Kvarken in the context of "Valsörarna"

The Gulf of Bothnia (/ˈbɒθniə/, Swedish: Bottniska viken, Finnish and Meänkieli: Pohjanlahti) is divided into the Bothnian Bay, the (North) Kvarken and the Bothnian Sea, and it is the northernmost arm of the Baltic Sea, between Finland's west coast (Ostrobothnia (East Bothnia)) and the northern part of Sweden's east coast (Västerbotten (Westrobothnia, West Bothnia) and Norrbotten (North Bothnia)). In the south of the gulf lies Åland, between the Sea of Åland and the Archipelago Sea.

The Bothnian Sea (Swedish: Bottenhavet; Finnish: Selkämeri) links the Bothnian Bay (also called the Bay of Bothnia) with the Baltic proper. Kvarken is situated between the two. Together, the Bothnian Sea and Bay make up a larger geographical entity, the Gulf of Bothnia, where the Bothnian Sea is the southern part. The whole Gulf of Bothnia is situated between Sweden, to the west, Finland, to the east, and the Sea of Åland and Archipelago Sea to the south. The surface area of the Bothnian Sea is approximately 79,000 square kilometres (30,500 sq mi). The largest coastal towns, from south to north, are Rauma and Pori in Finland, and Gävle and Sundsvall in Sweden. Umeå (Sweden) and Vaasa (Finland) lie in the extreme north, near Bothnian Bay.

The High Coast (Swedish: Höga Kusten) is a part of the coast of Sweden on the Gulf of Bothnia, in the Ångermanland province of northeast Sweden, centered in the area of the municipalities of Kramfors, Härnösand and Örnsköldsvik. It is notable as an area for research on post-glacial rebound and eustacy, in which the land rises as the covering glaciers melt, a phenomenon first recognised and studied there. Since the last ice age, the land has risen 300 meters, which accounts for the region's unusually tall cliffs. The High Coast and the Finnish Kvarken constitute the Swedish/Finnish High Coast/Kvarken Archipelago [fi] UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its exceptional geology and unique example of isostatic rebound.

Holmöarna (Swedish, literally the islet islands) is an island group in the Kvarken narrows of the Gulf of Bothnia between Sweden and Finland. The islands form part of Umeå Municipality in Västerbotten County. The islands have 75 year-round inhabitants and the largest islands are Holmön, Ängesön, Grossgrunden, Holmögadd and Lilla and Stora Fjäderägg. Large areas of the islands have been set aside as nature reserves.