Blekinge archipelago is an

archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands. Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Archi ...

in the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and fr ...

, located in

Blekinge Blekinge (, old da, Bleking) is one of the traditional Swedish provinces (), situated in the southern coast of the geographic region of Götaland, in southern Sweden. It borders Småland, Scania and the Baltic Sea. It is the country's second- ...

in the south of Sweden.

Geography

Blekinge archipelago stretches among almost the entire coastline of Blekinge, from west to east. It covers some including water; the landmass amounts to about . The archipelago is dominated by a few large islands, Tjärö, Aspö,

Hasslö Hasslö () is an island and a locality situated in the Blekinge archipelago in Karlskrona Municipality, Blekinge County, Sweden with 1,628 inhabitants in 2010. For many years, the Swedish navy's activities on Hasslö meant that foreigners' acces ...

, Tärnö and

Sturkö Sturkö is a urban areas of Sweden, locality located on the island Sturkö in Karlskrona Municipality, Blekinge County, Sweden with 1,264 inhabitants in 2010. Sports The following sports clubs are located in Sturkö: * AIK Atlas References

, with smaller islands and skerries interspersed. In the whole archipelago area, some 85,000 people live, of whom 4,000 are islanders. The island of

Utlängan Utlängan is an island in the Karlskrona archipelago in Blekinge, Sweden. Geography The island is situated the furthest out to sea of any of the archipelago's islands. Only the rock of Utklippan is situated further out. Utlängan is covered in wood ...

is the farthest out to sea of the archipelago's islands; only the lighthouse rock

Utklippan Utklippan is a Swedish island group including Södraskär (South skerry), Norraskär (North skerry), and Degerhuvudet. It has been home to a lighthouse since 1789. History Utklippan has been a light station since 1789 when a basket light was in u ...

is farther out. The landscape is a diverse

cultural landscape Cultural landscape is a term used in the fields of geography, ecology, and heritage studies, to describe a symbiosis of human activity and environment. As defined by the World Heritage Committee, it is the "cultural properties hatrepresent the ...

, characterised by mainly a mix between oak pastures and

deciduous forest In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, af ...

. For its size, the archipelago exhibits an unusually high

biodiversity Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic ('' genetic variability''), species ('' species diversity''), and ecosystem ('' ecosystem diversity' ...

. Endangered species who find a habitat in the archipelago include Osmoderma eremita and

Lecanographa amylacea ''Lecanographa amylacea'' is a species of lichen belonging to the family Roccellaceae The Roccellaceae are a family of fungi in the order Arthoniomycetes. Most taxa are lichenized with green algae, although some are lichenicolous, growing on ...

Culture

The towns of Karlshamn and Karlskrona are both located within the archipelago area; indeed, Karlskrona is mainly situated on Trossö island. The latter, having been founded as a

naval base A naval base, navy base, or military port is a military base, where warships and naval ships are docked when they have no mission at sea or need to restock. Ships may also undergo repairs. Some naval bases are temporary homes to aircraft that us ...

, is noted for its

Baroque architecture Baroque architecture is a highly decorative and theatrical style which appeared in Italy in the early 17th century and gradually spread across Europe. It was originally introduced by the Catholic Church, particularly by the Jesuits, as a means t ...

and listed as a

UNESCO World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

Shipbuilding Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other Watercraft, floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roo ...

has been a traditional local trade within the archipelago and the area is known for a traditional type of small boat, called blekingeeka and used for tasks like fishing and transporting stone locally. In the 1970s, the local diving club discovered a

shipwreck A shipwreck is the wreckage of a ship that is located either beached on land or sunken to the bottom of a body of water. Shipwrecking may be intentional or unintentional. Angela Croome reported in January 1999 that there were approximately ...

in the Blekinge archipelago that was eventually identified by archaeologists as '' Gribshunden'', a 15th-century Danish

warship A warship or combatant ship is a naval ship that is built and primarily intended for naval warfare. Usually they belong to the armed forces of a state. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are usually faster a ...

. The shipwreck is significant as one of the best-preserved wreckages from the early modern period.

Gallery

File:Blekingeeka1.jpg, ''Blekingeeka'', a type of small boat traditionally used in the archipelago area. File:Almö (3).JPG, Typical landscape (Almö island) File:Almö (4).JPG, Typical landscape (Almö island) File:Gäraviken, Aspö, Karlskrona.jpg, Typical landscape Aspö island File:Aspö kyrka exterior south-east.jpg, Church on Aspö island

References

{{coord, 56, 08, N, 15, 29, E, display=title Landforms of Blekinge County Ramsar sites in Sweden Archipelagoes of Sweden Archipelagoes of the Baltic Sea