query: which countries border the baltic sea?

title: Baltic Sea

text: was an average of above sea level at Warnemünde and a maximum of above sea level in Warnemünde. In the last very heavy floods the average water levels reached above sea level in 1904, in 1913, in January 1954, on 2–4 November 1995 and on 21 February 2002. An arm of the North Atlantic Ocean, the Baltic Sea is enclosed by Sweden and Denmark to the west, Finland to the northeast, the Baltic countries to the southeast, and the North European Plain to the southwest. It is about long, an average of wide, and an average of deep. The maximum

title: Baltic Sea

text: British and French fleet attacked the Russian fortresses in the Baltic. They bombarded Sveaborg, which guards Helsinki; and Kronstadt, which guards Saint Petersburg; and they destroyed Bomarsund in the Åland Islands. After the unification of Germany in 1871, the whole southern coast became German. World War I was partly fought in the Baltic Sea. After 1920 Poland was connected to the Baltic Sea by the Polish Corridor and enlarged the port of Gdynia in rivalry with the port of the Free City of Danzig. During World War II, Germany reclaimed all of the southern and much of the eastern shore

title: Baltic Sea

text: Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, enclosed by Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, northwest Russia, Poland, Germany and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 10°E to 30°E longitude. A mediterranean sea of the Atlantic, with limited water exchange between the two bodies, the Baltic Sea drains through the Danish islands into the Kattegat by way of the straits of Øresund, the Great Belt, and the Little Belt. It includes the Gulf of Bothnia, the Bay of Bothnia, the Gulf of Finland, the

title: Baltic Sea

text: Convention is the Helsinki Commission, also known as HELCOM, or Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission. The present contracting parties are Denmark, Estonia, the European Community, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia and Sweden. The ratification instruments were deposited by the European Community, Germany, Latvia and Sweden in 1994, by Estonia and Finland in 1995, by Denmark in 1996, by Lithuania in 1997 and by Poland and Russia in November 1999. Notes Bibliography Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, enclosed by Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, northwest Russia, Poland, Germany and the North

title: Baltic Sea

text: average six to seven times per decade. Since 1980 it has been much less frequent, although a very large inflow occurred in 2014. The rating of mean discharges differs from the ranking of hydrological lengths (from the most distant source to the sea) and the rating of the nominal lengths. Göta älv, a tributary of the Kattegat, is not listed, as due to the northward upper low-salinity-flow in the sea, its water hardly reaches the Baltic proper: Countries that border the sea: Countries that are in the drainage basin but do not border the sea: The Baltic sea drainage basin

title: Baltic Sea watchtower, Börgerende

text: Baltic Sea watchtower, Börgerende The Baltic Sea watchtower () in Börgerende is an old watchtower that belonged to the Coastal Brigade ("Grenzbrigade Küste") of the East German Border Troops. As a maritime border observation tower (of type BT 11) it belonged to a series of originally 27 towers of this type on the Baltic Sea coast of East Germany, of which two have survived. The other remaining tower is in Kühlungsborn. The tower is located right next to the beach. The East German border soldiers had the mission of observing shipping movements on the Baltic Sea and identifying escape attempts.

title: Baltic Sea

text: Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area includes the Baltic Sea and the Kattegat, without calling Kattegat a part of the Baltic Sea, "For the purposes of this Convention the 'Baltic Sea Area' shall be the Baltic Sea and the Entrance to the Baltic Sea, bounded by the parallel of the Skaw in the Skagerrak at 57°44.43'N." Traffic history Historically, the Kingdom of Denmark collected Sound Dues from ships at the border between the ocean and the land-locked Baltic Sea. They were collected in the Øresund at Kronborg castle near Helsingør, in the Great Belt at Nyborg. In the Little

title: Baltic Sea

text: of the basin is about and yearly runoff is about . The open surface waters of the Baltic Sea "proper" generally have a salinity of 0.3 to 0.9%, which is border-line freshwater. The flow of fresh water into the sea from approximately two hundred rivers and the introduction of salt from the southwest builds up a gradient of salinity in the Baltic Sea. The highest surface salinities, generally 0.7–0.9%, is in the southwestern-most part of the Baltic, in the Arkona and Bornholm Basins (the former located roughly between southeast Zealand and Bornholm, and the latter directly east of Bornholm). It

title: Baltic Sea

text: provides for navigation of large ships into and out of the Baltic Sea. The Baltic Sea is the main trade route for export of Russian petroleum. Many of the countries neighboring the Baltic Sea have been concerned about this, since a major oil leak in a seagoing tanker would be disastrous for the Baltic—given the slow exchange of water. The tourism industry surrounding the Baltic Sea is naturally concerned about oil pollution. Much shipbuilding is carried out in the shipyards around the Baltic Sea. The largest shipyards are at Gdańsk, Gdynia, and Szczecin, Poland; Kiel, Germany; Karlskrona and Malmö, Sweden;

title: Baltic Sea Academy

text: EU Commissioner Günther Oettinger or in 2012 EU Commissioner Algirdas Šemeta. Following the conferences, presentations, academic papers and discussions are published in a book by the Baltic Sea Academy. The Baltic Sea Academy publishes peer-reviewed papers from conferences and strategic programs on an irregular basis. So far the following publications have been printed: Baltic Sea Academy The Baltic Sea Academy is a network of 15 universities from 9 countries bordering the Baltic Sea region. It was initiated by the Hanseatic Parliament and established as a nonprofit organization association in February 2010 . The common objective is to bridge the gap

title: Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference

text: countries of the Baltic Sea Region. Members and Observers: StPetersburg,Kaliningrad，Ｋａｒｅｌｉａ，Ｌｅｎｉｎｇｒａｄ Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference The Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference (BSPC) was established in 1991 as a forum for political dialogue between parliamentarians from the Baltic Sea Region. BSPC aims at raising awareness and opinion on issues of current political interest and relevance for the Baltic Sea Region. It promotes and drives various initiatives and efforts to support a sustainable environmental, social and economic development of the Baltic Sea Region. It strives at enhancing the visibility of the Baltic Sea Region and its issues in a wider European context. BSPC external

title: Baltic Sea watchtower, Kühlungsborn

text: attempts as well as those prevented by the border guards. One of the most famous escapees was Peter Döbler, who swam across the Baltic Sea in 1969, reaching the island of Fehmarn 40 km away after about 25 hours. In the exhibition room next to the watchtower are several items used for escapes, such as the inflatable boat that took a family with two children. Some of the soldiers' issued equipment are also displayed. The impact of the former Baltic Sea frontier on local residents is described. Baltic Sea watchtower, Börgerende Baltic Sea watchtower, Kühlungsborn The Baltic Sea watchtower ()

title: Baltic Sea Action Group

text: continues to work on new commitments and follows the old ones. Baltic Sea Action Summit process materialized next as a high-level Baltic Sea Forum April 5. - 6. 2013 in St. Petersburg, Russia. The forum hosted by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev gathered together Prime Ministers and Ministers of Environment of Baltic Sea countries as well as representatives of Russian and international businesses. Baltic Sea Action Group operates under the "Foundation for a Living Baltic Sea" to execute concrete projects to restore the sea. The official name of the foundation has been translated into all 14 languages spoken in the Baltic

