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Source-This post on Stone age wall discovered in Baltic Sea is based on the article “Scientists accidentally find a mysterious one-km-long wall in Baltic Sea” published in “Hindustan Times” on 13th February 2024.
Why in the News?
Recently, scientists have discovered a Stone Age wall beneath the Baltic Sea in Germany. It is believed to be the oldest megastructure constructed by humans in Europe.
Scientists believe that the 971-meter wide and less than 1 mtr tall wall was not created by natural forces like tsunamis or glaciers. Rather, it was built over 10,000 years ago by hunter-gatherers. It could have served as a reindeer hunting lane.
About Baltic Sea
1. Location– It is a semi-enclosed sea located in Northern Europe.
2. Branch– It is a branch of the North Atlantic Ocean, stretching northward from southern Denmark towards the Arctic Circle. It divides the Scandinavian Peninsula from the rest of mainland Europe.
3. Borders and Coastline– It has about 8,000 kilometers of coastline, shared by many countries such as Sweden, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Finland, Estonia, Germany, Denmark, and Russia.
4. Size– It occupies an area of about 377,000 square kilometers. The sea stretches approximately 1,600 kilometers in length and is about 193 kilometers wide.
5. Maritime link:
a. It connects to the White Sea through the White Sea Canal and to the German Bight of the North Sea via the Kiel Canal.
b. It also connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the Danish Straits.
6. Gulf– The Baltic Sea has three main 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.
7. Inflows- Over 250 rivers and streams flow into the Baltic Sea. The Neva River is the largest among them.
8. Islands: The Baltic Sea is inhabited by more than 20 islands and archipelagos. Gotland, situated near the Swedish coast, is the largest island in the Baltic Sea.
Distinct Features:
a. It is commonly referred to as the largest brackish inland water body in the world.
b. The Baltic Sea’s water is less salty compared to the world’s oceans because of the inflow of freshwater from surrounding land and the sea’s shallow depth.
About Baltic Nations
1. Countries– Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, collectively known as the Baltic Nations.
2. Borders– They are bordered by the Baltic Sea to the west and north, by Russia to the east, by Belarus to the southeast, and by Poland and a Russian exclave to the southwest.
UPSC Syllabus- Geography and Places in News
