Kvarken
| Kvarken | |
|---|---|
| Norra Kvarken, Merenkurkku | |
 View over Kvarken from Svedjehamn,Björkö,Finland | |
 | |
| Location | Finland,Sweden |
| Coordinates | 63°30′N21°00′E/ 63.5°N 21°E |
| Type | strait |
| Part of | Gulf of Bothnia |
| Max. length | N-S: 60 km (37 mi)[1] |
| Max. width | E-W: 70 km (43 mi)[1] |
| Max. depth | 25 m (82 ft)[1] |
| Salinity | 4 |
| Max. temperature | 16 °C (61 °F)[1] |
| Min. temperature | 0 °C (32 °F)[1] |
| Islands | 6,550[1] |
Kvarken(Swedish:Kvarken, Norra Kvarken(as opposed toSouth Kvarken);Finnish:Merenkurkku,lit. 'throat of the sea') is the narrow region of theGulf of Bothniaseparating theBothnian Bay(the inner part of the gulf) from theBothnian Sea.The distance from theSwedish mainlandto theFinnish mainlandis around 80 km (50 mi), while the distance between the outermost islands is only 25 km (16 mi). The water depth in the Kvarken region is only around 25 metres (82 ft). The region also has an unusual rate ofland risingat almost 10 mm (0.39 inches) a year.[1]
Several attempts to cross the strait swimming have been made, but cold water and currents have usually been insurmountable obstacles. The first successful crossing was carried out by Lennart Flygare, Pavio Grzelewski and Tore Klingberg, who on 24 July, 2018, swam from Valassaaret (Valsörarna) on the Finnish side toHolmöarnain Sweden. It took them 12 hours 2 minutes to cross the strait.[2]
Kvarken Archipelago[edit]
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
|---|---|
 Kvarken Archipelago in Finland | |
| Location | Gulf of Bothnia,Finland |
| Part of | High Coast/ Kvarken Archipelago |
| Includes |
|
| Criteria | Natural: (viii) |
| Reference | 898bis |
| Inscription | 2000 (24thSession) |
| Extensions | 2006 |
| Area | 194,400 ha (751 sq mi) |
| Website | http://www.kvarken.fi |
| Coordinates | 63°18′N21°18′E/ 63.300°N 21.300°E |
On the Finnish side of Kvarken, there is a largearchipelago,the Kvarken Archipelago, which includes the large islandsReplot,Björköand over 5,600 smaller islands.[3]Most of it belongs to the municipality ofKorsholm.Most of the small islands are inhabited. The archipelago is smaller on the Swedish side of the region, and the islands, part ofUmeå Municipality,have much steeper shores. The Kvarken region was historically important also, because mail was delivered across Kvarken when the sea was completely frozen from the Swedish to the Finnish coast. This mail route was used frequently during the period whenFinlandwas a part ofSweden.
During theIce Ages,the Kvarken region was located underneath theFennoscandian ice sheet.[3]When the ice sheet retreated from the area around 9,600 years ago, the land, which had been compacted under the weight of the ice, rapidly expanded in a process known asisostatic rebound.[3]The Kvarken region is known for having some of the fastest rates of this uplift on Earth, having risen 285 meters since glacial retreat. It continues to rise, demonstrating the effects of deglaciation on flat and shallow archipelagos.[1]The Kvarken Archipelago is also notable for its uniquemoraineformations (called de Geer moraines), which form regular clusters that are parallel to the ice front.[1]It is estimated that within about 2,000 years, the seafloor in this area will rise above water, splitting the Gulf of Bothnia into a southern gulf and northern lake.[4]
In 2006, parts of the Kvarken Archipelago were added as an extension to theWorld Heritage Siteof theHigh Coast(located on the western shore of the Gulf of Bothnia) inSweden,because of its outstanding demonstration of isostatic uplift, and the influence of glacial retreat on the evolution of landforms and topography.[3]The most Finnish parts of the High Coast/Kvarken Archipelago World Heritage Site are situated in theKorsholmmunicipality.
In the group of islands in the “middle” of the Kvarken region, in Swedish calledValsörarna– FinnishValassaaret,is a 36-metre-high (118 ft) lighthouse designed byHenry Lepautewho worked forGustave Eiffel's engineering bureau. The structural similarity between the lighthouse (built in 1885) and theEiffel Tower(built in 1889) is quite obvious. The lighthouse is now automated as are most lighthouses in Finland.
Bridge[edit]
There have been proposals for a bridge across the strait, at a cost of about 1.5 to 2 billioneuros.There are islands in the strait, and the sum of the lengths of the probably three bridge parts would be about 40 km (25 mi). The Swedish minister of finance has said it is an interesting idea, but the idea is still decades from being brought to fruition. There is a debate in the coastal cities on both sides, likeUmeåandVaasa.The official view from the Swedish and Finnish governments is that it is much too expensive, also put in regard that the cities are very small by European standards, as compared toCopenhagenandMalmöbetween theOresund fixed link.The natural values[which?]of the area also make a bridge dubious.
References[edit]
- ^abcdefghiMetsähallitus (Forest and Park Services) (16 July 2006).The Kvarken Archipelago(PDF).WHC Nomination Documentation(Report).Retrieved3 October2021.
- ^Krainer, Patrick (2018-07-25)."De simmade 26 kilometer over kvarken".Västerbottenskuriren.Retrieved2018-09-03.
- ^abcd"High Coast/Kvarken Archipelago".UNESCO World Heritage Centre.United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization.Retrieved3 October2021.
- ^Tikkanen, Matti; Oksanen, Juha (2002)."Late Weichselian and Holocene shore displacement history of the Baltic Sea in Finland".Fennia.180(1–2).Retrieved22 December2017.
External links[edit]
- High Coast/Kvarken Archipelago World Heritage Site's official website
- Kvarken World Heritage Site
- UNESCO World Heritage profile
- "The black islands rising from the sea",BBC Travel,14 April 2017. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
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