The Archipelago Sea: Interesting Trivia That Will Surprise You!

The Archipelago Sea is a part of the Baltic Sea.

The Archipelago Sea lies between the Sea of Aland, the Gulf of Finland, and the Gulf of Bothnia, within territorial waters of mainland Finland. According to certain definitions, the Archipelago Sea is comprised of the world's biggest archipelago in terms of the number of islands, although many of the small islands in the archipelago are tightly clustered.

The larger islands are occupied by people, where ferries and bridges link them. Land, which includes the area's main islands, is an autonomous territory of Finland.

The other islands are in the Southwest Finland area. The Archipelago Sea has popular destinations for tourists. On July 29, 2021, writer Tristan Parker of 'The Guardian' published an article complimenting the Turku Archipelago, stating that the delicate enchantment of this small island group and the fauna of this place is unbeatable.

The Archipelago Sea is generally triangular, with Mariehamn, Uusikaupunki, and Hanko at its four corners. Inner archipelago and outer archipelago can be distinguished, with the outer archipelago consisting mostly of smaller, deserted islands.

There are a lot of islands in the archipelago. The precise number depends on how the word 'island' is defined since the size of dry land patches in the region ranges from little rocks poking out from the ocean to large islands with many settlements, or even small Finnish cities.

Locations Of The Archipelago Sea

The Archipelago Sea is located between the Bothnia, the Sea of Aland, and the Gulf of Finland, and is a portion of the Baltic Sea.

It covers an area of around 3204 sq mi (8300 sq km). The sea has the world's biggest archipelago in terms of the number of islands.

Animal Life In The Archipelago Sea

For animals, the islands offer a unique and diverse environment. In contrast to the island's terrestrial and coastal ecosystems, the sea has a low level of biodiversity. The brackish condition of the seawater is the explanation behind this. The archipelago has a low salinity of about 0.6%.

Salinity has also fluctuated substantially in the past, making adaptation challenging for organisms. However, a large number of people implies a favorable climate. Baltic herring, pike, whitefish, perch, and flounder are common fish species found in this part of the Baltic Sea.

Many species that aren't found anywhere else in Finland can be found in this sea area. One such species is the harbor porpoise, only found in this sea area.

It is the only cetacean that can be seen consistently in the northern reaches of the Baltic Sea. Another example is the white-tailed eagle, which breeds in large numbers in the Archipelago Sea. Ringed seal, Caspian tern, grey seal, and greater scaup are among the archipelago's rare or endangered bird and animal species.

Seabirds flock to these islands in huge numbers. Great crested grebes, black guillemots, mute swans, and a variety of gulls are among the species found in this sea area.

Great cormorants have recently expanded over the archipelago, and their numbers are growing. Nature enthusiasts may not think of this as a good thing since great cormorants thrive in thick colonies that ultimately damage the surrounding plant life with their waste.

Classification Of The Archipelago Sea

The islands are split between the autonomous area of Aland and the region of the southern part of Finland. Skiftet (Kihti in Finnish) is a semi-wide sea area that serves as the boundary between the two areas.

The territory creates a Euroregion when combined with islands off the coast of Sweden. Turku on the continent, and Mariehamn on the island, are two important ports in the region.

The land area is demilitarized and independent. It has its own local legislature, and Swedish is the only language spoken there.

The Archipelago Sea Naval Command, which has its main station in Turku, defends the eastern half of the archipelago. Mainstays of the defense are naval mines and coastal artillery.

The archipelago is split into 30 municipalities located in the autonomous region of Aland and the ancient provinces of Varsinais-Suomi and Uusimaa, respectively. Aland municipalities are often tiny, with the municipality of Sottunga having a population of around 100 people.

Examples Of The Archipelago Sea

The Archipelago Sea is a part of the Baltic Sea and is found near the Gulf of Finland. However, there are several archipelago examples across the globe, ranging from hot tropical locales to cold conditions.

The Balearic Islands are a Spanish archipelago. They are situated in the western Mediterranean Sea and cover a distance of around 3,000 km.

The Canadian Arctic Archipelago covers 540000 sq mi (1398593.58 sq km), with most of it located in Canada's far north. Nearly 100 big islands, as well as over 36000 smaller ones, make up the archipelago.

The Caribbean Islands is a massive archipelago sandwiched between North and South America. Cuba is the Caribbean archipelago's northernmost island, while Trinidad is the southernmost.

Did You Know...

The Archipelago Sea National Park, which is the biosphere reserve's core region, varies from other Finnish national parks since it includes traditional landscapes with grazing and hay-cutting operations, fishing, and hunting. It was founded to conserve the Archipelago Sea's natural ecology and culture from excessive fishing and globalizing.

Jurmo Jurmo is an island in the Archipelago Sea's southernmost archipelago, with diverse birdlife and special nature.

Bengtskar Bengtskar is a skerry in Finland's outer archipelago of the Archipelago Sea, near the entrance to the Finland Gulf, with the Nordic nations' tallest lighthouse.

The water around the archipelago is quite shallow, with an average depth of 732 ft (23 m). As a result, large ships and water boats are unable to transit the waterways.

Finland is not an archipelago, contrary to popular beliefs.

A major difference between an island and an archipelago is that an archipelago is larger and wider than an island.

The Java Sea is a part of the Indonesian archipelago.

The Tyuleniy Archipelago is a series of islands off the coast of the Mangyshlak Peninsula in the northeastern Caspian Sea.

When salty water from the North Sea started to infiltrate farther into the Baltic Sea, roughly 7,600 years ago, the Archipelago Sea became dark.