title: Baltic Sea Academy

text: Baltic Sea Academy The Baltic Sea Academy is a network of 15 universities from 9 countries bordering the Baltic Sea region. It was initiated by the Hanseatic Parliament and established as a nonprofit organization association in February 2010 . The common objective is to bridge the gap between the small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) and the academic world. The Baltic Sea Academy is actively supporting companies with concrete R&D solutions, but is also creating and implementing tailor made curricula for SMEs. The promotion of innovative solutions for SMEs is a priority for the realised R&D tasks, with regards to the

title: Baltic Sea watchtower, Kühlungsborn

text: Baltic Sea watchtower, Kühlungsborn The Baltic Sea watchtower () in Kühlungsborn is an old East German border troops watchtower that was manned by the Coastal Brigade ("Grenzbrigade Küste") or GBK. As a maritime observation town of type BT 11 it was one of a series of originally 27 towers of this type on the coast of East Germany, of which only two survive. The tower was built in 1972 and is located in Kühlungsborn Ost immediately next to the beach promenade, not far from the pier. The border defence soldiers of the Coastal Brigade had the task of observing shipping

title: Geology of the Baltic Sea

text: Swedish Dome deflected Eridanos river from its original path across south-central Sweden into a course south of Sweden in the Pliocene. Glacial erosion has superficially scoured an elongated area of the Baltic spanning from northern Småland, via Stockholm and Åland to the coast at the Finnish-Russian border. The scoured area and other zones made up of crystalline Fennoscandian Shield rocks (northern and western Baltic Sea) have experienced overall very limited glacial erosion during the Quaternary. Bathymetry of linear depressions in the Baltic seabed shows that the depression has been subject to glacial overdeepening. The date during which glacier ice carved

title: Baltic Sea hypoxia

text: growth of cyanobacteria. When the cyanobacteria die and sink to the bottom they consume oxygen leading to further hypoxia and more phosphorus is released from bottom sediments. This process creates a vicious circle of eutrophication that helps to sustain itself. The countries surrounding the Baltic Sea have established the HELCOM Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission to protect and improve the environmental health of the Baltic Sea. In 2007, the Member States accepted the Baltic Sea Action Plan to reduce nutrients. Because the public and media have been frustrated by the lack of progress in improving the environmental status of the

title: Baltic Sea

text: borders of Poland, Russia and Lithuania. First mentions of amber deposits on the South coast of the Baltic Sea date back to the 12th century. The bordering countries have also traditionally exported lumber, wood tar, flax, hemp and furs by ship across the Baltic. Sweden had from early medieval times exported iron and silver mined there, while Poland had and still has extensive salt mines. Thus the Baltic Sea has long been crossed by much merchant shipping. The lands on the Baltic's eastern shore were among the last in Europe to be converted to Christianity. This finally happened during the

title: Baltic Sea Region Programme

text: the countries of the Baltic Sea Region to reduce ship and port emissions, and increase competitiveness in the marine industry. It is an environmentalist project led by the Baltic Institute of Finland. The project's aims are in line with the International Maritime Organization's recommendations to reduce sulphur oxide (SOx) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from ships in the Baltic Sea progressively by 2015. These two oxides are the main cause of eutrophication, which is an environmental effect that limits water nutrients and endangers sea life. The new Tier III for NOx emission standard's goal is 80% lower in comparison with

title: Baltic Sea

text: of Kiel are parts of the Baltic Sea. Another usual border is the line between Falsterbo, Sweden and Stevns Klint, Denmark, as this is the southern border of Øresund. It's also the border between the shallow southern Øresund (with a typical depth of 5–10 meters only) and notably deeper water. Hydrography and biology Drogden Sill (depth of ) sets a limit to Øresund and Darss Sill (depth of ), and a limit to the Belt Sea. The shallow sills are obstacles to the flow of heavy salt water from the Kattegat into the basins around Bornholm and Gotland. The Kattegat

title: Baltic Sea watchtower, Kühlungsborn

text: be alerted immediately. The Baltic Sea border tower dominated the landscape of the Baltic Sea coast. Soldiers of the Border Brigade patrolled the beach, and were supported as needed by mobile searchlights and fully equipped service vehicles. A society prevented the planned demolition of the tower in 1990 and, on their own initiative, restored the building and the technical facilities. In 1991 the border tower was declared a historic monument and it is included in the list of heritage monuments in Kühlungsborn. The tower is accessible using an internal steel ladder. Information boards around the tower describe various successful escape

title: Council of the Baltic Sea States

text: based on a coherent and multidisciplinary approach; To promote comprehensive and sustainable child protection in order to prevent and respond to all forms of violence against children through a multi-sectorial approach and increased cooperation between relevant authorities and other stakeholders in the Baltic Sea Region; To strengthen societal resilience to disasters and hazards in all stages of crises through adequate prevention, preparedness, response and recovery; To enhance interoperability and strategic macro-regional cooperation enabling assistance and rapid response to cross-border accidents and emergencies, including disasters that may have cross-border consequences and impact; Council of the Baltic Sea States The Council of

title: Baltic Sea watchtower, Börgerende

text: By means of a fixed telescope with high magnification the four man crew could observe a wide area of up to 12 nautical miles distance from the observation platform. The tower is recorded in the List of heritage monuments in Börgerende. The tower is accessible using a ladder on the inside. It is currently being restored. Baltic Sea watchtower, Börgerende The Baltic Sea watchtower () in Börgerende is an old watchtower that belonged to the Coastal Brigade ("Grenzbrigade Küste") of the East German Border Troops. As a maritime border observation tower (of type BT 11) it belonged to a series

title: Baltic Sea

text: depth is which is on the Swedish side of the center. The surface area is about and the volume is about . The periphery amounts to about of coastline. The Baltic Sea is one of the largest brackish inland seas by area, and occupies a basin (a "zungenbecken") formed by glacial erosion during the last few ice ages. Physical characteristics of the Baltic Sea, its main sub-regions, and the transition zone to the Skagerrak/North Sea area The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Baltic Sea as follows: The northern part of the Baltic Sea is known as the

title: Baltic Sea

text: Gulf of Bothnia, of which the northernmost part is the Bay of Bothnia or Bothnian Bay. The more rounded southern basin of the gulf is called Bothnian Sea and immediately to the south of it lies the Sea of Åland. The Gulf of Finland connects the Baltic Sea with Saint Petersburg. The Gulf of Riga lies between the Latvian capital city of Riga and the Estonian island of Saaremaa. The Northern Baltic Sea lies between the Stockholm area, southwestern Finland and Estonia. The Western and Eastern Gotland Basins form the major parts of the Central Baltic Sea or Baltic proper.

