About the Kvarken Council

For a vivid, strong and viable region

The Kvarken Council acts as a neutral cooperation platform and enables all types of cross-border cooperation in the Kvarken region.

The Kvarken Council includes three Ostrobothnian counties in Finland as well as Västerbotten and Örnsköldsvik in Sweden. Together they form the Kvarken region.

The members of the Kvarken Council include municipalities and regional councils.

Find out more about the Kvarken Council EGTC on our website.

What is the Kvarken?

The Kvarken is the narrowest part of the Gulf of Bothnia – the distance from coast to coast (between Umeå in Sweden and Vaasa in Finland) is just over 80 km. The distance between the outermost islands is only about 25 km. The Kvarken divides the Bothnian Bay in the north from the Bothnian Sea in the south. It also forms a shallow underwater threshold in the Gulf of Bothnia. The Kvarken’s deepest point is only about 25 meters.