Finland–Sweden Border
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The Finland–Sweden border (or Finnish–Swedish border) is the border between the countries of
Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...
and
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
. Almost the entire border runs through water: along the Tornio River and its tributaries, and in the
Gulf of Bothnia The Gulf of Bothnia (; ; ) is divided into the Bothnian Bay and the Bothnian Sea, and it is the northernmost arm of the Baltic Sea, between Finland's west coast ( East Bothnia) and the northern part of Sweden's east coast ( West Bothnia an ...
. Only a few kilometres of the border are on dry land. Because of the
Schengen treaty The Schengen Agreement ( , ) is a treaty which led to the creation of Europe's Schengen Area, in which internal border checks have largely been abolished. It was signed on 14 June 1985, near the town of Schengen, Luxembourg, by five of the t ...
and the
Nordic Passport Union The Nordic Passport Union allows citizens of the Nordic countries—Iceland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland—to travel and reside in another Nordic country without any travel documentation (e.g. a passport or national identity card) or ...
, the border can be crossed mostly freely.


Course of the border

In the north, the Finnish–Swedish border begins from the
Treriksröset The Three-Country Cairn (, , , ) is the tripoint at which the international borders of Sweden, Norway and Finland meet, and the name of the monument that marks the point. It is the northernmost international tripoint in the world.The border betw ...
tripoint at the border of
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
, located in the Koltajärvi lake near Kilpisjärvi, which is also the northernmost point of Sweden. The first of the border are in straight lines and marked with border signs.Hallituksen esitys Eduskunnalle eräiden Suomen ja Ruotsin välisen valtakunnanrajan vuonna 2006 suoritetussa rajankäynnissä todettujen rajalinjan muutosten hyväksymisestä
, 2007. Accessed on 10 November 2012.
The border continues as a river border: first along a small river to Kuohkimajärvi, then along Kuohkimajoki to Kilpisjärvi, then along the rivers Könkämäeno, Muonionjoki and Tornionjoki, a total of down to
Tornio Tornio (; ; ; ) is a city and municipalities of Finland, municipality in Lapland, Finland. The city forms a cross-border Twin cities, twin city together with Haparanda on the Swedish side. The municipality covers an area of , of which is wat ...
. The river border runs along the deepest parts of the rivers (the ''
Thalweg In geography, hydrography, and fluvial geomorphology, a thalweg or talweg () is the line or curve of lowest elevation within a valley or watercourse. Normally only the horizontal position of the curve is considered (as viewed on a map); the c ...
''), and is not marked with border signs; instead the border location is defined by the official maps of the border protocol.Kansalaisen Karttapaikka
Accessed on 10 November 2012.
Tätilä, Pekka: Suomen ja Ruotsin valtakunnanraja - vuoden 2006 rajankäynti. ''Maanmittaus'', 2011, 86th year, issue 2, pp. 42-52
Online version
accessed on 19 October 2012.
There are some border markers near Tornio where the border runs on land. In Tornio, the border departs from the river: the centre of Tornio is located west of the river, but belongs to Finland. The border runs in straight lines for 4.03 kilometres between the cities of Tornio 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 ...
, and from there in straight lines 25.31 km as a maritime border mostly through sea, but also through islands including one called
Kataja Kataja is an islet south of Haparanda in Norrbotten. It is the easternmost point of Sweden and it is part of the Haparanda archipelago. The islet has an area of . It is about long and wide. The name "Kataja" is Finnish for juniper. The island ...
. In 1809 the border went between the islands Kataja and Inakari, but the
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 ...
has caused them to join into a single island. The border continues as a maritime border to a point in the
Bothnian Bay 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 still rising after the weight of ice-age glaciers has been removed, and ...
, where the Finnish and Swedish territorial waters depart from each other. In the
Bothnian Bay 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 still rising after the weight of ice-age glaciers has been removed, and ...
and the
Bothnian Sea The Bothnian Sea (; ) links the Bothnian Bay (also called the Bay of Bothnia) with the Baltic Sea, Baltic proper. Kvarken is situated between the two. Together, the Bothnian Sea and Bay make up a larger geographical entity, the Gulf of Bothnia, ...
, the Finnish and Swedish territorial waters are separated by international waters. In the Norra Kvarken, the distance between land is down to , giving less than the normal to each country. Here a narrow channel of international water goes along an agreed path.Eniro kartor
/ref> The territorial waters meet again in the
Sea of Ã…land The Ã…land Sea (or the Sea of Ã…land; , ) is a waterway in the southern Gulf of Bothnia, between Ã…land and Sweden. It connects the Bothnian Sea with the Baltic Proper, Baltic Sea proper. The western part of the basin is in Swedish territorial w ...
, where the countries have a maritime border of 15 kilometres. The border crosses the island of Märket, which has a 470-metre long, complexly shaped border marked with border signs. The international waters between the countries are divided into economic zones. The border between the economic zones mainly runs in straight lines through defined coordinate points. There have been agreements about the borders in 1972 and in 1994.SOPIMUS Suomen ja Ruotsin välillä mannermaajalustan rajan määräämisestä Perämerellä, Selkämerellä, Ahvenanmerellä ja Itämeren pohjoisimmassa osassa
1972. Accessed on 13 November 2012.
SOPIMUS Suomen tasavallan ja Ruotsin kuningaskunnan välillä Suomen mannermaajalustan ja kalastusvyöhykkeen sekä Ruotsin talousvyöhykkeen välisen rajan määräämisestä Ahvenanmerellä ja pohjoisella Itämerellä
1994. Accessed on 13 November 2012.
The zone border continues south into the northern Baltic Sea to a point where it meets the zone border of
Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...
. The tripoint between the economic zones is defined by a treaty signed in 2001.


