High Coast

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title: "High Coast" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["ångermanland", "landforms-of-västernorrland-county", "landforms-of-sweden", "coasts-of-the-baltic-sea", "world-heritage-sites-in-sweden", "culture-of-västernorrland-county"] description: "Coastal area in Sweden" topic_path: "geography/germany" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Coast" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Coastal area in Sweden ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site"]

Field	Value
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	(viii)
ID	898bis-001
coordinates
year	2000
extension	2006
area	142500 ha
locmapin	Sweden
::

| 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 = (viii) | ID = 898bis-001 | coordinates = | year = 2000 | extension = 2006 | area = 142500 ha | locmapin = Sweden | map_caption = The High Coast () 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, which accounts for the region's unusually tall cliffs. The High Coast and the Finnish Kvarken constitute the Swedish/Finnish UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its exceptional geology and unique example of isostatic rebound.

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.

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. 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. 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. In 1974, the term High Coast () was coined in connection with a report on the area.

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.

References

Bibliography

• Bergström, Lars (1975). Höga kusten: natur, människor och tradition längs kusten från Sundsvall till Örnsköldsvik - ett av Sveriges vackraste och mest särpräglade landskap 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)

References

1. "högsta kustlinjen - Uppslagsverk - NE.se".
2. "High Coast/Kvarken Archipelago". United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization.
3. Lidmar-Bergströrm, Karna. (1995). "Relief and saprolites through time on the Baltic Shield". Elsevier.
4. (2015). "Plains, steps, hilly relief and valleys in northern Sweden – review, interpretations and implications for conclusions on Phanerozoic tectonics". [[Geological Survey of Sweden]].
5. International Union on Conservation of Nature (IUCN). (August 2000). "World Heritage Nomination - IUCN Technical Evaluation: The High Coast (Sweden)".
6. Government of Sweden. (2 December 2000). "Title". UNESCO.
7. Johan Nordlander 1853-1934 ''Gävlebornas fiskefärder till Ångermanlands kust 1924'' (''Trips to the Ångermanland coast by fishermen from Gävle'')
8. 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''
9. Höga Kustenutredningen. Huvudrapport Höga Kusten-kommittén. Härnösand: Kommittén, 1974 (Swedish) 329 s., 5 maps (Main report from the High Coast Committee. Härnösand 1974.

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::