Haparanda archipelago
Haparanda archipelago is a group of about 792 Swedish islands in the northern Bay of Bothnia, near the town of Haparanda in Norrbotten County. The islands are popular for summer recreation and are covered with ice in winter. The archipelago is part of a larger Bay of Bothnia region that includes the Piteå, Luleå, Kalix and Haparanda archipelagos. Due to post-glacial rebound, the land rises about 0.8–1 cm each year, so shorelines move outward and islands can grow while harbors become shallower.
The Haparanda Archipelago National Park lies within the group and includes larger islands Sandskär and Seskar Furö, along with smaller ones. These islands have appeared in the last 1,500 years as the sea bed has risen. Other islands in the area include Hanhinkari, Kataja, Seskarö, Skomakaren, Stora Hamnskär, Stora Hepokari and Torne-Furö. Kataja is shared with Finland; the border was drawn in 1809, and rising land has since joined Kataja with the Finnish Inakari island.
The archipelago sits about 100 kilometers south of the Arctic Circle, so there is 24-hour daylight in summer and long daylight in winter. The surrounding waters are brackish, with much less salt than the Atlantic. The sea freezes from January to March or April.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 19:55 (CET).