Baltic Sea

Map of the Baltic Sea.

The Baltic Sea is a sea in northern Europe between Scandinavia, Finland, Russia, the Baltic countries, Poland, and Germany.

Many big rivers in the surrounding countries drain into the Baltic Sea. The Baltic Sea is connected to the ocean through the narrow and shallow Danish straits and belts. For this reason, the water has a low amount of salt, so the northern parts of the sea freeze over in the winter. The ice can carry cars, and roads are established every winter between the islands in the archipelagos between Sweden and Finland.

For several thousand years, the Baltic Sea has connected the countries at her shores. For that reason, there are many cultural similarities in these countries. Since all of these countries are European, this sea is also considered European.

Baltic Sea Media

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  Helinsummer

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  Danish straits and southwestern Baltic Sea

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  Åland between Baltic Proper and the Gulf of Bothnia

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  Cape Arkona on the island of Rügen in Germany, was a sacred site of the Rani tribe before Christianization.

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  Main trading routes of the Hanseatic League (Hanse).

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  The naval Battle of the Sound took place on 8 November 1658 during the Dano-Swedish War.

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  Nautical chart of the Baltic Sea in 1919.

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  The burning Cap Arcona shortly after the attacks, 3 May 1945. Only 350 survived of the 4,500 prisoners who had been aboard

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  In 1981, the Soviet submarine S-363 ran on ground deep inside Swedish territorial waters, an incident which illustrated the impact of the Cold War on the Baltic Sea.

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  Baltic drainage basins (catchment area), with depth, elevation, major rivers and lakes

Other websites

Media related to Baltic Sea at Wikimedia Commons