title: Baltic Sea

text: of the Baltic states and Poland, the Baltic Sea has been almost entirely surrounded by countries of the European Union (EU). The only remaining non-EU shore areas are Russian: the Saint Petersburg area and the exclave of the Kaliningrad Oblast. Winter storms begin arriving in the region during October. These have caused numerous shipwrecks, and contributed to the extreme difficulties of rescuing passengers of the ferry "M/S Estonia" en route from Tallinn, Estonia, to Stockholm, Sweden, in September 1994, which claimed the lives of 852 people. Older, wood-based shipwrecks such as the "Vasa" tend to remain well-preserved, as the Baltic's

title: Baltic Sea Region Programme

text: Baltic Sea Region Programme The Baltic Sea Region Programme 2007–2013 ("alias" INTERREG IV B programme for the Baltic Sea region) is a support programme part-financed by the :European Union and Norway. It is one of the mainstream Structural Funds programmes under the European Community’s territorial co-operation objective. The Programme will support transnational projects working together for balanced and sustainable development of the European territory. The eligible co-operation area includes EU member states Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Sweden and northern parts of Germany, as well as the neighbouring countries of Norway, north-west regions of Russia and Belarus. Strategic objective

title: Ports of the Baltic Sea

text: Ports of the Baltic Sea There are over 200 ports in the Baltic Sea. When only those ports that handle a minimum of 50,000 tonnes of cargo annually, and where at least part of this cargo is international are taken into account, the number of ports reaches approximately 190. In 2008, the total amount of cargo handled in the Baltic Sea ports amounted to 822.4 million tonnes, which was 0.4 per cent less than in 2007. Primorsk, Saint Petersburg and Muuga were the biggest ports in the Baltic Sea in 2008. Together the three top ports handled over one fifth

title: Baltic Sea

text: seventeenth centuries, Poland, Denmark, and Sweden fought wars for "Dominium maris baltici" ("Lordship over the Baltic Sea"). Eventually, it was Sweden that virtually encompassed the Baltic Sea. In Sweden the sea was then referred to as "Mare Nostrum Balticum" ("Our Baltic Sea"). The goal of Swedish warfare during the 17th century was to make the Baltic Sea an all-Swedish sea ("Ett Svenskt innanhav"), something that was accomplished except the part between Riga in Latvia and Stettin in Pomerania. However, the Dutch dominated Baltic trade in the seventeenth century. In the eighteenth century, Russia and Prussia became the leading powers over

title: Baltic Sea

text: number of glacial relict species, isolated populations of arctic species which have remained in the Baltic Sea since the last glaciation, such as the large isopod "Saduria entomon", the Baltic subspecies of ringed seal, and the fourhorn sculpin. Some of these relicts are derived from glacial lakes, such as "Monoporeia affinis", which is a main element in the benthic fauna of the low-salinity Bothnian Bay. Cetaceans in Baltic Sea have been monitored by the ASCOBANS. Critically endangered populations of Atlantic white-sided dolphins and harbor porpoises inhabit the sea where white-colored porpoises have been recorded, and occasionally oceanic and out-of-range species

title: Baltic Sea

text: a new convention was signed in 1992 by all the states bordering on the Baltic Sea, and the European Community. After ratification the Convention entered into force on 17 January 2000. The Convention covers the whole of the Baltic Sea area, including inland waters and the water of the sea itself, as well as the seabed. Measures are also taken in the whole catchment area of the Baltic Sea to reduce land-based pollution. The Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area, 1992, entered into force on 17 January 2000. The governing body of the

title: Geology of the Baltic Sea

text: Geology of the Baltic Sea The Geology of the Baltic Sea is characterized by having areas located both at the Baltic Shield of the East European Craton and the Danish-North German-Polish Caledonides. There is a distinction between what is the current Baltic Sea depression, formed in the Cenozoic Era, and the much older sedimentary basins whose sediments are preserved in the zone. Although glacial erosion has contributed to shape the present depression, the Baltic trough is largely a depression of tectonic origin that existed long before the Quaternary glaciation. The Baltic Sea sedimentary basin was formed on top of the

title: Baltic Sea cruiseferries

text: Baltic Sea cruiseferries The Baltic Sea is crossed by several cruiseferry lines. Some important shipping companies are Viking Line, Silja Line, Tallink, St. Peter Line, Eckerö Line and Birka Line. Tallink and Viking Line operate competing cruiseferries on the routes Stockholm - Turku and Stockholm - Helsinki, calling in Åland (Mariehamn or Långnäs). Additionally, Tallink sails Stockholm - Mariehamn - Tallinn and Stockholm - Riga. Tallink, Viking Line and Eckerö Line compete on the Helsinki - Tallinn route, which is also the busiest route in the Baltic Sea, travelled by over 6 million people in 2008. Baltic routes are mostly

title: Baltic Sea hypoxia

text: Baltic Sea, there have been calls for large-scale engineering solutions to add oxygen back into bottom waters and bring life back to the dead zones. An international committee evaluated different ideas and came to the conclusion that large-scale engineering approaches are not able to add oxygen to the extremely large dead zones in the Baltic Sea without completely changing the Baltic Sea ecosystem. The best long-term solution is to implement policies and measures to reduce the load of nutrients to the Baltic Sea. Baltic Sea hypoxia Baltic Sea hypoxia refers to low levels of oxygen in bottom waters, also known

title: The I.V. Stalin White Sea – Baltic Sea Canal

text: The I.V. Stalin White Sea – Baltic Sea Canal The I.V. Stalin White Sea – Baltic Sea Canal (Russian: Беломорско - Балтийский канал имени Сталина: История строительства, 1931 - 1934 гг. (Stalin’s White Sea - Baltic Kanal: History of Construction 1931 - 1934)) is a 1934 Soviet historical volume detailing the construction of the White Sea-Baltic Sea Canal and the labor used to construct it. The volume was edited and compiled by Maxim Gorky and contributed to by various other Soviet writers. In 1935, the work was translated from Russian into English and subsequently published in England as "The White

title: Baltic Sea Region Programme

text: Tier I, whereas marine fuel cannot exceed SOx level of 0.1% which should be enough to revert the current situation of the Baltic Sea Region by 2040. BSR InnoShip is financed by Interreg's Baltic Sea Region Programme. Baltic Sea Region Programme The Baltic Sea Region Programme 2007–2013 ("alias" INTERREG IV B programme for the Baltic Sea region) is a support programme part-financed by the :European Union and Norway. It is one of the mainstream Structural Funds programmes under the European Community’s territorial co-operation objective. The Programme will support transnational projects working together for balanced and sustainable development of the European

title: Baltic Sea

text: believe the name derives from the god Baldr of Nordic mythology. In the Middle Ages the sea was known by a variety of names. The name Baltic Sea became dominant only after 1600. Usage of "Baltic" and similar terms to denote the region east of the sea started only in 19th century. The Baltic Sea was known in ancient Latin language sources as "Mare Suebicum" or even "Mare Germanicum". Older native names in languages that used to be spoken on the shores of the sea or near it usually indicate the geographical location of the sea (in Germanic languages), or

