The Turku
Archipelago
A vast mosaic of over 20,000 islands in the Baltic Sea — an ecosystem defined by brackish waters, unique coastal habitats, and centuries of island tradition.
Situated in the former province of Turku and Pori in south-western Finland, this biosphere reserve comprises terrestrial and marine habitats, including coniferous forests, wooded meadows, heaths, rocky meadows, rocky or sandy islets, arable land, seashores, and open sea.
Saaristo (Finnish for “archipelago”) is a group of islands located on the south-western coast of Finland in Northern Europe. The national languages are Finnish and Swedish, with the language distribution in Saaristo being roughly 63% Swedish and 37% Finnish. Most Finns are also proficient in English.
The Archipelago Sea lies between the city of Turku to the east, Åland to the west, Bengtskär lighthouse to the south, and the Gulf of Bothnia to the north. More than 40,000 islands and islets make the Finnish Archipelago the largest in the world by island count. To locals and sailors, the area is often simply referred to as the Turku Archipelago.
It represents a coastal environment of small islands in the Baltic Sea. Island societies are small in scale, and communities that have lived there for generations maintain close contact with the sea and nature. Traditional livelihoods such as fishing and agriculture are becoming less profitable, and the population has declined markedly since the beginning of the last century.
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