Current Context : Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has declared that the Baltic Sea is now a “high risk” area after he met Nordic and Baltic leaders days after a suspected sabotage attack on undersea cables.

About Baltic Sea:

Geographical Features:

• A semi-enclosed inland sea located in Northern Europe, part of the North Atlantic Ocean.
• Connects to the Atlantic via the Danish Straits; linked to the White Sea by the White Sea Canal and to the North Sea via the Kiel Canal.
• Covers an area of 377,000 sq. km, with a 1,600 km length and a maximum width of 193 km.

Surrounding Countries:

• Borders Denmark, Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Russia, Finland, and Sweden.
• Key ports and cities along the sea include Stockholm, Helsinki, Gdańsk, and Tallinn.

Environmental Characteristics:

• Known as the world’s largest brackish inland water body.
• Lower salinity compared to oceans due to freshwater inflow from more than 250 rivers, including the Neva River.
• Hosts three major gulfs: Gulf of Bothnia, Gulf of Finland, and Gulf of Riga.