: The 20th century the population went into decline again, especially on smaller islands, due to rapid urbanization. Many smaller islands became completely uninhabited. During the recent decades increasing number of summer residences in the archipelago have revitalized some areas. Many Finns have summer residences on the islands in the area, known for its natural beauty. Due to this the population of many islands can double or more during

2025-482: The Baltic Sea region in the Middle Ages, would have lit stray fires in the Archipelago Sea, which would have lured other ships to shore, looted the booty and possibly killed the ship's crew. This is apparently just a later story tradition. According to the same tradition, the pirates were also joined by young adventurous men from coastal villages who did not see a future for themselves in their home region. In 1808

2100-461: The Finnish cities of Turku and Helsinki to Åland and Sweden. During cold winters official ice roads are established between some islands. It is also common to drive on ice to islands lacking official ice roads. This greatly eases transportation, as it makes it possible to simply drive a car (or even a heavy van if ice is very thick, usually every few years) from the continent to the islands. On

2175-560: The Iron Age. The archipelago has many characteristic relics—dating from the end of the Iron Age until the 18th and 19th century—which are protected by the Antiquities Act. One of the most significant types of relics are burial mounds. About 40 burial mounds, called cairns , have been found throughout the cooperation area of Archipelago National Park. These are constructed from small, low heaps of stones. Most, if not all, date from

2250-470: The Iron Age. The diameter of some low cairns is a few metres, but some are tens of metres long and a couple of metres high. The Finnish folk-name for these cairns translates literally as “Devil’s sauna stove”. In the beginning of the Bronze Age, barrows were used to entomb dead bodies, sometimes with jewelry or weapons; later, cremation became customary. Most barrows were originally built on larger islands, which have since expanded due to land uplift. Often,

2325-419: The Ring Road. The city of Turku is usually considered the starting point of the road. The route goes through following municipalities, villages, islands and island groups: There is also a shorter version of the route, the so-called "Small Ring Road", which utilizes a ferry connection between Rymättylä (part of Naantali ) and Nagu , skipping numbers 4–11 in the list above. The length of the "Small Ring Road"

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2400-490: The archipelago and the adjacent coastal area. The islands occupy a strategic position, guarding the approaches to Stockholm, Turku and the entire Gulf of Bothnia. Therefore, they were fortified by the Swedish empire during the Middle Ages. A royal postal route used to go via the northern islands in the 16th and 17th century. According to legend, the notorious pirates known as the Victual Brothers , who terrorized

2475-533: The archipelago are protected from human activity by their sheer inaccessibility. The southern part of the Archipelago Sea belong to the cooperation area of the Archipelago National Park and there are many small nature conservation areas, where landing is prohibited in spring and summer. The islands began rising from the water 10,000 years ago. At that stage the Danish straits were closed and

2550-513: The archipelago increased until the mid-16th century, after which it started to decline rapidly due to insufficient natural resources. Further decline occurred in the early 18th century due to the Great Northern War and the bubonic plague . In the mid-19th century, technical development in fishing methods (such as hook and drift nets) made it possible for people to live outside traditional villages, leading to fast population growth. In

2625-543: The archipelago is defended by the Archipelago Sea Naval Command , which has its main base in Turku . The defence is based largely on naval mines and coastal artillery . Both are effective in the archipelago, where the dense clusters of islands severely limit the manoeuvrability of invading vessels. The autonomous region of Åland is demilitarised. The Finnish Defence Forces are not allowed to enter

2700-423: The archipelago, possibly dating back to the Iron Age. Sailing in the Baltic Sea region began at least by the Bronze Age. The southwestern archipelago became a part of the northern Baltic Sea region cultures, which had common means of livelihood, use of metals, and burial customs. Trade, handicraft, and navigation were also practiced. Pollen analysis has shown that agriculture along the coast has been continuous since

2775-468: The area is monolingually Finnish-speaking . Throughout its history the population of the Archipelago Sea has varied significantly. The population increased until the first half of the 16th century. After that the population went into decline as the carrying capacity of the environment was reached and wars and pestilence took their toll on the people. In the 19th century the population increased sharply as new, more efficient fishing methods were introduced. In

2850-694: The autonomous region of Åland and in the historical provinces of Varsinais-Suomi and Uusimaa . The municipalities in Åland tend to be quite small, with the municipality of Sottunga having only approximately 100 residents. Island municipalities in Varsinais-Suomi: Coastal municipalities in Varsinais-Suomi which also include some islands: Island municipalities in Åland: Coastal municipalities in Uusimaa which also include some islands: The archipelago continues further to

