The Kalix archipelago () is a group of 792 Swedish islands in the north part of the

Bay of Bothnia The Bothnian Bay or Bay of Bothnia (; ) is the northernmost part of the Gulf of Bothnia, which is in turn the northern part of the Baltic Sea. The land holding the bay is Post-glacial rebound, still rising after the weight of ice-age glaciers ha ...

. The largest island in the Kalix archipelago is

Rånön Rånön is an island in the northwest of the Swedish sector of the Bay of Bothnia, in the Kalix archipelago. Location Rånön is the largest island in the Kalix archipelago. It is uninhabited, but is popular with visitors in the summer. Rånö v ...

. A few of the islands have small permanent populations, but most are used only for recreation in the summer months. They are icebound during the winter.

Location

The north of the bay of Bothnia contains a large archipelago area. The islands in the Swedish sector make up the

Norrbotten archipelago The Norrbotten archipelago () is a group of Swedish islands in the north part of the Bay of Bothnia. A few of the islands have small permanent populations, but most are used only for recreation in the summer months. They are icebound during the win ...

. It is divided into the archipelagos of

Piteå Piteå (; ) is a locality and the seat of Piteå Municipality in Norrbotten County, Sweden. Piteå is Sweden's 58th largest city, with a population of 23,326. Geography Piteå is located at the mouth of the Pite River (), at the shore of ...

(550 islands),

Luleå Luleå ( , , locally ; ; ) is a Cities in Sweden, city on the coast of northern Sweden, and the County Administrative Boards of Sweden, capital of Norrbotten County, the northernmost county in Sweden. Luleå has 48,728 inhabitants in its urban ...

(1,312 islands), Kalix (792 islands) and

Haparanda Haparanda (; Meänkieli and Finnish: ''Haaparanta'', ) is a locality and the seat of Haparanda Municipality in Norrbotten County, Sweden. It is adjacent to Tornio, Finland. Haparanda has a population of 9,166 inhabitants (2024). Haparanda is ...

(652 islands). Due to

post-glacial rebound Post-glacial rebound (also called isostatic rebound or crustal rebound) is the rise of land masses after the removal of the huge weight of ice sheets during the last glacial period, which had caused isostatic depression. Post-glacial rebound an ...

the land is rising at from annually, so the shoreline can retreat by as much as in one person's lifetime. As a result, the islands are growing in size but the waters and harbors are becoming shallower. The largest island in the Kalix archipelago, and in the Norbotten archipelago as a whole, is

. It is the only island in Kalix that once had a resident population, who lived from forestry, fishing and farming. Traces can still be seen. Stora Huvön is said to be one of the most beautiful islands in Sweden, with cliffs that rise from the sea, a sandy beach, and deep tree-filled valleys. Malören, in the outer archipelago, has a chapel that dates to the 1770s. Some of other islands include Bergön, Berghamn, Björn, Getskär-Renskär, Halsön, Granön, Likskär and Stora Trutskär.

Climate

The archipelago is only south of the

Arctic Circle The Arctic Circle is one of the two polar circles, and the northernmost of the five major circle of latitude, circles of latitude as shown on maps of Earth at about 66° 34' N. Its southern counterpart is the Antarctic Circle. The Arctic Circl ...

, so there is daylight for 24 hours in the summer, and full moon all day in the winter. The waters around the archipelago are brackish, with less the 10% of the salt content of the Atlantic. The sea freezes in January and remain frozen until March–April.

References

Citations Sources * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kalix archipelago Swedish islands in the Baltic Archipelagoes of Sweden Landforms of Norrbotten County Kalix Municipality Gulf of Bothnia

Location

Climate

See also

References