Gulf of Bothnia

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Image:Baltic sea map.jpg The Gulf of Bothnia (Fin.; Pohjanlahti, Sw.; Botniska viken) is the northernmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It is situated between Finland's west coast and Sweden's east coast. In the south of the gulf lie the Åland Islands, between the Sea of Åland and the Archipelago Sea.

1 Name
2 Geophysical data
3 Geologic history
4 History
5 Economy
6 Rivers
7 Cities

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Name

Bothnia is a Latinization of a name in an ancestral Nordic language from which the current Swedish botten also derives, Väster-botten on the Sweden side and Öster-botten the Finland side ("East Bottom" and "West Bottom"). The -th- in the Latinized word comes from the earlier Germanic letter, thorn. The name of the Finland province in Finnish, Pohjan-maa, or "Pohjan"-land, gives us a hint as to the meaning in both languages: Pohja means both "bottom" and "north."

Botten is believed to be related to English bottom as in bottomland. It might part of a general north European distinction of lowlands, as opposed to highlands, such as in the names Netherlands and Zemaitia (Lithuania) or Samland (Prussia).

A second possibility is that botten follows an alternative Scandic connotation of 'furthermost'. Thus, the Gulf of Bothnia would be the farthest extent of the Ocean.

Julius Pokorny gives the extended Indo-european root as *bhudh-m(e)n with a *bhudh-no- variant, from which also Latin fundus, as in fundament. The original meaning of English north, from Indo-european *ner- "under", indicates an original sense of "lowlands" for "bottomlands". On the other hand, by "North" the classical authors usually meant "outermost", as the northern lands were outermost to them.

Which meaning prevailed is a distinction that may be too precise to determine, especially as European cultures tended to assimilate and exchange cultural elements.

Whether Pohjanmaa translates botten or vice versa is a question for history and archaeology, relating to who settled and named the region first.

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Geophysical data

The gulf is 725 km (450 mi) long, 80-240 km (50-150 mi) wide and has an average depth of 60 m (200 ft, 33 fathoms). The maximum depth is 295 m (965 ft, 161 fathoms). The surface area is 117,000 sq km (45,200 sq mi).

Into the gulf flow a number of rivers from both sides; consequently, a salinity gradient exists from north to south. In the South the water is the normal brackish water of the Baltic Sea, but in the North the salinity has dropped so low that one can no longer taste the salt in the water and many freshwater fish thrive in it. Being nearly fresh, the gulf is iced for five months. Icing of the Baltic sea begins and ends there.

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Geologic history

For the geologic history of the entire region, refer to Baltic sea.

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History

Some historians consider Ottar to refer to the Gulf of Bothnia when he uses Cwen sea (9th c.). It is possible too that Claussön's usage Mare Gotticus (15th c.) refers to Gulf of Bothnia.

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