The Bothnian Bay or Bay of Bothnia (Swedish: Bottenviken, Finnish: Perämeri) is the northernmost part of the Gulf of Bothnia, the northern part of the Baltic Sea. Its northernmost point is situated in Töre. The bay is bounded by Finland to the east, Sweden to the west, and the Kvarken sound to the south.
Major ports on the Finnish side are the ports in Oulu, Kemi and Raahe and on the Swedish side in Kalix, Luleå, Piteå and Skellefteå.
The maximum depth of the bay is 482 feet (147 m).
The bay has the highest rate of rising of land by post-glacial rebound in the Baltic Sea with an estimated 9 mms a year, this being the area in Northern Europe where the glacier was at its thickest. Today the Bothnian Bay lies around 300 meters higher than it did at the end of the Ice age. Ancient coastlines can be seen at much higher sites than today's sealevel.
Famous quotes containing the word bay:
“Shall we now
Contaminate our fingers with base bribes,
And sell the mighty space of our large honors
For so much trash as may be grasped thus?
I had rather be a dog and bay the moon
Than such a Roman.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)