History

The Finnish–Swedish border was created in 1809 by the
Treaty of Fredrikshamn The Treaty of Fredrikshamn, or the Treaty of Hamina, was a peace treaty concluded between Sweden and Imperial Russia on 17 September 1809. The treaty concluded the Finnish War and was signed in the Finnish town of Fredrikshamn ( Hamina). Russia ...
, as Sweden ceded Finland over to the
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
. The course of the border was described in the fifth article of the treaty, without great detail. The borders were agreed to be the Sea of Åland, the Gulf of Bothnia, and the rivers Tornionjoki and Muonionjoki. Islands in the sea belonged to whichever country was the nearest to them. At the mouth of the Torniojoki river, the Pirkkiö island, the harbour of Röyttä and the city of Tornio were agreed to belong to Russia. Along the rivers, the border was agreed to run along the deepest part of the river (''Thalweg''). The border ran up the Muonionjoki river and "past Kilpisjärvi to Norway". The course of the border was amended in 1810 and small changes were later made. It has caused "sovereignty islands", which lie in one country but whose owners live in the other. The island of Märket was decided to be split in two parts in a topographical description made in 1811.Kruhse, Pauli
Märket
''Suomen historian dokumentteja''. Accessed on 17 November 2012.
The border was decided to run through the geographical centre of the island (defined by coordinates) in the treaty of Åland in 1921 and in the treaty of continental plates in 1972.Ahvenanmaan demilitarisoinnin rajoja koskeva selvitys. Rajatyöryhmän mietintö
2006, p. 4. Accessed on 10 November 2012.
The Märket
lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...
, built in 1885 by Finland and operated by them, was left on the Swedish side. In 1981, the border on the island was modified into a curve to get the lighthouse on the Finnish side. The border is agreed to be regularly inspected every 25 years. During the independence of Finland, inspections have been made in 1926–1927, 1956–1957, 1981 and 2006. These inspections include inspecting the course of the border, repairing the border signs if needed, and defining the location of the deepest parts of the river through aerial and terrestrial
photography Photography is the visual arts, art, application, and practice of creating images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is empl ...
. Especially in the wide, sandbanked areas of the rivers, the deepest parts shift in location. If the deepest part has shifted, the border may be shifted accordingly. For example, in the 2006 inspection, the border was shifted in many places, usually by 10 to 20 metres, but in some places up to 100 metres. A similar total area was moved from one country to another in both directions. In 1995 both countries entered the European Union, and as a result most customs stations closed. In 2020, during the
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
pandemic, the border was closed to all crossings except necessary such as travelling home or important freight. A temporary fence was erected along the border right through the Haparanda-Tornio urban area.


