Editing Pirates of the Baltic Sea (section)

===Geography and surroundings===

90% of the population resides on the island of Fasta Åland, also the site of Mariehamn, the capital. In addition, there are a further 6 500 skerries and islands to the east. Only 60 of these used to be inhabited. Many, especially the skerries, were just too small for habitation. But modern technology and construction methods have changed that. It is not uncommon for a ship crew to have their own skerry or even a small island, with a tower-like structure as a house and a pier for mooring their vessel.

Åland archipelago is contiguous with the Finnish Archipelago Sea. You can reach the coast of Finland with always an island in sight. From Mariehamn, there is a sailing distance of about 160 kilometres (99 miles) to the city of Turku on the Finnish coast, and 135 kilometres (84 miles)  to Stockholm, the capital of Sweden.

Fasta Åland is separated from the coast of Roslagen in Sweden by only 38 kilometres (24 miles) of open water to the west. About half way, there is the lighthouse and island of Märket that used to be shared with Sweden but which Sweden gave entirely to Åland after the independence.

The Åland Islands occupy a position of strategic importance, as they command one of the entrances to the port of Stockholm, as well as the approaches to the Gulf of Bothnia, in addition to being situated near the Gulf of Finland. This naturally suits the Buccaneers well. In truth, using the Åland approach to the port of Stockholm is generally quite safe, even for corporate shipping. No matter how dependent they are of the Buccaneers, Åland’s government will not tolerate actions that would risk their relationship with Sweden and Finland, and any Buccaneer crew making a blatant strike near Stockholm would find themselves no longer welcome.