TheÅland Sea (or theSea of Åland;Swedish:Ålands hav,Finnish:Ahvenanmeri) is awaterway in the southernGulf of Bothnia, betweenÅland andSweden. It connects theBothnian Sea with theBaltic 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 theSouthern Quark orSouth Kvarken (Swedish:Södra Kvarken,Finnish: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 toLandsort Deep. The mean depth of Åland Sea is 75 m, area 5,477 km2 and its volume is 411 km3.[1] TheArchipelago Sea and the Åland Sea regulate water exchange between Gulf of Bothnia and Baltic Proper.
Manyferries moving between Finland and Sweden cross the Sea of Åland.[2]
The official English Language name of the sea area as defined by the Baltic Marine Environment Commission HELCOM, is "Åland Sea".[3] The HELCOM nomenclature is also referenced by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES).[4] The same name is also used in scientific literature.[5] Some other sources also use the name "Sea of Åland" in English.
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Media related toSea of Åland at Wikimedia Commons60°10′N019°10′E / 60.167°N 19.167°E /60.167; 19.167
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