2925-524: The beginning of the 20th century, people left the archipelago, attracted by work opportunities on the mainland. Unused pastureland and meadows were gradually reforested. Starting in the 1970s, the population began to grow again, as the archipelago became a popular summer holiday destination. The fauna of the Archipelago National Park is well-known due to research and regular follow-ups. Twenty-five species of mammals have been identified;

3000-474: The burial sites were chosen so as to stand out from the surrounding landscape, such as on rocky hills with a view to the sea, or near (but not atop) the highest place on an island. Other graves are near the shore, and some are organized in groups. Inside the park's cooperative area, most graves have been found on the large islands of Nötö and Hitis. During the Iron Age, these areas would have bristled with islets, and were close to fishing and seal hunting grounds in

3075-463: The capital region Mälardalen in the east, Roslagen in the north-east, the former mining district Bergslagen in the center, and Dalarna and Värmland in the west. It includes an extensive archipelago of thousands of small islands in Södermanland and Uppland and has lakeshores on the four largest lakes in the country. In the interior, there are several ski resorts in the southern parts of

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3150-470: The channels are not navigable for large ships. There are three crater-like formations in the archipelago. One of them, Lumparn in Åland , is a genuine impact crater . The two other formations are intrusions . The more prominent of these is the Åva Intrusion in the municipality of Brändö , which is visible in satellite photos and high-resolution maps. The other similar formation is in Fjälskär, between

3225-583: The current Baltic Sea was the fresh-water Lake Ancylus . The water around the islands turned from fresh to brackish around 7600 years ago as the saline water from the North Sea penetrated further to the Baltic from the recently opened straits. The oldest archaeological finds in Dragsfjärd date back to ca. 4000 BC and represent the Pit-Comb Ware culture . During that period the outer archipelago

3300-460: The east in Uusimaa , but Hanko is traditionally seen as a dividing point between the Archipelago Sea and the Gulf of Finland . The number of permanent residents on the islands is roughly 60,000, with 27,000 of them living in Åland . Also outside Åland most of the area has been more or less monolingually Swedish-speaking, now officially bilingual with a Swedish -speaking majority. The northern part of

3375-578: The end of the war, but in the subsequent Treaty of Fredrikshamn in 1809 Sweden was forced to cede the area along with rest of Finland. The Archipelago Sea became part of the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland under the Russian Empire. During the Crimean war an Anglo-French force attacked and destroyed the Bomarsund castle . In the Åland convention of 1856 the Åland side of the archipelago

3450-457: The environment is eutrophication caused mainly by agriculture and fish farms . This is a particular threat to the Baltic Sea , since it is very shallow and thus has much less potential to dilute effluent from human activities. Eutrophication has been partly brought under control in Finland, but the effects are masked by the general decline in the condition of the Baltic Sea. Many areas of

3525-636: The islands are rocky, some are actually extensions of the Salpausselkä ridge system, and thus composed of terminal moraine. Such islands include Örö and Jurmo . The flora and fauna in these islands is more diverse than in their rocky neighbours. The conditions can vary radically even within one small island, due to the features of the rock on which the islands are based. There may be small patches of fresh-water bogs , ponds of fresh water, ponds of brackish water , bushes, meadows , barren rocks, wind-beaten shores and sheltered coves on an island only

3600-735: The islands. However, the climate is more favourable than in continental Finland and some islands, particularly Rymättylä , are famous in the nearby continental areas for producing the first new potatoes of the summer. The significance of tourism to the economy of the islands is constantly increasing. The islands are linked by bridges and ferries, and in case of Åland, a small airport. The ferries are divided into two categories: "road ferries" ( landsvägsfärja or simply färja in Swedish, lautta or lossi in Finnish) are free of charge and operate mostly on short routes between adjacent (large) islands. They are raft-like in construction and usually operated by

3675-787: The islands. The shuttle ship harbours at Prostvik and Pärnäs in Nagu and Kasnäs in Kimitoön are accessible by road and have bus connections. Both the Blue Mussel visitor center in Kasnäs , Kimitoön , and the Archipelago Centre in Korpoström, Korpo , offer information on the Archipelago Sea and the Archipelago National Park. They can both be reached by car and have bus connections. Visitors may move around freely by boat within

3750-480: The islands. There are, however, several subtle differences. Maypoles are an essential part of the Midsummer festival in the archipelago but not in continental Finland. On the other hand, the continental Finnish Midsummer tradition of lighting bonfires has been introduced to the archipelago relatively recently. Based on the languages spoken the archipelago can be divided into three parts. The Åland archipelago in

