The
Gulf of Bothnia (
Finnish Pohjanlahti;
Swedish Bottniska viken, i.e. Bottenviken + Bottenhavet) is the northernmost arm of the
Baltic Sea. It is situated between
Finland's west coast and
Sweden's east coast. In the south of the gulf lie the
Åland Islands, between the
Sea of Åland and the
Archipelago Sea.
Bothnia is a Latinization of Old Norse botn [1], meaning "bottom". The name botn was applied to the Gulf of Bothnia as Helsingjabotn in Old Norse, after Hälsingland, which at the time referred to the coastland west of the gulf. Later, botten was applied to the regions Västerbotten on the western side and Österbotten the eastern side ("East Bottom" and "West Bottom"). The Finnish name of Österbotten, Pohjanmaa, or "Pohja"-land, gives a hint as to the meaning in both languages pohja means both "bottom" and "north."
A second possibility is that botten follows an alternative Scandinavian connotation of 'furthermost'. Thus, the Gulf of Bothnia would be the farthest extent of the Ocean.
Which meaning prevailed is a distinction that may be too precise to determine, especially as European cultures tended to assimilate and exchange cultural elements.
