Replot
Encyclopedia
Replot is an island in the Kvarken
Kvarken
Kvarken is the narrow region in the Gulf of Bothnia separating the Bothnian Bay from the Bothnian Sea...

 ("The Throat"), the narrowest part of the Gulf of Bothnia
Gulf of Bothnia
The Gulf of Bothnia 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.-Name:...

 in the northern part of the Baltic sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...

. It has about 2,100 inhabitants, almost only Swedish-speaking. The size is about 150 square kilometres (57.9 sq mi), one of the largest islands of Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

. Replot was an independent municipality until 1973, when it was consolidated to the municipality of Korsholm
Korsholm
Korsholm is a municipality of Finland. The town of Vaasa was founded in Korsholm parish in 1606 and today the municipality completely surrounds the city. It is a coastal, mostly rural municipality, consisting of a rural landscape and a large, fractured archipelago...

, near Vaasa
Vaasa
Vaasa is a city on the west coast of Finland. It received its charter in 1606, during the reign of Charles IX of Sweden and is named after the Royal House of Vasa...

.

The area has been inhabited since before the time of Swedish dominion over Finland
Sweden-Finland
Sweden–Finland is an outdated Finnish historiographical term referring to the Swedish Kingdom from the Kalmar Union to the Napoleonic wars, or the period from the 14th to the 18th century. In 1809 the realm was split and the eastern half came to constitute the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland, in...

; the first habitations can be traced to at least the 11th century and possibly earlier. Today there are four major communities on the island, Replot kyrkoby, Norra Vallgrund, Södra Vallgrund and Söderudden, most of which are served by their own elementary schools, although some closures have occurred in recent years. Since 1997, Replot has been connected to the mainland via the Replot Bridge
Replot Bridge
The Replot Bridge is a cable-stayed tuftform bridge connecting the island of Replot with the mainland in Korsholm, near Vaasa, Finland. It is long and the longest bridge of Finland. Two supporting pylons are both high....

, replacing the earlier ferry connection which had been in place since 1952. The bridge is as of 2009 the longest bridge ever built in Finland, with a length of 1045 meters.

Replot is part of a larger archipelago and most of the smaller islands around Replot have traditionally been used as fishing camps. Today the buildings are generally used as summer cottages since maritime activities play a large part in the culture of the region.
Fishing is nowadays mostly a recreational activity, but there are still a number of professional fishermen active in Replot.

North of Replot is the island of Björkö
Björkö (Korsholm)
Björkö is an island in Korsholm municipality , Finland. It is situated in the Kvarken area of the Gulf of Bothnia. The chief settlement is called Björköby. In addition to the main island, the Björkö area includes 350 skerries and its total area is 72 km2...

, which formerly belonged to the municipality of Björköby, which is also the name of its main village.

A large part of the Replot archipelago has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...

.

External links

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