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Väinameri

Strait and sub-bay in the Baltic Sea

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The Väinameri (Estonian for Strait Sea or Sea of Straits; German: Moonsund; English: Sound Sea) or Väinameri Sea is a strait and sub-bay of the Baltic Sea, located between the West Estonian Archipelago and the Estonian mainland, within western Estonia.

It is the northern section of the Gulf of Riga, extending north to the eastern Baltic Sea.

The area of the Väinameri Sea is about 2,200 square kilometres (850 sq mi).

The Väinameri Sea is home to the Väinameri Conservation area.

The Kumari Channel is a shipping lane running north-south in the Väinameri. It is 35 km long and has a minimum depth of five metres. The Rukki Channel runs east-west between Hiiumaa and the port of Rohuküla on the mainland.

In World War One it was the site of a major naval battle between Germany and Post Imperial Russia.

The course of the Kumari Channel
The course of the Kumari Channel
Small islets in the Väinameri
Small islets in the Väinameri
Watch videos about VäinameriExplainers and documentaries on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article Väinameri, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

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