Key Facts about Baltic Sea

Baltic Sea – Key Points

• Type: Semi-enclosed inland sea of the Atlantic Ocean, Northern Europe.
• Extent: From southern Denmark northward near the Arctic Circle.
• Separates: Scandinavian Peninsula & continental Europe.
• Branches & Basins:
  • Gulf of Bothnia
  • Gulf of Finland
  • Gulf of Riga
  • Baltic Proper
  • Danish Straits (Kattegat & Skagerrak → connect to North Sea).
• Connections:
  • White Sea-Baltic Canal (Russia, 1993) → to White Sea (Arctic Ocean).
  • Kiel Canal (Germany, 1895) → to North Sea.
• Coastline: ~8,000 km; bordering Sweden, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Finland, Estonia, Germany, Denmark, Russia.
• Special Features:
  • World’s largest brackish inland water body.
  • 20 islands & archipelagos; Gotland (Sweden) largest.
• Environmental Issue: Algal Harmful Blooms (eutrophication).