3825-510: The islands. There is an underwater trail for divers on Stora Hästö in Korpo, and one in shallower water for snorkelers. Archipelago Sea The Archipelago Sea ( Finnish : Saaristomeri , Swedish : Skärgårdshavet ) is a part of the Baltic Sea between the Gulf of Bothnia , the Gulf of Finland and the Sea of Åland , within Finnish territorial waters . By some definitions it contains

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3900-439: The main islands of Houtskär and Iniö . The islands are divided between the region of Southwest Finland and the autonomous region of Åland. The border between the regions runs roughly along Skiftet (Kihti in Finnish), a relatively open sea area. Together with the islands near the coast of Sweden the area forms a Euroregion . The main ports in the area are Turku on the continent, and Mariehamn on Åland. The Åland region

3975-540: The middle of open water. Today, the site is 55 metres (180 ft) above sea level, on forested upland. The present national park area became inhabited during the Iron Age (500 BCE–800 CE, in Northern Europe). Remains of Iron Age settlements have been found in the park's cooperative area (so far, no Stone Age settlements have been found within this area). Two prehistoric fort islets have also been recognized in

4050-543: The most common ones include the common shrew , pygmy shrew , mountain hare , bank vole , red fox , raccoon dog , mink , and moose . The number of grey seal have increased in recent years, whereas ringed seal numbers have decreased. The most common species of fish include the Baltic herring , European perch , northern pike , common roach , bream , viviparous eelpout , European flounder , and fourhorn sculpin . Over 130 species of birds are known to have nested in

4125-524: The national park, except in some protected areas. Camping is allowed only in designated places (allowed on privately own lands in accordance with the freedom to roam ). Building campfires is allowed only in designated places, unless mandated otherwise (i.e., fire-making is prohibited if a forest fire warning is in effect). Picking berries and mushrooms is permitted. Mind roosting birds when landing on islets; those with many nesting birds should only be visited in autumn and winter. There are nature trails on some of

4200-409: The national park. Common Less Common Rare Following the removal of mink from the Archipelago National Park in the 1990s, many bird species increased in numbers and experienced improved nesting success. Out of the 22 species of archipelago birds studied, 14 showed an increase in numbers. Some species ( tufted duck , velvet scoter , Arctic tern ) increased greatly. In 2006, removal of mink

4275-484: The objectives of the national park is to protect the archipelago's cultural landscape—such as the considerable areas used for traditional agriculture—in addition to the natural landscape. To this end, the cooperative area is an essential extension of the national park. The archipelago of Southwest Finland has been populated since the end of the Neolithic (roughly 2000 BCE). The rich natural resources attracted people to

4350-405: The other hand, during spring and autumn there is a period of thaw ( menföre in Swedish, kelirikko in Finnish) when the ice is too weak even for walking, but too thick for boating. This can leave some islands lacking a pier for large ships isolated for days or weeks. Access is only by hydrocopter , hovercraft or helicopter . Many important shipping lanes cross the Archipelago Sea. Navigation

4425-415: The outer archipelago consisting mainly of smaller, uninhabited islands. The total surface area is 8,300 square kilometres (3,205 square miles), of which 2,000 square kilometres (772 square miles) is land. The archipelago has a very large number of islands. The exact number depends on the definition of the term "island", as the size of the patches of dry land in the area varies from small rocks peeking out of

4500-459: The outer archipelago. Given these favourable natural conditions, these areas may already have been inhabited. In the late 13th century, Swedish settlers moved to the area from Svealand , southern Norrland , and Götaland , substantially increasing the population. About half of the villages in the Archipelago National Park cooperative area were inhabited by the Middle Ages . The population in

4575-415: The outermost islets of the present-day archipelago were still 20–25 metres (66–82 ft) below sea level. As islands surfaced and grew in area, inhabitants moved farther out in the archipelago. Prehistoric sites illustrate this change in topography. For example, the Neolithic settlement of Bötesberget in the municipality of Dragsfjärd , dated from 6000 BCE, would have originally been on an isolated island in

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4650-473: The post-glacial archipelago during the Stone Age and Bronze Age . At the time, the Baltic Sea was saltier, thus offering large catches of fish, such as Atlantic cod . The area also supported large populations of grey seals and seabirds, the latter of which were rich sources of eggs, meat, and down for early humans. There were also good conditions for small-scale agriculture and cattle herding, thanks to

4725-508: The road administration. The small ones are cable ferries ( kabelfärja in Swedish, lossi in Finnish), bigger ones do not use cables (and are called lautta in Finnish). The other ferries ( förbindelsefartyg in Swedish, yhteysalus in Finnish) are more ship-like in construction, are operated by the maritime administration and may charge a small fee. They operate on longer routes covering several smaller or more distant islands. There are also large commercially operated cruiseferries connecting

