Baltic Sea

Baltic Sea Latest News

Germany’s air force recently sent two Eurofighters to track a Russian IL-20M military aircraft that had entered neutral airspace over the Baltic Sea before handing the escort over to NATO partners in Sweden.

About Baltic Sea

• It is a semi-enclosed inland sea of the Atlantic Ocean, situated in Northern Europe.
• It extends northward from southern Denmark to within a few degrees latitude of the Arctic Circle, separating the Scandinavian Peninsula from continental Europe.
• It comprises several branches and basins, which include, from northeast to southwest, the Gulf of Bothnia, the Gulf of Finland, and the Gulf of Riga; the central-southern area known as the Baltic Proper; and the Danish straits of Kattegat and Skagerrak, which connect to the North Sea, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean. 
• To the east, the White Sea-Baltic Canal, opened by Russia in 1993, allows traffic from the Baltic—via the Gulf of Finland and a chain of rivers and major lakes—to the White Sea, itself an arm of the Arctic Ocean.
• To the southwest, the Kiel Canal, opened in 1895, cuts through the Jutland peninsula to connect the Baltic with the North Sea.
• It is the youngest sea on our planet, emerging some 10,000-15,000 years ago as the glaciers retreated at the end of the last Ice Age.
• It is approximately 1,600 km long and 193 km wide, covering an area of approximately 377,000 sq.km.
• Surrounding Countries: It has a coastline of approximately 8,000 km, shared by several countries, including Sweden, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Finland, Estonia, Germany, Denmark, and Russia. 
• 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. 
• There are about sixty rivers draining 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.
• Algal Harmful Blooms are also one of the issues that affect the Baltic Sea.

Source: TH

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