Gotska Sandön

Gotska Sandön National Park
IUCN category II (national park)

The eastern coast, as seen from the lighthouse.
Location Gotland County, Sweden
Nearest city Fårösund, Gotland Municipality
Coordinates 58°22′N 19°15′E / 58.367°N 19.250°ECoordinates: 58°22′N 19°15′E / 58.367°N 19.250°E
Area 44.9 km2 (17.3 sq mi), of which 8.42 km2 (3.25 sq mi) are water.[1]
Established 1909, extended in 1963 and 1988[1]
Governing body Naturvårdsverket
Gotska Sandön
Location of Gotska Sandön in Sweden

Gotska Sandön is an uninhabited Swedish island in the Baltic Sea, situated some 38 kilometres north of Fårö. It is approximately 9 kilometres long and 6 kilometres wide, and its area is approximately 36 km². If translated directly to English the island's name means Gotlandic Sand Island.

Gotska Sandön is mostly composed of sand, and its scenery is dominated by beaches, dunes, and pine forests. The name "Gotska Sandön" literally translates as the Gotlandic Sand Island, from the province of which it forms part. Since 1909, it is one of the National parks of Sweden. Apart from a colony of grey seals, the higher fauna is not very rich. However, there are many rare insects and plants e.g. Kashubian vetch, including several kinds of orchids. During the summer, there are regular boat tours from Fårö Island and Nynäshamn on the mainland.

Climate

Gotska Sandön has an oceanic climate with large varieties and being quite warm considering its latitude and isolation from sizeable landmasses. The surrounding landmass of the Scandinavian peninsula contributes to increasing the summer heat and assures frequent winter frost, in sharp contrast to the similarly isolated Fair Isle on a similar parallel (one degree further north) some distance off Scotland, that has a significantly narrower temperature range. In spite of this, marine features are strong enough to ensure that summer highs are cool for a place in the south of the country and winter nights are among the mildest in Sweden. Another marine feature. Gotska Sandön also has significant seasonal lag, with August being much warmer than June in spite of the dwindling daylight hours and March being a bit colder than December, in spite of daylight being scarce in late December.

Climate data for Gotska Sandön
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 8.6
(47.5)		 9.6
(49.3)		 13.8
(56.8)		 21.8
(71.2)		 27.0
(80.6)		 29.0
(84.2)		 31.6
(88.9)		 30.0
(86)		 27.0
(80.6)		 18.6
(65.5)		 11.9
(53.4)		 9.8
(49.6)		 31.6
(88.9)
Average high °C (°F) 1.6
(34.9)		 1.0
(33.8)		 3.3
(37.9)		 7.8
(46)		 13.2
(55.8)		 17.8
(64)		 21.7
(71.1)		 21.3
(70.3)		 16.6
(61.9)		 10.6
(51.1)		 6.6
(43.9)		 3.5
(38.3)		 10.4
(50.7)
Average low °C (°F) −1.3
(29.7)		 −2.0
(28.4)		 −1.3
(29.7)		 1.5
(34.7)		 6.0
(42.8)		 10.6
(51.1)		 14.9
(58.8)		 14.7
(58.5)		 11.2
(52.2)		 6.7
(44.1)		 3.4
(38.1)		 0.5
(32.9)		 4.5
(40.1)
Record low °C (°F) −22.0
(−7.6)		 −25.0
(−13)		 −23.2
(−9.8)		 −16.0
(3.2)		 −6.0
(21.2)		 −2.0
(28.4)		 3.1
(37.6)		 3.1
(37.6)		 −1.5
(29.3)		 −5.2
(22.6)		 −9.2
(15.4)		 −13.8
(7.2)		 −25.0
(−13)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 46.8
(1.843)		 31.2
(1.228)		 29.3
(1.154)		 32.4
(1.276)		 26.5
(1.043)		 29.3
(1.154)		 55.5
(2.185)		 55.0
(2.165)		 56.3
(2.217)		 51.8
(2.039)		 66.9
(2.634)		 54.7
(2.154)		 535.7
(21.091)
Source #1: SMHI[2]
Source #2: SMHI Monthly Data 2002-2014[3]

Gallery

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Gotska Sandön National Park". Naturvårdsverket. Retrieved 26 February 2009.
  2. ↑ "Precipation Normals 1961-1990 (Swedish)". Swedish Metereological and Hydrological Institute (Gotska Sandön code 8924).
  3. ↑ "Monthly and Yearly Statistics (Swedish)". SMHI. April 7, 2015.

External links

Media related to Gotska Sandön at Wikimedia Commons

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Gotska Sandön.