High Coast
{{Short description|Coastal area in Sweden}}
{{More citations needed|date=February 2024}}
{{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site
| image = High Coast from Skuleberget - Panorama.jpg
| image_upright = 1.2
| caption = View over the High Coast from the top of the Skule Mountain in August 2013
| location = Västernorrland County, Sweden
| part_of = High Coast / Kvarken Archipelago
| criteria = {{UNESCO WHS type|(viii)}}(viii)
| ID = 898bis-001
| coordinates = {{coord|63|0|N|18|30|E|format=dms|display=title, inline}}
| year = 2000
| extension = 2006
| area = {{convert|142500|ha|abbr=on}}
| locmapin = Sweden
| map_caption =
}}
The High Coast ({{langx|sv|Höga Kusten}}) is a part of the coast of Sweden on the Gulf of Bothnia, in the Ångermanland province of northeast Sweden, centered in the area of the municipalities of Kramfors, Härnösand and Örnsköldsvik. It is notable as an area for research on post-glacial rebound and eustacy, in which the land rises as the covering glaciers melt, a phenomenon first recognised and studied there. Since the last ice age, the land has risen 300 meters,{{Cite web |title=högsta kustlinjen - Uppslagsverk - NE.se |url=https://www.ne.se/uppslagsverk/encyklopedi/l%C3%A5ng/h%C3%B6gsta-kustlinjen |access-date=2023-06-28 |website=www.ne.se}} which accounts for the region's unusually tall cliffs. The High Coast is part of the Swedish/Finnish High Coast/Kvarken Archipelago UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its exceptional geology and unique example of isostatic rebound.{{cite web |url = http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/898/ |title = High Coast/Kvarken Archipelago |website = UNESCO World Heritage Centre |publisher = United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization |access-date = 3 October 2021}}
Geology
The relief of the High Coast is that of a large scale joint valley terrain that dissects uplifted remnants of the Sub-Cambrian peneplain.{{cite journal |last=Lidmar-Bergströrm |first=Karna |author-link=Karna Lidmar-Bergström|date=1995 |title=Relief and saprolites through time on the Baltic Shield |journal=Geomorphology |publisher=Elsevier |volume=12 |issue=1 |pages=45–61 |doi=10.1016/0169-555X(94)00076-4 |bibcode=1995Geomo..12...45L }}{{cite report |last1=Lidmar-Bergström |first1=Karna |author-link=Karna Lidmar-Bergström |last2=Olvmo |first2=Mats |date=2015 |title=Plains, steps, hilly relief and valleys in northern Sweden – review, interpretations and implications for conclusions on Phanerozoic tectonics |url=http://resource.sgu.se/produkter/c/c838-rapport.pdf |publisher=Geological Survey of Sweden |page=12 |access-date=2016-06-29 }}
During the Ice Ages of the past 2-3 million years, the High Coast was repeatedly covered by continental ice sheet, including the Fennoscandian ice sheet until roughly 9600 years ago.{{cite report |url = http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/898/documents/ |title = World Heritage Nomination - IUCN Technical Evaluation: The High Coast (Sweden) |author = International Union on Conservation of Nature (IUCN) |date = August 2000 |access-date = 3 October 2021}} When the glaciers retreated from the High Coast, the ground, which had been compacted by the weight of the ice sheet, went through rapid uplift, a process known as isostatic rebound. This rebound caused an uplift of roughly 285 meters, the highest known isostatic rebound on Earth. The region is still rising, on the order of 8 mm per year.{{cite report |title = Title |url = http://whc.unesco.org/uploads/nominations/898bis.pdf |author = Government of Sweden |publisher = UNESCO |date = 2 December 2000 |access-date = 3 October 2021}} Remains of the former shorelines can be seen along the High Coast.
Some of the fish species found in the High Coast are relict species from the most recent ice age, including the Fourhorn sculpin. Other animal species resident to the high coast include brown bears, lynx, and moose.
History
The area known today as Höga Kusten has historically been known as the Ångermanland Coast.Johan Nordlander 1853-1934 Gävlebornas fiskefärder till Ångermanlands kust 1924 (Trips to the Ångermanland coast by fishermen from Gävle)Lars Silén. Några ryggradslösa havsdjur från Ångermanlands kust (utanför Ulvön); Svensk faunistisk revy; 1955(17):4, s. 110-114Marine invertebrates from the Ångermanland coast (outside Ulvön). Included in the Swedish Revue of Fauna 1955 (17):4 pp 110-114 In 1974, the term High Coast ({{langx|sv|Höga Kusten}}) was coined in connection with a report on the area.Höga Kustenutredningen. Huvudrapport Höga Kusten-kommittén. Härnösand: Kommittén, 1974 (Swedish) 329 s., 5 maps (Main report from the High Coast Committee. Härnösand 1974.
In 2000, UNESCO put the area on the World Heritage List:
"The High Coast site affords outstanding opportunities for the understanding of the important processes that formed the glaciated and land uplift areas of the Earth's surface."In 2006, the High Coast was joined with the Finnish Kvarken areas. The World Heritage Site ranges from the High Coast Bridge (Swedish: Högakustenbron) in the South to Skagsudde in the North.
Attractions
The most popular places to visit in the High Coast of Sweden are Skule Mountain, Skuleskogen National Park, and the islands Ulvön and Trysunda.{{citation needed|date=January 2020}}
The High Coast of Sweden is considered to be excellent for hiking and has been cited as one of the best hiking regions in Sweden.{{citation needed|date=January 2020}}
Both outdoor magazines (such as Utemagasinet and Outside) and daily newspapers (such as Svenska Dagbladet) rank the High Coast Trail as one of the best of Sweden's hiking trails.{{citation needed|date=January 2020}}
The High Coast Trail is a 128-kilometer long trail along the High Coast. For day hikes, Skule Mountain and Skule National park are popular. The High Coast Hike (Höga Kusten Hike) is an annual event considered suitable for both experienced and new hikers.{{citation needed|date=January 2020}}
The Höga Kusten Bridge is located in the region, while there are a number of picturesque islands and fishing villages in the area.
References
{{Reflist|1}}
Bibliography
- Bergström, Lars (1975). Höga kusten: natur, människor och tradition längs kusten från Sundsvall till Örnsköldsvik - ett av Sveriges vackraste och mest särpräglade landskap {{ISBN|91-0-040427-6}} Stockholm : Bonniers 1975 80pp (The High Coast: the landscape, people and traditions along the coast from Sundsvall to Örnsköldsvik - one of Sweden's most beautiful and distinctive landscapes) (Swedish)
External links
{{Commons category-inline|High Coast (Sweden)}}
- [http://www.hogakusten.com/ Höga Kusten tourism website]
- [https://www.highcoastkvarken.org High Coast/Kvarken Archipelago World Heritage Site's official website]
- [http://www.highcoasthike.com/ High Coast Hike - Annual Hiking Event]
- [http://www.skulenationalpark.se/ Skuleskogen Nationalpark website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140503091024/http://www.skulenationalpark.se/ |date=2014-05-03 }}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20121231140120/http://highcoastsweden.com/skule-mountain/ Skule Mountain - Visitor Guide]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20121111065251/http://highcoastsweden.com/ulvon-island/ Ulvön Island - Visitor Guide]
- [https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e1/High_Coast_Bridge_%28H%C3%B6gakustenbron%29.jpg Höga Kusten Bridge]
- [https://vnmuseum.se Västernorrland County Museum Website]
- [https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/898 UNESCO World Heritage profile]
{{World Heritage Sites in Sweden}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:High Coast}}
Category:Landforms of Västernorrland County
Category:Coasts of the Baltic Sea