Traffic

Because both Finland and Sweden are part of the
Schengen area The Schengen Area ( , ) encompasses European countries that have officially abolished border controls at their common borders. As an element within the wider area of freedom, security and justice (AFSJ) policy of the European Union (EU), it ...
, the border may be crossed anywhere. If the traveller is carrying goods to be declared through
customs Customs is an authority or Government agency, agency in a country responsible for collecting tariffs and for controlling International trade, the flow of goods, including animals, transports, personal effects, and hazardous items, into and out ...
, the border may still be crossed anywhere, but the traveller must contact customs to declare his/her goods. Through the entire river border, near the eastern shore, the Finnish national road 21/
European route E8 The European route E8 is a European route that runs between Tromsø, Norway and Turku, Finland. The length of the route is . * E8: Tromsø – Nordkjosbotn – Skibotn – Kilpisjärvi – Kaaresuvanto – Muonio – Tornio – Keminmaa ...
runs between Tornio and Kilpisjärvi. The Swedish national road 99 runs near the western shore along most of the border. Bridges across the river border can be found in Karesuvanto/
Karesuando Karesuando (; or ; Northern Sámi: ; Meänkieli: ''Karesuanto'') is the northernmost locality in Sweden. It is situated in Kiruna Municipality, Norrbotten County, Sweden, with 303 inhabitants in 2010 and 350 in 2011. It is a church village, l ...
(road 959/E45),
Muonio Muonio (previously called ''Muonionniska''; ) is a municipalities of Finland, municipality of Finland. The town is located in fell-region of far northern Finland above the Arctic Circle on the country's western border with Sweden, the Muonio ( ...
(road 954/404),
Kolari Kolari is a municipality of Finland at the Swedish border, which follows the Torne River, the longest free-flowing river in Europe. It is located in the region of Lapland. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of w ...
(road 943/403),
Pello Pello (formerly Turtola) is a municipality of Finland. It is located approximately north of the Arctic Circle in the western part of the province of Lapland, and is part of the Lapland region. The municipality is on the national border with ...
(road 937/402) and in Aavasaksa/
Övertorneå Övertorneå (; ) is a urban areas of Sweden, locality and the seat of Övertorneå Municipality in Norrbotten County, Sweden with 1,917 inhabitants in 2010. It is located at the shore of the Torne (Finnish and Swedish river), Torne River, oppos ...
(road 98).Grönroos, Matti
Valtatie 21 Tornio-Kilpisjärvi, 459 km
Accessed on 11 November 2012.
There are also two river bridges in Tornio (one carries the
European route E4 European route E4 passes from north to south through Sweden from the border with Finland, with a total length of . The Finnish part lies entirely within Tornio in northern Finland, and is only long. The Swedish part traverses most of Sweden e ...
, also
Finnish national road 29 Finnish national road 29 (; ) is a highway in Finland between Keminmaa and Tornio. The road is part of the European route E8, except for the one kilometer section between the national boundary and the intersection with highway 21, where the road ...
), but they don't cross the border. The border is crossed by three roads in Haparanda/Tornio. South of the centre, the Torne River Railway Bridge crosses the river and the border. In
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 ...
/
Tornio Tornio (; ; ; ) is a city and municipalities of Finland, municipality in Lapland, Finland. The city forms a cross-border Twin cities, twin city together with Haparanda on the Swedish side. The municipality covers an area of , of which is wat ...
, there is a
bus station A bus station, bus depot, or bus interchange is a structure where city buses or intercity buses stop to pick up and drop off passengers. A bus station is larger than a bus stop, which is usually simply a place on the roadside, where buses can st ...
common to both cities, which was opened in 2014 and is located on the Swedish side near the border ().HaparandaTornio Travel Center
''haparandatornio.com''. Accessed in August 2015.


See also

* Finland–Sweden relations


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Finnish-Swedish border
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
Borders of Sweden European Union internal borders 1809 establishments in Finland 1809 establishments in Sweden 1809 in international relations International borders