Gotska Sandön

Gotska Sandön (literally translated as "The Gotlandic Sand Island") is an uninhabited Swedish island north of Gotland in the Baltic Sea. It has been a national park since 1909.

Gotska Sandön National Park
Gotska Sandöns nationalpark
IUCN category II (national park)
The eastern coast, as seen from the lighthouse
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Location	Gotland County, Sweden
Nearest city	Fårösund, Gotland Municipality
Coordinates	58°22′N 19°15′E
Area	44.9 km2 (17.3 sq mi)[1]
Established	1909, extended in 1963 and 1988[1]
Governing body	Naturvårdsverket

Geography

Abisko

Åsnen

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)

Sandön is 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 is part of Fårö socken (not to be confused with parish).^[2] It comprises the same area as the administrative Fårö District, established on 1 January 2016.^[3]

On the northwest tip of the island is a church, Gotska Sandön Chapel.^[4] As of 2019^[update], Gotska Sandön Chapel along with Fårö Church belong to Fårö parish in Norra Gotlands pastorat.^[5][6]

During the summer, there are regular boat tours from Fårö Island and Nynäshamn on the mainland.

Nature of Gotska Sandön

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. Terrestrial or aerial mammals include mountain hares and bats. However, the island is home to many rare insects and plants, including the Kashubian vetch and several species of orchid.

Climate

Despite its isolation from sizeable landmasses, Gotska Sandön's oceanic climate is warm for its latitude. The Scandinavian Peninsula to the west, Gotland to the south and the Baltic landmass to the east contribute 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 (2002–2018; 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)	31.1 (88.0)	27.0 (80.6)	18.6 (65.5)	11.9 (53.4)	9.8 (49.6)	31.6 (88.9)
Mean maximum °C (°F)	5.4 (41.7)	5.0 (41.0)	8.3 (46.9)	14.3 (57.7)	20.5 (68.9)	23.3 (73.9)	26.6 (79.9)	26.1 (79.0)	20.9 (69.6)	15.3 (59.5)	10.1 (50.2)	7.0 (44.6)	27.5 (81.5)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	1.7 (35.1)	1.4 (34.5)	3.6 (38.5)	8.1 (46.6)	13.6 (56.5)	18.1 (64.6)	21.9 (71.4)	21.4 (70.5)	16.8 (62.2)	10.6 (51.1)	6.7 (44.1)	3.8 (38.8)	10.6 (51.2)
Daily mean °C (°F)	0.3 (32.5)	−0.2 (31.6)	1.3 (34.3)	4.9 (40.8)	10.0 (50.0)	14.4 (57.9)	18.4 (65.1)	18.1 (64.6)	14.2 (57.6)	8.7 (47.7)	5.1 (41.2)	2.3 (36.1)	8.1 (46.6)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	−1.2 (29.8)	−1.8 (28.8)	−1.1 (30.0)	1.7 (35.1)	6.3 (43.3)	10.7 (51.3)	14.8 (58.6)	14.7 (58.5)	11.5 (52.7)	6.7 (44.1)	3.5 (38.3)	0.8 (33.4)	5.6 (42.0)
Mean minimum °C (°F)	−7.7 (18.1)	−7.4 (18.7)	−6.7 (19.9)	−3.1 (26.4)	0.4 (32.7)	5.5 (41.9)	9.7 (49.5)	9.4 (48.9)	5.7 (42.3)	0.5 (32.9)	−1.9 (28.6)	−4.3 (24.3)	−9.9 (14.2)
Record low °C (°F)	−22.0 (−7.6)	−25.0 (−13.0)	−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 (−13.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	43.9 (1.73)	35.4 (1.39)	27.1 (1.07)	24.0 (0.94)	27.1 (1.07)	43.0 (1.69)	50.0 (1.97)	62.5 (2.46)	42.9 (1.69)	51.6 (2.03)	58.0 (2.28)	50.9 (2.00)	516.4 (20.32)
Source 1: SMHI Open Data[7]
Source 2: SMHI Monthly Data 2002–2018[8]

Gallery

• 
  A track through the sand dunes, popularly called "Schipka Pass"
• 
  The north-eastern coast