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There is a lighthouse on the Finnish side of the current border, which has been unmanned and automated since 1979. When it was built by the Russians and Finns in 1885 there were no clear maps of the island. After the completion of the lighthouse, it was discovered that it had been built on the Swedish part of the island.


The island lighthouse.
Another view of the lighthouse.As a result, the border was adjusted in 1985 so that the lighthouse is now located on Finnish territory.[3] However, the overall land area given to each country could not change, and neither could the coastline, so as not to interfere with each country's fishing rights.

This dilemma resulted in an unusual shape for the international border, one that ingeniously satisfied both Finnish and Swedish interests. The adjusted border takes the form of an inverted 'S', and the lighthouse is connected to the rest of Finland only by a short stretch of land. The border is regularly resurveyed every 25 years by officials representing both countries. The last such joint inspection took place in August 2006.[4]