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Finnish Islands, Forests and Lakes
Finland boasts an abundance of natural habitats and areas, namely islands, lakes and forests. Lets take a look at some of the most remarkable ones.Islands
Did you know that Finland is home to the world's largest archipelago? With over 80 000 islands and skerries, it has more islands than any other country in the world! The five biggest islands are Fasta Åland (In Finnish Manner-Ahvenanmaa or Ahvenanmanner, meaning mainland Åland. Due to its very irregular shape it is difficult to estimate its area, but it is estimated to be around 685km2. The main island of Åland is inhabited by some 27000 people year round.
Kimitoön, or Kemiönsaari is an island of 525km2 and inhabited by over 6500 people year round. It is located in the far South-West of the Finnish coastline, more particularly in the shores of Turku. It consists of three municipalities that were joined together, namely Dragsfjärd, Kimito and Västanfjärd.
Hailuoto is approximately 195km2, and located in the very north of the Gulf of Bothnia, in front of the city Oulu. The population is around 952 people and they are spread over 7 little villages around the island.
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Replot or Raippaluoto is located in narrowest part of the Gulf of Bothnia in the northern part of the Baltic sea.It is about 150 km2 and has an almost 100% Swedish speaking population of 2000 people Raippaluoto belongs to the municipality of Korsholm, and is located near Vaasa.
Otava is an island in the Archipelago Sea (Saaristomeri), Finland. It is situated west of Naantali and has an area of 105 square kilometers.
Forests
Did you know that Finland is the most heavily forested country in Europe? In fact, about 75% of its total land area is covered with trees. This means that it's home to some amazing wildlife and a wide variety of plant life. Like in other western European countries, Finnish forests are mostly owned by private individuals and families. The dominating tree species in Finnish forests are spruce, pine, downy birch and silver birch. All of those are original tree species in Finland.In Finland we use something called the Finnish National Forest Inventory. It is a system for monitoring forests and forest resources. The information is produced both regionally and nationally and this type of forest inventories have been conducted every 5 to 10 years since the 1920s.
Lakes
Finland has over 188,000 lakes - making it one of the world’s most water-rich countries.
Saimaa
Saimaa is the largest lake in the country and the fourth largest freshwater body in Europe. Saimaa is not a single lake but a series of lakes including Puruvesi, Orivesi, Pyhäselkä, Haukivesi, Pihlajavesi, and Suur-Saimaa. With a size of 4279. km2, the lake has 14000 islands and a total shoreline length of 8500 miles which is the longest lake shoreline in the world.
Source: Pixabay
Lake Päijänne
The deepest lake in Finland, Lake Päijänne, reaches a depth of 95.3 meters. Stretching 120 kilometers between Lahti and Jyväskylä, it is a popular haven for Finns. Around 16,000 cottages line its shore, with fishing, boating and trekking popular pastimes. Furthermore, a wide variety of water transport connects cities along its length.Lake Päijänne provides drinking water to the around one million residents in the capital region. Water from Lake Päijänne travels at an average intake of 3.1 cubic meters per second downhill from the lake to the capital region through a tunnel in the bedrock. At around 120 kilometers in length, it forms the world’s second-longest continuous rock tunnel.
Lappajärvi Lake
Europes’ largest crater lake is called Lappajärvi lake in the coast and archipelago region in South Ostrobothnia. This 23 km-wide crater was formed after a meteorite hit the site more than 70 million years ago.
Lake Inari
Lake Inari (Finnish: Inarijärvi/Inarinjärvi, Northern Sami: Anárjávri, Inari Sami: Aanaarjävri, Skolt Sami: Aanarjäuʹrr,) is the largest in the Sápmi (Sami) area and the third largest in the country. It is located in the northern end of Lapland. The lake is 117–119 meters (384–390 ft) above sea level and covers an area of 1040 km2.The winter brings skating, kick-sledding, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling and snowshoeing to frozen lake surfaces throughout the country.
I hope you enjoyed reading this!
Minna, OLS Community Manager – Finnish'
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