Special Sub-Topic: The Baltic Click Here To Play: The Baltic

Which of these countries does NOT have a coastline on the Baltic?

Norway.

If leaving the Baltic by ship and heading for the North Sea one could pass through one of these narrow maritime lanes. Which?

The Ore Sound. The Ore Sound separates Zealand, the main Danish island, from Sweden. (It separates Copenhagen from Malmo, and Helsingor from Halsingborg, for example). However, it's still a considerable way to the North Sea: one has to pass through the Kattegat (separating mainland Denmark from Sweden), then the Skagerrak (between Norway and mainland Denmark). The Gulf of Bothnia separates Sweden from Finland and the Denmark Straits are far away, in the North Atlantic and separate Greenland from Iceland. There are three other 'exits' from the Baltic: one is through the Great Belt, between Zealand and Funen, and usually involves a detour, the second is by way of the Kiel Canal. The third, and narrowest of all (except the Kiel Canal)is the Little Belt, which separates Funen from the Jutland Peninsula, but with its bridges it isn't suitable for larger ships. (If you opted for the Straits of Gibraltar, well ... no comment!)

Three countries are often referred to as the 'Baltic Republics'. Which of the following is NOT one of these three?

Finland. Estonia, Latvia and most of Lithunia were under Russian rule from 1721-1918 and were invaded by the Soviet Union in 1940. The three countries regained their independence in 1991. Of these three, Estonia has been particularly successful economically.

The capital of Estonia is ...?

Tallinn & Reval. This city, called Reval in German, has in the past been under German, Swedish and Russian rule. Architecturally, German influence is very evident in the city center.

In 1895-1914 Germany constructed an alternative exit to the North Sea from the Baltic. Strictly speaking, it's called the 'North Sea-Baltic Canal' ('Der Nord-Ostsee-Kanal') but it's better known as the ____ Canal?

Kiel. During the naval arms race between Britain and Germany (1897 onwards) the construction of the Kiel Canal was viewed with consternation by the British Admiralty as it would allow German naval vessels to move between the Baltic and the North Sea without having to pass through the Ore Sound. In 1906 Sir John Fisher, the First Sea Lord (Chief of the British Naval Staff) wrote to the Prime Minister demanding a pre-emptive strike against Germany. He predicted that the Kiel Canal would be completed in the late summer of 1914 and that Britain and Germany would be at war by 1 October 1914. He wanted the government to send the British Navy to the German coast and demand the immediate handover of all larger German naval vessels. The Prime Minister, Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, rejected this plan without further ado.

All the major Baltic ports remain free of ice throughout the year. True of false?

f. Many of the more eastlerly and northerly ports are ice-bound for upwards of three weeks in a typical winter, for example, Kaliningrad. This is particulary irksome for Russia and the Baltic Republics. In the case of Russia it means that *all* the country's North European ports, whether on the Baltic or on or close to the Arctic are icebound for part of the year ... Historically, this tended to thwart Russian naval ambitions.

Which of the following major corporations is NOT based in the Baltic region?

Motorola. Ericsson and Volvo are both Swedish, Nokia is Finnish and Motorola is American.

The gulf separating most of Sweden from Finland is called the Gulf of ...?

Bothnia. The Gulf of Finland separates Finland from Estonia, and further east is a Russian inlet. St. Petersberg, Helsinki and Tallinn are all on the Gulf of Finland.

True or false? Denmark, Finland and Sweden are among the most prosperous countries in Europe?

t. These three countries, together with Norway, are significantly more prosperous than Germany, France and Britain, for example.

In the later Middle Ages (about 1350-1500) the Baltic was the key power base of a highly influentical trading alliance. It was called the __________ League?

Hanseatic. The chief port of the Hanseatic League was Luebeck, which at the height of its importance (c. 1380-1450) was the third largest city in Central Europe (after Cologne and Prague). After about 1500 the League increasingly came into conflict with France and England. At the same time it was weakened by the growing importance of North Sea and transatlantic trade. It was formally dissolved in 1668, though the City of Luebeck retained certain residual privileges and duties till the 1870s.