Key Facts about Baltic Sea
The Swedish Prime Minister has said the Baltic Sea is now a “high risk” zone as he met Nordic and Baltic leaders’ days after a suspected sabotage attack on undersea cables.
About Baltic Sea:
- It is a semi-enclosed inland sea located in Northern Europe.
- It is an arm of the North Atlantic Ocean.
- It extends northward from the latitude of southern Denmark almost to the Arctic Circle and separating the Scandinavian Peninsulafrom the rest of continental Europe.
- It connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the Danish Straits.
- It has a coastline of approximately 8,000 km.
- Surrounding Countries: Denmark, Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Russia, Finland, and Sweden.
- It covers an area of approximately 377,000 sq.km. The sea is approximately 1,600 km long and 193 km wide.
- It is connected to the White Sea via the White Sea Canal and to the North Sea’sGerman Bight via the Kiel Canal.
- The Baltic Sea contains three major gulfs: the Gulf of Bothnia to the north, the Gulf of Finland to the east, and the Gulf of Riga slightly to the south of that.
- It is often cited as the world’s largest brackish inland water body.
- Its water salinity levels are lower than that of the World Oceans due to the inflow of fresh water from the surrounding land and the sea’s shallowness.
- More than 250 rivers and streams empty their waters into the Baltic Sea. Neva is the largest river that drains into the Baltic Sea.
- Islands: It is home to over 20 islands and archipelagos. Gotland, located off the coast of Sweden, is the largest island in the Baltic Sea.
Q1: What is a Gulf?
The Gulf is a portion of the sea that is almost surrounded by land except one narrow opening. Gulfs are formed when a giant rock collapses or when a piece of land sinks. This causes a big indentation in the area, and the water eventually fills it up. Gulfs are also formed through a natural process of erosion.