Baltic Sea : In News
Sweden recently seized a ship suspected of having damaged a fibre-optic cable under the Baltic Sea linking the country to Latvia.
- Baltic Sea is one of the seas of the Atlantic Ocean, situated in Northern Europe.
- It is the youngest sea on the earth, 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.
- 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 connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Danish Straits, to the White Sea via the White Sea Canal and to the North Sea’s German Bight via 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.
- There are about 60 rivers draining into the Baltic Sea. Neva is the largest river amongst them.
- 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.
