Utö (Finland)

For other uses, see Utö (disambiguation).
Utö
Utö lighthouse

Utö is a small island in the Archipelago Sea in the Baltic sea and belongs to Pargas municipality. It is the southernmost year-round inhabited island in Finland. Utö has an area of 0.81 km² and the population was ca 40 (as of 2004).

Name

The name of the island, Utö, means "outer island" in Swedish.

Description

The island has a lighthouse, pilot station, a small guest harbour, a shop and a post office. The island is also known from the marine weather observations that began in 1881.[1] Due to the remoteness of the island, the island has its own local school. In former times, the Finnish Defence Forces kept a small station on the island, but left the island in 2005. The island is internationally best known as the first rescue station of the Estonia disaster in September 1994.

Climate

The annual average temperature at Utö is 6.5°C and annual precipitation 549 mm (1981-2010). Average snow-covered period last from 23 January to 15 March.[2] The open sea areas around Utö are covered by ice only approximately every five years.[3]

See also

External links

Media related to Utö, Finland at Wikimedia Commons

Coordinates: 59°47′N 021°22′E / 59.783°N 21.367°E / 59.783; 21.367

References

  1. ↑ "Utö Atmospheric and Marine Research Station: Observations". Finnish Meteorological Institute. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  2. ↑ "Utö Climate statistics". Finnish Meteorological Institute. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  3. ↑ Seinä, A, and Peltola, J. (1991). Jäätalven kestoaika ja kiintojään paksuustilastoja merialueilla 1961-1990 / Duration of the ice season and statistics of fast ice thickness along the Finnish coast 1961-1990. Finnish Institute for Marine Research: Finnish Marine Research 258.
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