The zone concept applied to the Finnish coast in the light of scientific traditions

Abstract

The evolution of the zone concept based originally on climate and vegeta­tion and its adaptation to characterise the Finnish coast are examined in the light of scientific traditions. The Finnish coast with its archipelago was formed as the result of the partial submersion of the irregular, gently sloping 'peneplain'. As a result, the islands decrease in size towards the open sea. This is portrayed in the zone concept. Ideologically, the concept reflects both the rational tradition of the age of enlightenment which developed into new empirical science and the tradition of romantic natural philosophy and idealism. The uniting of these traditions characterises the early stages of Finnish geography when the zone concept was first applied to the Finnish coast.