The Central Baltic Sea

The Central Baltic Sea is a Mediterranean sea. It is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean. The Central Baltic Sea is enclosed by Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Russia, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, North and Central European Plain, and the Scandinavia.

The Central Baltic Sea has a limited water exchange and drains into the Kattegat through the Danish islands through a means of the Great Belt, the Little Belt, and the Oresund. This sea consists of the Gulf of Riga, the Gulf of Finland, the Gulf of Bothnia, the Bay of Gdansk, and the Bay of Bothnia.

During the Roman Empire, the Central Baltic Sea was usually referred to as the Mare Suebicum or the Mare Saramaticum. It was between the 8th and 14th centuries that the Central Baltic Sea became a popular region for the pirates from Prussia and Pomerania.

Central Baltic Sea Facts for Kids

• The Baltic Sea is bordered by several regions and water bodies on all sides. By the edge, the Baltic is bordered by the Aland Islands and the Gulf of Bothnia. It is bordered by the Gulf of Finland by the northeastern edge; the Gulf of Riga by the eastern edge; and the southern Scandinavia Peninsula which belongs to Sweden by the western edge.
• The sea has connections with the White Sea via the White Sea Canal which is made possible by artificial waterways. Also, it is connected to the North Sea’ German Bight through the Kiel Canal.
• The Central Baltic Sea has a width that has been measured to be 120 miles, and a maximum length of around 995 miles. The sea has a water volume of 21,700km cubes. The Central Baltic Sea also covers a total area of 146,000 square miles with an average depth of 180 feet and a maximum depth believed to be about 1,506 feet.
• The central Baltic Sea has a shoreline that covers 5,000 miles, and the sea is protected by the Helsinki Convention on Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area.
• Since the World War II, the Central Baltic Sea has become a top choice dumping ground for chemical weapons for countries including the Soviet Union, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
• Between the years 1950 to 2000, there were 110 floods in Warnemunde. Therefore, the Central Baltic Sea is a region prone to flooding as a result of storm surges. Some floods have been recorded, and many of them regarded as historical such as the 1304 All Saints’ Flood and other floods in 1320, 1449, 1625, 1694, 1784, and 1825.
• The flood with the highest volume has been recorded as the one of 1872 when the Warnemunde sea level was 8 feet above the sea level.
• The Gulf of Finland connects the Central Baltic Sea to St Petersburg.
• About 45% of the sea is covered by ice.
• While the Central Baltic Sea is considered to be a sea, the salinity (degree of saltiness) of the water is not considered to be of ocean water.
• The Central Baltic Sea has several island and archipelagos located around it. Some of them include the Archipelago Sea, Gotland, Kotlin, Rugen, West Estonian Archipelago, Hailuoto, Falster, and Oland.
• The sea has major tributaries which include the Neva, the Daugava, the Neman, the Vistula, the Oder, the Lulea, the Narva, the Kemijoki, and more.
• The drainage basin of the Central Baltic Sea is almost four times the entire surface area of the sea itself. About 48% of the region where the Central Baltic Sea is located is covered by forests. Majority of the forests are covered by Finland and Sweden. Approximately 20% of the land is being used for the purpose of agriculture. Another 17% is unused, while 8% are wetlands.