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Archipelago Sea Facts

Archipelago Sea Facts
The Archipelago Sea is located in the Baltic Sea in Finnish territorial waters. It is found between the Gulf of Finland, the Gulf of Bothnia, and the Sea of Aland. It is considered to contain the world's largest archipelago. Many of the larger islands are connected via bridges and ferries and it is considered to be a major tourist destination. The Archipelago Sea creates a triangle with the cities Mariehamn, Hanko, and Uusikaupunki. The outer archipelago islands are smaller and uninhabited while the inner islands are more inhabited and developed.
Interesting Archipelago Sea Facts:
It is believed that the islands of the Archipelago Sea began to emerge following the last ice age, approximately 10,000 years ago.
The exact number of islands in the Archipelago Sea is not determined as the size of an 'island' is not specifically determined. An acceptable estimate is roughly 50,000 in total.
The Archipelago Sea is 3,205 square miles of which 775 square miles is land.
There are three craters in the Archipelago Sea. The Lumparn in Aland is an impact crater while the other two are intrusions, including the Ava intrusion and one in Fjalskar.
There are 30 municipalities in the Archipelago Sea including 12 in Varsinais-Suomi's islands and coastal municipalities, 16 in Aland, and 2 in Uusimaa.
There are approximately 60,000 people inhabiting the islands in the Archipelago Sea.
Major industries for those living on the islands of the Archipelago Sea include fishing, and fish processing, and tourism.
The water in the Archipelago Sea changed from fresh water to brackish water approximately 7,600 years ago when the North Sea's saline water began to penetrate into the Baltic Sea further.
During the 18th century the number of non-identical twin births in the archipelago islands was higher than any other region in Europe. This is believed to be due to a diet high in fish.
Road ferries and cable ferries transport inhabitants from island to island in the Archipelago Sea islands.
Fish that are commonly found and sought in the Archipelago Sea include pike (some as big as 10 kilos), Baltic herring, perch, zander, whitefish, and sea trout.
It is possible to see gray seals in the Archipelago Sea.
There are a great number of seabirds found in the Archipelago Sea. These include great crested grebes, black guillemot, mute swan and many different sea gulls. Great cormorants are growing in population which can pose a problem as they can poison plant life from their excrement because they often live in large colonies.
The Archipelago Road Ring connects the most inhabited islands in the eastern archipelago in Finland's southwest region. It includes as many as 188 miles or roadway and 31 miles of waterways. This route passes through Turku, Raiso, Naantali, Merimasku, Askainen, Mietoinen, Taivassalo, Kustavi, Inio, Houtskar, Korpo, Nagu, Pargas, and Kaarina.
The smaller islands in the Archipelago Sea do not have trees but do have a variety of plants.
Within the Archipelago Islands are ponds of fresh water, brackish ponds, sheltered coves, barren rocks, and fresh water bogs.


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