title: Baltic Sea

text: Belt, the Little Belt and The Sound ("Öresund"/"Øresund"), connect the Baltic Sea with the Kattegat and Skagerrak strait in the North Sea. The water temperature of the Baltic Sea varies significantly depending on exact location, season and depth. At the Bornholm Basin, which is located directly east of the island of the same name, the surface temperature typically falls to during the peak of the winter and rises to during the peak of the summer, with an annual average of around . A similar pattern can be seen in the Gotland Basin, which is located between the island of Gotland

title: Baltic Sea

text: species from these groups, with the exception of the Gulf of Finland with more than 750 species. However, even the most diverse sections of the Baltic Sea have far less species than the almost-full saltwater Kattegat, which is home to more than 1600 species from these groups. The lack of tides has affected the marine species as compared with the Atlantic. Since the Baltic Sea is so young there are only two or three known endemic species: the brown alga "Fucus radicans" and the flounder "Platichthys solemdali". Both appear to have evolved in the Baltic basin and were only recognized

title: Baltic Sea

text: as species in 2005 and 2018 respectively, having formerly been confused with more widespread relatives. The tiny Copenhagen cockle ("Parvicardium hauniense"), a rare mussel, is sometimes considered endemic, but has now been recorded in the Mediterranean. However, some consider non-Baltic records to be misidentifications of juvenile lagoon cockles ("Cerastoderma glaucum"). Several widespread marine species have distinctive subpopulations in the Baltic Sea adapted to the low salinity, such as the Baltic Sea forms of the Atlantic herring and lumpsucker, which are smaller than the widespread forms in the North Atlantic. A peculiar feature of the fauna is that it contains a

title: White Sea–Baltic Canal

text: White Sea–Baltic Canal The White Sea–Baltic Canal (, , ), often abbreviated to White Sea Canal () is a ship canal in Russia opened on 2 August 1933. It connects the White Sea, in the Arctic Ocean, with Lake Onega, which is further connected to the Baltic Sea. Until 1961, its original name was the Stalin White Sea–Baltic Canal ("Belomorsko-Baltiyskiy Kanal imeni Stalina"). The canal was constructed by forced labor of gulag inmates. Beginning and ending with a labor force of 126,000, between 12,000 and 240,000 laborers died according to official records, and accounts in the works of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.

title: Geology of the Baltic Sea

text: wells have revealed the existence of petroleum of Lower Paleozoic age beneath Gotland. Bibliography Geology of the Baltic Sea The Geology of the Baltic Sea is characterized by having areas located both at the Baltic Shield of the East European Craton and the Danish-North German-Polish Caledonides. There is a distinction between what is the current Baltic Sea depression, formed in the Cenozoic Era, and the much older sedimentary basins whose sediments are preserved in the zone. Although glacial erosion has contributed to shape the present depression, the Baltic trough is largely a depression of tectonic origin that existed long before

title: Ports of the Baltic Sea

text: of total cargo volumes in the Baltic Sea in 2008. This table lists statistics (2002) (Świnoujście, Szczecin and Helsinki - 2004, Lübeck and Rostock - 2005, Gdynia, Klaipėda, Gdańsk, Riga, Liepāja - 2010) for the major ports of the Baltic Sea. Container traffic is given in terms of Twenty-foot equivalent units of cargo. Ports of the Baltic Sea There are over 200 ports in the Baltic Sea. When only those ports that handle a minimum of 50,000 tonnes of cargo annually, and where at least part of this cargo is international are taken into account, the number of ports reaches

title: Baltic Sea

text: feed underneath the ice and breed on its surface. Of these two seals, only the Baltic ringed seal suffers when there is not adequate ice in the Baltic Sea, as it feeds its young only while on ice. The grey seal is adapted to reproducing also with no ice in the sea. The sea ice also harbours several species of algae that live in the bottom and inside unfrozen brine pockets in the ice. The Baltic Sea flows out through the Danish straits; however, the flow is complex. A surface layer of brackish water discharges per year into the North

title: Baltic Sea

text: such as minke whales, bottlenose dolphins, beluga whales, orcas, and beaked whales visit the waters. In recent years, very small, but with increasing rates, fin whales and humpback whales migrate into Baltic sea including mother and calf pair. Now extinct Atlantic grey whales (remains found from Gräsö along Bothnian Sea/southern Bothnian Gulf and Ystad) and eastern population of North Atlantic right whales that is facing functional extinction once migrated into Baltic Sea. Other notable megafauna include the basking sharks. Satellite images taken in July 2010 revealed a massive algal bloom covering in the Baltic Sea. The area of the bloom

title: Baltic Sea

text: parts of the Baltic Sea, and thus the entire sea did not freeze over. However, floating ice was additionally observed near Świnoujście harbour in January 2010. In recent years before 2011, the Bothnian Bay and the Bothnian Sea were frozen with solid ice near the Baltic coast and dense floating ice far from it. In 2008, almost no ice formed except for a short period in March. During winter, fast ice, which is attached to the shoreline, develops first, rendering ports unusable without the services of icebreakers. Level ice, ice sludge, pancake ice, and rafter ice form in the more

title: Baltic Sea

text: in addition to coastal fringes in more southerly locations such as the Gulf of Riga. This description meant that the whole of the Baltic Sea was covered with ice. Since 1720, the Baltic Sea has frozen over entirely 20 times, most recently in early 1987, which was the most severe winter in Scandinavia since 1720. The ice then covered . During the winter of 2010–11, which was quite severe compared to those of the last decades, the maximum ice cover was , which was reached on 25 February 2011. The ice then extended from the north down to the northern

title: Baltic Sea

text: the Atlantic cod and European flounder, can survive at relatively low salinities, but need higher salinities to breed, which therefore occurs in deeper parts of the Baltic Sea. There is a decrease in species richness from the Danish belts to the Gulf of Bothnia. The decreasing salinity along this path causes restrictions in both physiology and habitats. At more than 600 species of invertebrates, fish, aquatic mammals, aquatic birds and macrophytes, the Arkona Basin (roughly between southeast Zealand and Bornholm) is far richer than other more eastern and northern basins in the Baltic Sea, which all have less than 400

title: Geology of the Baltic Sea

text: on the Baltic water body became the Yoldia Sea. About 10,700 years ago the continued land rise separed the Baltic water body from the ocean again and Yoldia Sea turned into the Ancylus Lake. This lake lasted until 10,000 years before present when a new connection to the ocean was established, this time in the Danish straits forming the Littorina Sea. Land rise did not close off Littorina sea but it made its connection the ocean over time more shallow allowing less salt water to enter it, thus gradually it evolved into the current Baltic Sea with somewhat brackish water.

