The sea area of the Gulf of Bothnia between the Åland Islands and mainland Finland is called Archipelago Sea (Finnish Saaristomeri, Swedish Skärgårdshavet). The area is currently rising from the Baltic Sea and is named for its high concentration of small islands in the area - there are over 40 000 of them. The outer archipelago where most of the islands are small, is a national park, where landing to some of the islands is prohibited. There are regular ferry connections^* to the larger islands.

Many Finns have summer residences on the islands in the area, known for its natural beauty. 33000 people live on the islands, and the number may be doubled during summer. Turku (Swedish Åbo) is the main port. Turku Archipelago and Åland Islands are divided by the Kihti channel in the south, in the north the division is more artificial. The royal postal route used to go via the northern islands in the 16th and 17th century.

External links

• Southwestern Archipelago National Park
• Turku Archipelago
• Steamship s/s Ukkopekka cruise Naantali-Turku
• Interactive map of the ferries in Finland

Seas | Saaristomeri | Saaristomeri | Skärgårdshavet