Finland - yacht charter, tourist guide, descriptions, routes, photos
Plains comprising major part of the country are typical post-glacial landforms. Finland’s natural borders are delineated by the Gulf of Bothnia and the Gulf of Finland, between which spreads Finnish Lakeland, intersected by stretches of moraine hills. The Lakeland comprises 60,000 lakes, out of which the largest is called Saimaa. Sailing there is a very popular pastime. Marshes and peat bogs are also frequent landforms in Finland. Almost two-thirds of the whole territory is covered with forests inhabited by bears, wolves, elks and reindeer. North of the Arctic Circle there stretches Lapland region whose unique attraction is the aurora borealis (northern lights) that take place throughout winter. A visit to the traditional sauna is also a must during a stay in Finland.
Interestingly enough, although Finland’s history as an independent state is relatively short, it is one of the richest countries in the world with the very high standard of living. It was established only in 1918 after collapse of tsarism. Due to the fact that from the moment of the conquest by the Finnish peoples in the Middle Ages, the territory of contemporary Finland was long subjected first to Sweden and then to Russia, the newly established state had no national traditions.
Southern Finland has a warm temperate climate with varying degrees of temperateness, while its northern part lies within a cold temperate climate zone. The average temperature in July reaches 17-18 °C in the south and 14-15 °C in the north. In January, the average temperature drops to -2 °C in the Aland Islands, -4 °C on the south coast, and -14 °C in the north.
Admittedly, it is the period between April and August that best suits sailing around Finland, but with proper clothing and heating devices it is possible also beyond this season. Thousands of islands await sailors. The southwest coast is full of skerries, a large number of small and very diverse islands. Sailing from Helsinki via the Turku archipelago it is possible to reach the Gulf of Bothnia, through which one enters the Aland archipelago composed of over 6,000 islands.