The Åland Sea (or the Sea of Åland; sv, Ålands hav, fi, Ahvenanmeri) is a

waterway A waterway is any navigable body of water. Broad distinctions are useful to avoid ambiguity, and disambiguation will be of varying importance depending on the nuance of the equivalent word in other languages. A first distinction is necessary b ...

in the southern

Gulf of Bothnia The Gulf of Bothnia (; fi, Pohjanlahti; sv, Bottniska viken) is divided into the Bothnian Bay and Bothnian Sea, and it is the northernmost arm of the Baltic Sea, between Finland's west coast ( East Bothnia) and the Sweden's east coast (West ...

, between

Åland Åland ( fi, Ahvenanmaa: ; ; ) is an Federacy, autonomous and Demilitarized zone, demilitarised region of Finland since 1920 by a decision of the League of Nations. It is the smallest region of Finland by area and population, with a size of 1 ...

and

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

. It connects the

Bothnian Sea The Bothnian Sea ( sv, Bottenhavet; fi, Selkämeri) links the Bothnian Bay (also called the Bay of Bothnia) with the Baltic proper. Kvarken is situated between the two. Together, the Bothnian Sea and Bay make up a larger geographical entity, t ...

with the Baltic Sea proper. The western part of the basin is in Swedish territorial waters while the eastern part is in Finnish territorial waters. The Åland Sea has two sub-basins. The main basin is the Åland Sea proper, also called the northern Åland Sea basin. In the south, there is the smaller Lågskär Deep, also called the Lågskär Basin or the southern Åland Sea basin. The narrowest part on the northern edge of the basin is named the

Southern Quark Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, M ...

South Kvarken South Kvarken ( fi, Ahvenanrauma, sv, Södra Kvarken) is the narrowest stretch of sea between Finnish Åland and Sweden, forming a strait connecting the Sea of Åland and the Bothnian Sea The Bothnian Sea ( sv, Bottenhavet; fi, Selkämeri) ...

( sv, Södra Kvarken, fi, Ahvenanrauma). The trench running on the bottom of the Sea of Åland contains the second-deepest spot of the Baltic Sea, at a depth of 301 meters, which is second only to

Landsort Deep Landsort () is a Swedish village with a lighthouse on the island of Öja. The village has around 30 permanent residents. The tower was built in 1689, with an upper conical iron section added in 1870. Open fires, serving as beacons, have been l ...

. The mean depth of Åland Sea is 75 m, area 5,477 km² and its volume is 411 km³. The

Archipelago Sea The Archipelago Sea ( fi, Saaristomeri, sv, Skärgårdshavet) is a part of the Baltic Sea between the Gulf of Bothnia, the Gulf of Finland and the Sea of Åland, within Finnish territorial waters. By some definitions it contains the largest ar ...

and the Åland Sea regulate water exchange between Gulf of Bothnia and Baltic Proper. Many

ferries A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water tax ...

moving between Finland and Sweden cross the Sea of Åland. The official English Language name of the sea area as defined by the Baltic Marine Environment Commission HELCOM, is "Åland Sea". The HELCOM nomenclature is also referenced by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES). The same name is also used in scientific literature. Some other sources also use the name "Sea of Åland" in English.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sea of Aland Baltic Sea Bodies of water of Sweden Bodies of water of Finland Seas of the Atlantic Ocean Landforms of Uppsala County Landforms of Stockholm County Gulf of Bothnia