288 THE FOREST LANDS OF FINLAND. 



Dr. Ignatius, preceded by the remark ' Finland enjoys a 

 mild climate relatively to its latitude.' 



' The isothermal line of zero, or the freezing point, on the 

 average temperature, passes well to the south of 60 N. 

 lat. in the greater part of the countries in the Northern 

 Hemisphere. In North America this line describes a 

 curve from near the island of Aleaska, 59, to the south 

 part of Labrador, 48 ; in Asia it approaches the southern 

 frontier of Siberia, and reaches the Pacific to the south oi 

 the mouth of the Amonso, towards the 50th degree oi 

 latitude. In Finland, on the contrary, the isothermal 

 line begins at the 66th degree of latitude, rises rapidly tc 

 the north, describing a curve which takes in the high land oJ 

 the interior, and enters the Gulf of Bothnia, and the Frozen 

 Ocean, in such a way that not only the countries situated 

 to the south of this parallel, but even those which slope 

 towards the Frozen Ocean, and experience effects of the 

 warm current of the Gulf Stream, have a mean tempera- 

 ture above the freezing point. Of all the countries situ- 

 ated in the same latitude as Finland, the Scandinavian 

 peninsula alone has a milder climate. Russia in Europe, 

 on the other hand, is much more cold. The isothermal 

 line of + 2 centigrade passes in Finland by the Govern- 

 ment of Wasa and of Kuopio, under 64 lat., but after having 

 entered Russia it gradually curves southward, and crosses 

 the river Oural at 53. Abo and Helsingfors have a mean 

 temperature higher than that of Samara and Orenburg in 

 52 30' and 54 50'. At Abo the mean temperature of the 

 year is + 4'6 centigrade, and at Helsingfors, according tc 

 observations made from time to time during twenty-one 

 years, the mean temperature of these was + 4' 11. The 

 mean temperature of the different months was 



January, 



February, 



March, 



April, 



May, 



June, 



July, 



6-66 deg. Cent. 



7-89 



3'9G 



+ 1-16 



+ 7-66 



+ 13-86 



+ 16-78 



