It is one of the major concentrations of Swedish-speakers in the country, together with coastal Ostrobothnia, southern Uusimaa, and Åland.

There are over 20,000 islands in the area, mostly sparsely inhabited, and many people from around Turku and Helsinki have summer residences there.

Politically the sub-region, like other areas in Finland with a Swedish-speaking majority, is largely ruled by the Swedish People's Party (SFP) which received 57 per cent of the vote in the last municipal elections in 2004.

The Archipelago Ring Road (Swedish: Skärgårdens Ringväg, Finnish: Saariston Rengastie) connects the municipalities by bridges and ferries.

The Guardian's journalist Tristan Parker wrote on July 29, 2021 an article praising about the Turku Archipelago, mentioning that "nowhere has the gentle magic of the smaller islands – or their wildlife.