Kvarken

Kvarken
Norra Kvarken, Merenkurkku
Refer to caption
View over Kvarken from Svedjehamn, Björkö, Finland
Map showing the location of Kvarken in the Gulf of Bothnia
LocationFinland, Sweden
Coordinates63°30′N 21°00′E / 63.5°N 21°E / 63.5; 21
Typestrait
Part ofGulf of Bothnia
Max. lengthN-S: 60 km (37 mi)[1]
Max. widthE-W: 70 km (43 mi)[1]
Max. depth25 m (82 ft)[1]
Salinity4
Max. temperature16 °C (61 °F)[1]
Min. temperature0 °C (32 °F)[1]
Islands6,550[1]

Kvarken (Swedish: Kvarken, Norra Kvarken (as opposed to South Kvarken); Finnish: Merenkurkku, lit.'throat of the sea') is the narrow region of the Gulf of Bothnia separating the Bothnian Bay (the inner part of the gulf) from the Bothnian Sea. The distance from the Swedish mainland to the Finnish mainland is 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 of land rising at 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 to Holmöarna in Sweden. It took them 12 hours 2 minutes to cross the strait.[2]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Metsähallitus (Forest and Park Services) (16 July 2006). The Kvarken Archipelago (PDF). WHC Nomination Documentation (Report). Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  2. ^ Krainer, Patrick (2018-07-25). "De simmade 26 kilometer over kvarken". Västerbottenskuriren. Retrieved 2018-09-03.