Gotska Sandön

Gotska Sandön National Park
Gotska sandöns nationalpark
IUCN category II (national park)
284px The eastern coast, as seen from the lighthouse.
Location	Gotland County, Sweden
Nearest city	Fårösund, Gotland Municipality
Coordinates
Area	44.9 km2 (17.3 sq mi), of which 8.42 km2 (3.25 sq mi) are water.
Established	1909, extended in 1963 and 1988
Governing body	Naturvårdsverket

Gotska Sandön (literally translated as Gotlandic Sand Island) is an uninhabited Swedish island, since 1909 also a national park, situated 38 km (24 mi) north of Fårö in the Baltic Sea. Legally a part of Gotland province, it is approximately 9 km (5.6 mi) long and 6 km (3.7 mi) wide, with a total area of approximately 36 km² (14 sq mi). The island consists mostly of sand and is dominated by beaches, dunes and especially pine forests. Aside from a colony of grey seals, the higher fauna is not very rich. However, the island is home to many rare insects and plants, including the Kashubian vetch and several species of orchid. During the summer, there are regular boat tours from Fårö Island and Nynäshamn on the mainland.

Climate

Despite its isolation from sizeable landmasses, Gotska Sandön's oceanic climate is warm for its latitude. The Scandinavian Peninsula to the west contributes to warmer summers and frequent winter frost, giving the island a far broader temperature range than, for example, the similarly isolated Fair Isle, which lies one degree further north some distance off the coast of Scotland. In spite of this range, summer highs are cool by the standards of southern Sweden, and winter nights are among the mildest in the country.

Gotska Sandön has significant seasonal lag: despite dwindling daylight hours, August is much warmer than June, while March days are both longer and colder than those in December.

Climate data for Gotska Sandön (2002-2015; precipitation 1961-1990; extremes since 1901)
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)	1.7 (35.1)	1.2 (34.2)	3.5 (38.3)	7.9 (46.2)	13.2 (55.8)	17.8 (64)	21.6 (70.9)	21.4 (70.5)	16.7 (62.1)	10.7 (51.3)	6.7 (44.1)	3.7 (38.7)	10.5 (50.9)
Daily mean °C (°F)	0.2 (32.4)	−0.3 (31.5)	1.2 (34.2)	4.8 (40.6)	9.6 (49.3)	14.1 (57.4)	18.2 (64.8)	18.0 (64.4)	14.0 (57.2)	8.7 (47.7)	5.1 (41.2)	2.2 (36)	7.9 (46.2)
Average low °C (°F)	−1.2 (29.8)	−1.8 (28.8)	−1.1 (30)	1.6 (34.9)	6.1 (43)	10.5 (50.9)	14.8 (58.6)	14.7 (58.5)	11.3 (52.3)	6.7 (44.1)	3.5 (38.3)	0.7 (33.3)	5.4 (41.7)
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
Source #2: SMHI Monthly Data 2002–2015

Abisko

Björnlandet

Blå Jungfrun

Dalby Söderskog

Djurö

Fulufjället

Färnebofjärden

Garphyttan

Gotska Sandön

Hamra

Haparanda Archipelago

Koster-
havet

Muddus

Norra Kvill

Padjelanta

Pieljekaise

Sarek

Skuleskogen

Stenshuvud

Stora Sjöfallet

Store Mosse

Sånfjället

Söderåsen

Tiveden

Tresticklan

Tyresta

Töfsingdalen

Vadvetjåkka

Ängsö

National parks of Sweden (clickable map)

Gallery

• GotskaSandon SchipkaPass1.jpg

  Schipka Pass, a popular track through the sand dunes.

• GotskaSandon EastSide.jpg

  The eastern coast as seen from the lighthouse.

• GotskaSandon NorthEastCoast.jpg

  The north-eastern coast.

External links

Media related to at Wikimedia Commons

• Sweden's National Parks: Gotska Sandön National Park from the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency
• Gotska Sandön (in Swedish)
• Gotska Sandön National Park (in Swedish)
• Gotska Sandön National Park (English)
• Birds on Gotska Sandön