title: Baltic Sea

text: the Baltic. They include the major rivers of north Europe, such as the Oder, the Vistula, the Neman, the Daugava and the Neva. Additional fresh water comes from the difference of precipitation less evaporation, which is positive. An important source of salty water are infrequent inflows of North Sea water into the Baltic. Such inflows, important to the Baltic ecosystem because of the oxygen they transport into the Baltic deeps, used to happen regularly until the 1980s. In recent decades they have become less frequent. The latest four occurred in 1983, 1993, 2003 and 2014 suggesting a new inter-inflow period

title: Baltic Sea

text: and the southwestern Baltic Sea are well oxygenated and have a rich biology. The remainder of the Sea is brackish, poor in oxygen and in species. Thus, statistically, the more of the entrance that is included in its definition, the healthier the Baltic appears; conversely, the more narrowly it is defined, the more endangered its biology appears. Tacitus called it "Mare Suebicum" after the Germanic people of the Suebi, and Ptolemy "Sarmatian Ocean" after the Sarmatians, but the first to name it the "Baltic Sea" ("Mare Balticum") was the eleventh-century German chronicler Adam of Bremen. The origin of the latter

title: Baltic Sea

text: the sea. Sweden's defeat in the Great Northern War brought Russia to the eastern coast. Russia became and remained a dominating power in the Baltic. Russia's Peter the Great saw the strategic importance of the Baltic and decided to found his new capital, Saint Petersburg, at the mouth of the Neva river at the east end of the Gulf of Finland. There was much trading not just within the Baltic region but also with the North Sea region, especially eastern England and the Netherlands: their fleets needed the Baltic timber, tar, flax and hemp. During the Crimean War, a joint

title: Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference

text: Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference The Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference (BSPC) was established in 1991 as a forum for political dialogue between parliamentarians from the Baltic Sea Region. BSPC aims at raising awareness and opinion on issues of current political interest and relevance for the Baltic Sea Region. It promotes and drives various initiatives and efforts to support a sustainable environmental, social and economic development of the Baltic Sea Region. It strives at enhancing the visibility of the Baltic Sea Region and its issues in a wider European context. BSPC external interfaces include parliamentary, governmental, sub-regional and other organizations in the

title: Baltic Sea

text: its size in relation to smaller gulfs (in Old Latvian), or tribes associated with it (in Old Russian the sea was known as the Varanghian Sea). In modern languages it is known by the equivalents of "East Sea", "West Sea", or "Baltic Sea" in different languages: At the time of the Roman Empire, the Baltic Sea was known as the "Mare Suebicum" or "Mare Sarmaticum". Tacitus in his AD 98 "Agricola" and "Germania" described the Mare Suebicum, named for the Suebi tribe, during the spring months, as a brackish sea where the ice broke apart and chunks floated about. The

title: Geology of the Baltic Sea

text: years of existence connected to the White Sea through Karelia due to the isostatic depression caused by the ice sheet of the earlier Saalian ice age. Little is known about the Baltic Sea during the oscillations of the Weichselian ice age, the last glaciation. The first Weichselian glaciations, corresponding to MIS 5b and 5d, penetrated parts of the Baltic Sea depression from north to south but did not got south beyond the Åland Islands. The Weichsel ice sheet reached northern Denmark about 65–60 thousand years ago. When the last ice sheet began to retreat north from the Baltic Sea depression

title: Baltic Sea hypoxia

text: Baltic Sea hypoxia Baltic Sea hypoxia refers to low levels of oxygen in bottom waters, also known as hypoxia, occurring regularly in the Baltic Sea. the total area of bottom covered with hypoxic waters with oxygen concentrations less than 2 mg/l in the Baltic Sea has averaged 49,000 km over the last 40 years. The ultimate cause of hypoxia is excess nutrient loading from human activities causing algal blooms. The blooms sink to the bottom and use oxygen to decompose at a rate faster than it can be added back into the system through the physical processes of mixing. The

title: Baltic Sea Action Group

text: Sea area. Baltic Sea Action Group The Baltic Sea Action Group (BSAG) is an independent foundation that does concrete work on behalf of the Baltic Sea, one of the most polluted seas in the world. BSAG is based in Helsinki, Finland but it operates throughout the entire Baltic Sea area. BSAG’s methods of operation are innovative and concentrated on problem solving. The foundation is an independent actor with a vast network of professionals for help and guidance. BSAG aims to execute the salvation work of the sea and accelerate the implementation of the Baltic Sea Action Plan by HELCOM. Operations

title: Baltic Sea

text: major variations from year to year. For example, the surface and bottom salinity in the Great Belt is typically around 2.0% and 2.8% respectively, which is only somewhat below that of the Kattegat. The water surplus caused by the continuous inflow of rivers and streams to the Baltic Sea means that there generally is a flow of brackish water out though the Danish straits to the Kattegat (and eventually the Atlantic). Significant flows in the opposite direction, salt water from the Kattegat through the Danish straits to the Baltic Sea, are less regular. From 1880 to 1980 inflows occurred on

title: Baltic Sea Action Group

text: Baltic Sea Action Group The Baltic Sea Action Group (BSAG) is an independent foundation that does concrete work on behalf of the Baltic Sea, one of the most polluted seas in the world. BSAG is based in Helsinki, Finland but it operates throughout the entire Baltic Sea area. BSAG’s methods of operation are innovative and concentrated on problem solving. The foundation is an independent actor with a vast network of professionals for help and guidance. BSAG aims to execute the salvation work of the sea and accelerate the implementation of the Baltic Sea Action Plan by HELCOM. Operations are carried

title: Baltic Sea

text: of about ten years. The water level is generally far more dependent on the regional wind situation than on tidal effects. However, tidal currents occur in narrow passages in the western parts of the Baltic Sea. The significant wave height is generally much lower than that of the North Sea. Violent and sudden storms often sweep the surface, due to large transient temperature differences and a long reach of wind. Seasonal winds also cause small changes in sea level, of the order of . The Baltic Sea is the world's largest inland brackish sea. Only two other brackish waters are

title: Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference

text: Baltic Sea Region and the Northern Dimension area, among them CBSS, HELCOM, the Northern Dimension Partnership in Health and Social Well-Being (NDPHS), the Baltic Sea Labour Network (BSLN), the Baltic Sea States Sub-regional Cooperation (BSSSC) and the Baltic Development Forum. BSPC shall initiate and guide political activities in the region; support and strengthen democratic institutions in the participating states; improve dialogue between governments, parliaments and civil society; strengthen the common identity of the Baltic Sea Region by means of close co-operation between national and regional parliaments on the basis of equality; and initiate and guide political activities in the Baltic

title: 1872 Baltic Sea flood

text: 1872 Baltic Sea flood The 1872 Baltic Sea flood (), often referred to as a storm flood, ravaged the Baltic Sea coast from Denmark to Pomerania, also affecting Sweden, during the night between 12–13 November 1872 and was, until then, the worst storm surge in the Baltic. The highest recorded peak water level was about 3.3 m above sea level (NN). In the days before the storm tide, a storm blew from the southwest across the Baltic that drove the sea towards Finland and "Balticum". The result was flooding there and extreme low water levels on the Danish-German coastlines. As

title: Southern Baltic Sea Parliamentary Forum

text: people the opportunity to intern in the office of a parliamentarian. This way, young people get an idea of how parliaments in the different regions and countries work and get to know the other country. Southern Baltic Sea Parliamentary Forum The Southern Baltic Sea Parliamentary Forum was founded in 2004 as a forum for the regional parliaments of Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern), West Pomerania (Westpommern), Pomerania (Pommern), Warmia-Masuria (Ermland-Masuren) and the administrative district of Kaliningrad. The regional parliament of the southern Swedish province Schonen is an associated Member. The already existing bilateral relations between the regional parliaments of Schleswig-Holstein

