Granskär

Granskär (Swedish: Granskär, Finnish: Kuusisaari) is an island in the Kvarken ("The Throat"), the narrowest part of the Gulf of Bothnia in the northern part of the Baltic sea. It has few inhabitants, almost all Swedish-speaking. Granskär belongs to the municipality of Vaasa.

The area has been inhabited since before the time of Swedish dominion over Finland; the first habitations can be traced to at least the 11th century and possibly earlier.^[1]

Granskär is part of a larger archipelago and most of the smaller islands around Replot have traditionally been used as fishing camps. Today the buildings are generally used as summer cottages since maritime activities play a large part in the culture of the region. Fishing is nowadays mostly a recreational activity, but there are still a number of professional fishermen active in the archipelago.^[2]

Typical summer cottages in the Kvarken archipelago.

A large part of the Kvarken archipelago has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.^[3]

Coordinates: 63°7.3′N 21°28.5′E / 63.1217°N 21.4750°E / 63.1217; 21.4750

References[]

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