Gulf of Riga

The Gulf of Riga, Bay of Riga, or Gulf of Livonia  is a bay of the Baltic Sea between Latvia and Estonia.

The island of Saaremaa (Estonia) is between it and the rest of the Baltic Sea.  The islands of  Kihnu, and Ruhnu are also in the gulf.  The main connection between the gulf and the Baltic Sea is the Irbe Strait.

The Gulf of Riga also includes the Väinameri Sea in the West Estonian archipelago. 

The main rivers flowing into the gulf are the  Daugava, Pärnu, Lielupe, Gauja, and Salaca.

In winter, most or all of the gulf freezes as the water is not very salty.  People walk over the bay on the ice.  Sometimes they need to be rescued. The thickest recorded ice was 90 centimetres (2 ft 11 in) thick in the winter of 1941–42. Ice hole fishing has been a traditional source of winter food, and is still common.

References

Category:Geography of Latvia
Category:Geography of Estonia
Category:Baltic Sea