title: Baltic Sea

text: southern and eastern shores of the Baltic were settled by migrants mainly from Germany, a movement called the "Ostsiedlung" ("east settling"). Other settlers were from the Netherlands, Denmark, and Scotland. The Polabian Slavs were gradually assimilated by the Germans. Denmark gradually gained control over most of the Baltic coast, until she lost much of her possessions after being defeated in the 1227 Battle of Bornhöved. In the 13th to 16th centuries, the strongest economic force in Northern Europe was the Hanseatic League, a federation of merchant cities around the Baltic Sea and the North Sea. In the sixteenth and early

title: Baltic Sea

text: by occupying Poland and the Baltic states. In 1945, the Baltic Sea became a mass grave for retreating soldiers and refugees on torpedoed troop transports. The sinking of the "Wilhelm Gustloff" remains the worst maritime disaster in history, killing (very roughly) 9,000 people. In 2005, a Russian group of scientists found over five thousand airplane wrecks, sunken warships, and other material, mainly from World War II, on the bottom of the sea. Since the end of World War II, various nations, including the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and the United States, have disposed of chemical weapons in the Baltic

title: Baltic Sea

text: Gulf of Riga, and the Bay of Gdańsk. The Baltic Proper is bordered on its northern edge, at the latitude 60°N, by the Åland islands and the Gulf of Bothnia, on its northeastern edge by the Gulf of Finland, on its eastern edge by the Gulf of Riga, and in the west by the Swedish part of the southern Scandinavian Peninsula. The Baltic Sea is connected by artificial waterways to the White Sea via the White Sea Canal and to the German Bight of the North Sea via the Kiel Canal. Administration The Helsinki Convention on the Protection of the

title: Baltic Sea

text: before the Pleistocene, instead of the Baltic Sea, there was a wide plain around a great river that paleontologists call the Eridanos. Several Pleistocene glacial episodes scooped out the river bed into the sea basin. By the time of the last, or Eemian Stage (MIS 5e), the Eemian Sea was in place. Instead of a true sea, the Baltic can even today also be understood as the common estuary of all rivers flowing into it. From that time the waters underwent a geologic history summarized under the names listed below. Many of the stages are named after marine animals (e.g.

title: Swedish Baltic Sea Water Award

text: 2009 Helsinki Commission (HELCOM), Finland HELCOM works to protect the marine environment of the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution through intergovernmental co-operation between Denmark, Estonia, the European Community, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia and Sweden. HELCOM is governing the "Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area" (the Helsinki Convention) and has shown exemplary commitment to improving the Baltic Sea through the adoption of the Baltic Sea Action Plan. 2008 Prof. Krzysztof Edward Skóra, Hel Marine Station at the University of Gdańsk, Poland Professor Skóra received the award for his research which

title: Baltic Sea Action Group

text: out with comprehensive co-operation between the private and public sectors throughout the entire Baltic Sea area. BSAG gathers commitments to action to help the Baltic Sea from all kind of organizations.Commitments can be direct or indirect, financial or non-financial. In the best cases both the Sea and the commitment maker benefit substantially. In February 2010, BSAG organized Baltic Sea Action Summit together with the president of the Republic of Finland and the prime minister of Finland. The Heads of State and more than 140 companies and organizations around the Baltic Sea made concrete commitments for wellbeing of the Sea. BSAG

title: 1872 Baltic Sea flood

text: in February 1874, in which the remains of the buildings were destroyed and a layer of sand up to 60 cm thick left behind, Damerow was abandoned. This flood counts statistically as a 100-year flood. A storm flood of similar dimensions today would cause far more damage because the coastal region is much more densely populated than at that time. 1872 Baltic Sea flood The 1872 Baltic Sea flood (), often referred to as a storm flood, ravaged the Baltic Sea coast from Denmark to Pomerania, also affecting Sweden, during the night between 12–13 November 1872 and was, until then,

title: Baltic Sea hypoxia

text: can occur. the total area of bottom covered with hypoxic waters with oxygen concentrations less than 2 mg/l in the Baltic Sea has averaged 49,000 km over the last 40 years. In the Baltic Sea, the input of salt water from the North Sea through the Danish Straits is important in determining the area of hypoxia each year. Denser, saltier water comes into the Baltic Sea and flows along the bottom. Although large salt water inputs help to renew the bottom waters and increase oxygen concentrations, the new oxygen added with the salt water inflow is rapidly used to decompose

title: Baltic Sea anomaly

text: Baltic Sea anomaly The Baltic Sea anomaly refers to interpretations of an indistinct sonar image taken by Peter Lindberg, Dennis Åsberg and their Swedish "Ocean X" diving team while treasure hunting on the floor of the northern Baltic Sea at the center of the Bothnian Sea in June 2011. The team suggested their sonar image showed an object with unusual features of seemingly non-natural origin, prompting speculation published in tabloid newspapers that the object was a sunken UFO. A consensus of experts and scientists say that the image most likely shows a natural geological formation. The Swedish-based "Ocean X Team"

title: Baltic Sea anomaly

text: for a moment whether they are personally benefiting from the claim or if it's a truly objective observation." He also suggested that it would have been simple to break off a piece and have it geologically tested, and said that test results showing it was simply rock would not have benefited Peter Lindberg. Baltic Sea anomaly The Baltic Sea anomaly refers to interpretations of an indistinct sonar image taken by Peter Lindberg, Dennis Åsberg and their Swedish "Ocean X" diving team while treasure hunting on the floor of the northern Baltic Sea at the center of the Bothnian Sea in

title: Baltic Sea watchtower, Kühlungsborn

text: movements on the Baltic Sea and identifying escape attempts. By means of a fixed telescope with high magnification, the four-man crew could observe a wide area up to 12 nautical miles from the observation platform. At night the vicinity could be illuminated with a searchlight on the roof of the tower. The basic equipment on the observation deck included a radio station, a stand-by generator and heating. Below the windows were sealable embrasures for weapons. The guards recorded every apparently suspicious movement. The radio equipment was part of the border reporting network, so border patrol vessels and land-based units could

title: Baltic Sea

text: surface area and the depth of the sea are diminishing. The uplift is about eight millimetres per year on the Finnish coast of the northernmost Gulf of Bothnia. In the area, the former seabed is only gently sloping, leading to large areas of land being reclaimed in what are, geologically speaking, relatively short periods (decades and centuries). The "Baltic Sea anomaly" refers to interpretations of an indistinct sonar image taken by Swedish salvage divers on the floor of the northern Baltic Sea in June 2011. The treasure hunters suggested the image showed an object with unusual features of seemingly extraordinary

title: Baltic Sea campaigns (1939–45)