4800-460: The summer. Although having a summer cottage in the archipelago is more common among the Swedish-speaking, the Swedish-speaking are a small minority on the mainland, and so most summer residents are Finnish-speaking, in contrast to the permanent residents. Kultaranta , the official summer residence of the president of Finland is on the island of Luonnonmaa in Naantali . An anomalous feature in

4875-493: The territory of Åland in peacetime (in times of war the FDF has the duty of defending Åland due to international treaties starting from the Åland crisis which resulted in Finland securing possession of the islands while becoming obliged to protect the islands' neutrality), and its residents are exempt from military service, although they can volunteer to serve in the army. The archipelago is divided into 30 municipalities, grouped in

4950-498: The use of buttermilk , syrup , and malt among the ingredients. The main dish of the Christmas dinner is usually a northern pike , in contrast to the ham which is eaten in mainland Finland. Every Christmas the fishermen of Korpo deliver a pike for the president's table. The islands provide a unique and diverse environment for wildlife. The bigger islands resemble the coastal regions of continental Finland whereas skerries have

5025-795: The war in 1944. In 1995 Finland became a member of the European Union . The referendum on the membership was held separately in Åland, leading to the possibility of different outcomes. A rejection of the EU membership by the Ålanders would have created a situation similar to that of Greenland , which is an autonomous region of Denmark but is not part of the EU. However, the membership was accepted in both referendums. [REDACTED] Archipelago Trail travel guide from Wikivoyage 60°18′N 21°00′E  /  60.3°N 21°E  / 60.3; 21 Svealand Svealand ( Swedish: [ˈsvêːaˌland] ), or Swealand ,

5100-410: The water to large islands with several villages or even small towns. The number of the larger islands of over 1 square kilometre (0.4 sq mi) within the Archipelago Sea (in provinces of Åland Isles and Southwest Finland ) is 257, whilst the number of smaller isles of over 0.5 hectares (1.2 acres) is about 17,700. If the number of smallest uninhabitable rocks and skerries is accounted, 50,000

5175-406: The west is almost completely Swedish-speaking, the Åboland archipelago in the south is mostly Swedish-speaking and the northern archipelago is Finnish-speaking. Because Christianity spread to the islands before the mainland, the churches on the major islands tend to be relatively old; dating from the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries, with the oldest ones in Åland. More than 80% of Finns are members of

5250-477: Was demilitarised . The Russians moved troops back into the area in 1916, and for the next 5 years there was either Russian or Finnish military presence in Åland. Finland gained its independence from Russia in 1917. Shortly after, the Swedish speaking inhabitants of Åland , in the western part of the Archipelago , appealed to Sweden to annex the islands. The request received mixed support in Sweden, but led to

5325-404: Was also available even when crops failed. Hence having twins maximizes lifetime reproductive success. The islands generally enjoy a high standard of living comparable to that of continental Finland. Fishing and fish processing are major industries. The archipelago is well known for its Baltic herring and rainbow trout products. Agriculture is limited by the small size and rocky nature of

5400-527: Was forced to rent Hanko at the eastern extreme of the Archipelago Sea to Soviet Union as a military base. In 1941 the Continuation War broke out. Finland sent troops to Åland to guard against a possible Soviet invasion, which didn't materialize. The Finnish army also laid siege on Hanko, which was evacuated by the Soviet Union later that year. Finnish troops remained in Åland until the end of

5475-408: Was formed by the highest points of the main islands of Houtskär , Korpo and Nagu . Due to post-glacial rebound the entire archipelago has risen approximately 25 metres (82 feet) since, enlarging existing islands and creating many more. During the 12th and 13th centuries Sweden established its control of the Archipelago Sea. At the same time Christianity started to spread to Finland, starting from

5550-489: Was initiated in the Vänö archipelago in southern Dragsfjärd . Here again, the results show that the nesting success of some species increased greatly and rapidly. Transportation in the Archipelago National Park is mainly by boat. There are shuttle ship connections to all of the inhabited islands within the cooperative area. The islands of Holma, Jurmo, and Berghamn are accessible by shuttle ship and national park services offered on

5625-460: Was the original Sweden , to which it gave its name. This is supported by linguistics and is based on early medieval sources, such as the sagas . In Old Norse and in Old English , Svealand and Sweden are synonymous, and described as a separate country from Götaland . Svealand and Götaland were also divided by deep forests, which prevented both polities from being controlled effectively. In

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