Åland Islands

islands, Finland

Also known as: Åland Skärgård, Ahvenanmaa

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Category: Geography & Travel

Swedish:: Åland skärgård

Finnish:: Ahvenanmaa

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Åland Islands, archipelago constituting Åland (Ahvenanmaa) autonomous territory, southwestern Finland. The islands lie at the entrance to the Gulf of Bothnia, 25 miles (40 km) east of the Swedish coast, at the eastern edge of the Åland Sea. The archipelago has a land area of 599 square miles (1,551 square km) and consists of about 35 inhabited islands, 6,500 uninhabited islands, and many rocky reefs. The bedrock is primarily granite and covered with a soil that, though mainly clay, is rich in certain areas. Åland, the largest island in the group, accounts for more than 70 percent of the total ...(100 of 653 words)

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