text: forces successfully protected the evacuation convoys, after which the ships were disarmed and scuttled. Only "VTV-1" was spared, being transported by rail to the Baltic. Soviet naval forces started their attacks on Onega on 26 June, and by the time they landed troops at Petrozavodsk on 28 June, the Finns had already left the area. Baltic Sea campaigns (1939–45) The Baltic Sea Campaigns were conducted by Axis and Allied naval forces in the Baltic Sea, its coastal regions, and the Gulf of Finland during World War II. After early fighting between Polish and German forces, the main combatants were Germany

title: Geology of the Baltic Sea

text: are however absent in the whole Baltic area except for the southern fringes. Scientists do not agree on how the present depression the Baltic Sea occupies formed. Scholars like Voipio (1981) and Šlaiupa (1995) consider the depression to have been formed in the Cenozoic, before the Quaternary, by tectonic processes. Some others like Marks (2004) stress erosion was key to the formation of the depression. In the Cenozoic, long before the Quaternary glaciations the Baltic was the site of a large river called Eridanos. This river drained west in direction towards the North Sea. The Neogene uplift of the South

title: Geology of the Baltic Sea

text: these troughs is not known but it could have happened during the first glaciations that affected the Baltic region. Alternatively overdeepening could have built-up gradually during the successive glaciations that affected the area. The hydrology, extent and nature of the Baltic Sea has varied considerably through the Quaternary. Its great overturns are linked to its geographic position, in particular its high latitude, that has made it prone to glaciations. During many Quaternary glaciations the whole depression was repeatedly covered by ice sheets. These glaciation have influenced the Baltic Sea depression by bringing eroded sediments from adjacent areas to the depression,

title: Baltic Sea Division

text: and moved towards Helsinki and Lahti. The Baltic Sea Division quickly took Helsinki from the Red Guards, who had previously deposed the official government in Helsinki. This enabled the Senate to return to Helsinki. On 11 November 1918, the armistice ended World War I. Von der Goltz and his division left Helsinki on 16 December 1918 Baltic Sea Division The Baltic Sea Division () was a 10,000 man German military unit commanded by Rüdiger von der Goltz. The core of the division comprised two army brigades from the German Eastern Front: 95. Reserve Infantry Brigade (led by Colonel K. Wolff)

title: Swedish Baltic Sea Water Award

text: aiming to safeguard the water environment in the part of the Baltic Sea nearest to the St. Petersburg area, which emits very large amounts of pollutants into the Baltic Sea. 2000 The City of Gdansk, Poland The City of Gdansk was honored for being the driving force behind the establishment of the Wschod wastewater treatment works, which receives and cleans wastewater from Gdansk and four other Polish cities and populated areas. The Wschod works has had a very clear, positive effect on the water quality in the Bay of Gdansk, a part of the Baltic Sea. 1999 PURAC of Poland

title: Baltic Sea

text: Oder-Neisse line, making room for displaced Poles and Russians. Poland gained most of the southern shore. The Soviet Union gained another access to the Baltic with the Kaliningrad Oblast. The Baltic states on the eastern shore were annexed by the Soviet Union. The Baltic then separated opposing military blocs: NATO and the Warsaw Pact. Had war broken out, the Polish navy was prepared to invade the Danish isles. This border status restricted trade and travel. It ended only after the collapse of the Communist regimes in Central and Eastern Europe in the late 1980s. Since May 2004, with the accession

text: celebrated construction project began to slip from public memory as its history was relegated and removed. In "The Gulag Archipelago", Alexander Solzhenitsyn describes the book as 'disgraceful' and 'the first in Russian literature to glorify slave labor.' Notably, not all of the volume’s final authors were part of the writers' brigade tour of the canal zone and, conversely, not all of the writers in the brigade went on to contribute to the volume. The 1935 American printing of Belomor lists the authors as: The I.V. Stalin White Sea – Baltic Sea Canal The I.V. Stalin White Sea – Baltic Sea

title: Nordic-Baltic Eight

text: Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden have signed a cross-border agreement on financial stability. The Nordic-Baltic Cooperation Agreement on Cross-border Financial Stability enhanced cooperation by establishing routines and procedures for information sharing and coordination. The aim is to reduce the risk of a financial crisis spreading cross-border, and to enhance possibilities to reach an efficient crisis management. By signing the agreement, the public authorities in the Nordic and Baltic countries increase their preparedness to handle problems in cross-border banks. The NB8 countries are jointly represented in the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. The Baltic states are members of the Nordic

title: Baltic Compass

text: the shallowness and enclosedness of the Baltic Sea make it very vulnerable. The Baltic Sea has 9 riparian countries and therefore close international cooperation as well as sectoral cooperation is needed in order to move towards healthier ecosystems in the whole Baltic Sea Region. Baltic Compass aims to reduce euthrophication through transnational approach, by increasing cooperation between the environmental and agricultural sectors in the Baltic Sea region. Baltic Compass is a Pan Baltic project with the 22 partners. They represent national authorities, interest organizations and innovation centres in Belarus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Sweden and Russia (associated

title: Baltic Sea

text: the Viking Age. Since the Viking age, the Scandinavians have referred to the Baltic Sea as "Austmarr" ("Eastern Lake"). "Eastern Sea", appears in the "Heimskringla" and "Eystra salt" appears in "Sörla þáttr". Saxo Grammaticus recorded in "Gesta Danorum" an older name, "Gandvik", "-vik" being Old Norse for "bay", which implies that the Vikings correctly regarded it as an inlet of the sea. Another form of the name, "Grandvik", attested in at least one English translation of "Gesta Danorum", is likely to be a misspelling.) In addition to fish the sea also provides amber, especially from its southern shores within today's

title: Baltic Sea

text: larger on some measurements: The Black Sea is larger in both surface area and water volume, but most of it is located outside the continental shelf (only a small percentage is inland). The Caspian Sea is larger in water volume, but—despite its name—it is a lake rather than a sea. The Baltic Sea's salinity is much lower than that of ocean water (which averages 3.5%), as a result of abundant freshwater runoff from the surrounding land (rivers, streams and alike), combined with the shallowness of the sea itself; runoff contributes roughly one-fortieth its total volume per year, as the volume

title: Swedish Baltic Sea Water Award

text: PURAC of Poland won the first Swedish Baltic Sea Water Award by building several new, advanced wastewater and water treatment plants along major rivers running into the Baltic Sea. These projects have helped to improve the marine environment in the Baltic Sea. Swedish Baltic Sea Water Award The Swedish Baltic Sea Water Award was a regional award by the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs now discontinued. It had been administrated by Stockholm International Water Institute Up till 2010, the award had been presented each August during the World Water Week in Stockholm. The winner received a SEK 250,000 prize sum,

title: Council of the Baltic Sea States

text: Council of the Baltic Sea States The Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) is a regional intergovernmental organisation working on three priority areas: Regional Identity, Safe & Secure Region and Sustainable & Prosperous Region. These three priority areas aim to address the themes of environment, economic development, entrepreneurship, education, culture, civil security, children's rights and trafficking in human beings. The CBSS was established by the region’s Foreign Ministers in Copenhagen in 1992 as a response to the geopolitical changes that took place in the Baltic Sea region with the end of the Cold War. The CBSS founders were Hans-Dietrich

