High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The Stora Alvaret is a limestone barren plain on the island of Oland, Sweden. Because of the thin soil mantle and high pH levels, a great assortment of vegetation is found including numerous rare species. Stora Alvaret has been designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO due to its extraordinary biodiversity and prehistory. The area of this formation exceeds 260 square kilometres (100 sq mi), making it the largest such expanse in Europe and comprising over one fourth of the land area of the island. Stora Alvaret is not devoid of trees, contrary to a common misconception; in fact, it holds a variety of sparse stunted trees akin to a pygmy forest. The Stora Alvaret, sometimes called the Great Alvar, is a dagger shaped expanse almost 40 kilometres (25 mi) long and about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) at the widest north end. Данное издание представляет собой компиляцию сведений, находящихся в свободном доступе в среде Интернет в целом, и в...