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Stockholm archipelago
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Stockholm Archipelago (Swedish: Stockholms Skärgård) is the biggest archipelago of Sweden, and one of the biggest archipelagos of the Baltic sea. It stretches from Stockholm to about 60 kilometers to the east, bordering Alandia. It consists of approximately 24,000 islands and islets. It mainly follows the coastline of the provinces Södermanland and Uppland.
In 1719 the archipelago had an estimated population of 2,900, consisting mostly of fishermen. Today the archipelago is a popular holiday destination with some 50,000 holiday cottages (owned mainly by Stockholmers). The biggest town of the archipelago, apart from Stockholm, is Vaxholm. Boating is an extremely popular activity. In the winter skaters make excursions over the ice.
The landscape has been shaped – and is still being shaped – by land elevation. It wasn't until the Viking Age that the archipelago began to assume its present day contours. The islands rise by about five millimeters each year.
The village of Ytterby, famous among chemists for naming no fewer than four chemical elements (erbium, terbium, ytterbium and yttrium), is situated in the Stockholm Archipelago.
Many poets, authors and artists have been influenced and fascinated by the Stockholm Archipelago. Among them are August Strindberg, Ture Nerman, Roland Svensson, Ernst Didring and Aleister Crowley.
Some of the more well known islands are: Dalarö, Finnhamn, Grinda, Husarö, Ingarö, Isö, Ljusterö, Möja, Nämdö, Rödlöga, Tynningö, Utö, Svartsö and Värmdö.