title: Council of the Baltic Sea States

text: channel for involving the strategic partners to voice their concerns and coordinate their efforts with the CBSS and other organisations such as: In June 2014, the Council decided, after an evaluation and review of the CBSS five long-term priorities, to mainstream three renewed long-term priorities for the Council of the Baltic Sea States – "Regional Identity, Sustainable & Prosperous Region and Safe & Secure Region." Regional Identity Goal: To foster a Baltic Sea Region identity and intensify contacts supporting its further development; Objective: To develop the concept of Baltic Sea Region identity for and a sense of belonging to the

title: Council of the Baltic Sea States

text: improve the overall competitiveness of the Baltic Sea region through sustainable economic growth and labour markets, research and development, innovative infrastructure, an integrated maritime policy, transport and communications; To support the transition of the Baltic Sea region towards a competitive, green and low-carbon economy thereby ensuring sustainable development and inclusive growth; To support further action to reach a good environmental status and a healthy ecosystem supporting a prosperous Baltic Sea Region; To strengthen the region`s capacity to adapt to climate change and the resilience capacity of ecosystems and societies; To ensure further mainstreaming of sustainable development at all levels and

title: Council of the Baltic Sea States

text: in all policy sectors, integrating economic, social and environmental aspects; To promote sustainable and green technologies and initiatives in order to protect the ecosystem and biodiversity of the Baltic Sea region; Safe and Secure Region Goal: To enhance societal security and safety in the Baltic Sea Region and to ensure that people of the Region are protected from and resilient to violence, accidents and emergencies through preparedness, and safeguarded against harm caused by criminal exploitation and human trafficking; Objectives: To counteract all forms of trafficking in human beings, in the Baltic Sea Region via preventive and protective activities and projects

title: Baltic states

text: Baltic Sea States in 1992, and the EuroFaculty in 1993. Between 1994 and 2004, the BAFTA free trade agreement was established to help prepare the countries for their accession to the EU, rather than out of the Baltic states' desire to trade among themselves. The Baltic countries were more interested in gaining access to the rest of the European market. Currently, the governments of the Baltic states cooperate in multiple ways, including cooperation among presidents, parliament speakers, heads of government, and foreign ministers. On 8 November 1991, the Baltic Assembly, which includes 15 to 20 MPs from each parliament, was

title: White Sea–Baltic Canal

text: "member of the Red Army" or (member of a labor army). The history of the term, attributed to Lazar Kogan, is described as follows. In 1932, when Anastas Mikoyan visited "Belomorstroy" (construction of the White Sea Baltic Canal) Kogan told him "Comrade Mikoyan, what shall we call them? (…) I thought up the word: . What do you think?" Mikoyan approved it. White Sea–Baltic Canal The White Sea–Baltic Canal (, , ), often abbreviated to White Sea Canal () is a ship canal in Russia opened on 2 August 1933. It connects the White Sea, in the Arctic Ocean, with

title: Nordic-Baltic Eight

text: will be called NB8. Nordic-Baltic community is one of the three main communities in Northern Europe: these are Nordic, Baltic and Baltic Sea Region. The Nordic - Baltic region has some 33 million inhabitants, and a combined GDP of close to US$2.0 trillion, which makes it the tenth‐largest population and fifth‐largest economy in Europe. Furthermore, the region features relatively low levels of corruption; with the Nordic countries some of the least corrupt countries in the world. Also, the countries of the region place well in various international freedom rankings, with several of the states at the absolute top. The Nordic‐Baltic

title: Baltic Sea

text: Suebi eventually migrated southwest to reside for a while in the Rhineland area of modern Germany, where their name survives in the historic region known as Swabia. Jordanes called it the "Germanic Sea" in his work, the "Getica". In the early Middle Ages, Norse (Scandinavian) merchants built a trade empire all around the Baltic. Later, the Norse fought for control of the Baltic against Wendish tribes dwelling on the southern shore. The Norse also used the rivers of Russia for trade routes, finding their way eventually to the Black Sea and southern Russia. This Norse-dominated period is referred to as

title: Baltic Sea

text: Rauma, Turku, and Helsinki, Finland; Riga, Ventspils, and Liepāja, Latvia; Klaipėda, Lithuania; and Saint Petersburg, Russia. There are several cargo and passenger ferries that operate on the Baltic Sea, such as Scandlines, Silja Line, Polferries, the Viking Line, Tallink, and Superfast Ferries. Piers Resort towns For the first time ever, all the sources of pollution around an entire sea were made subject to a single convention, signed in 1974 by the then seven Baltic coastal states. The 1974 Convention entered into force on 3 May 1980. In the light of political changes and developments in international environmental and maritime law,

title: Baltic Sea

text: origin. Speculation published in tabloid newspapers claimed that the object was a sunken UFO. A consensus of experts and scientists say that the image most likely shows a natural geological formation. The fauna of the Baltic Sea is a mixture of marine and freshwater species. Among marine fishes are Atlantic cod, Atlantic herring, European hake, European plaice, European flounder, shorthorn sculpin and turbot, and examples of freshwater species include European perch, northern pike, whitefish and common roach. Freshwater species may occur at outflows of rivers or streams in all coastal sections of the Baltic Sea. Otherwise marine species dominate in

title: Baltic 21

text: Baltic 21 Baltic 21 is a plan to cooperate on implementing regional sustainable development. It is managed by the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS). The mission of Baltic 21 is to contribute towards advancing sustainable development in the Baltic Sea Region by coordinating goals and activities, and by serving as a forum for cooperation across borders and between stakeholder groups. Initiated by the Prime Ministers of the Baltic Sea countries in 1996, Baltic 21 is a regional expression of the global Agenda 21 adopted by the United Nations “Earth Summit.” In June 2016, the CBSS updated the plan

title: Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference

text: Sea Region, endowing them with additional democratic legitimacy and parliamentary authority. The political recommendations of the annual Parliamentary Conferences are expressed in a Conference Resolution adopted by consensus by the Conference. The adopted Resolution shall be submitted to the governments of the Baltic Sea region, the CBSS and the EU, and disseminated to other relevant national, regional and local stakeholders in the Baltic Sea region and its neighbourhood. BSPC gathers parliamentarians from 11 national parliaments, 11 regional parliaments and 5 parliamentary organizations around the Baltic Sea. The BSPC thus constitutes a unique parliamentary bridge between all the EU- and non-EU

title: Baltic Sea campaigns (1939–45)

text: Baltic Sea campaigns (1939–45) The Baltic Sea Campaigns were conducted by Axis and Allied naval forces in the Baltic Sea, its coastal regions, and the Gulf of Finland during World War II. After early fighting between Polish and German forces, the main combatants were Germany and Finland, opposed by the Soviet Union. Sweden's navy and merchant fleet played important roles, and the British Royal Navy planned Operation Catherine for the control of the Baltic Sea and its exit choke point into the North Sea. While operations included surface and sub-surface combat, aerial combat, amphibious landings, and support of large-scale ground