Editing Gulf of Finland

{{short description|Arm of the Baltic Sea}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{Infobox body of water
 | name                 = Gulf of Finland
 | image                = 
 | caption              = 
 | image_bathymetry     = Baltic Sea map2.png
 | caption_bathymetry   = 
 | place                = 
 | coords               = {{Coord|59|50|N|26|00|E|dim:500000|display=inline,title}}
 | type                 = 
 | inflow               = 
 | outflow              = 
 | catchment            = 
 | basin_countries      = {{ubl|{{flag|Estonia}}|{{flag|Finland}}|{{flag|Russia}}}}
 | length               = {{convert|400|km|abbr=on}}
 | width                = {{convert|130|km|abbr=on}}
 | area                 = {{convert|30000|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}
 | depth                = {{convert|38|m|ft|abbr=on}}
 | max-depth            = {{convert|115|m|ft|abbr=on}}
 | volume               = 
 | residence_time       = 
 | shore                =
 | elevation            = 
 | islands              = 
 | cities               = [[Saint Petersburg]], [[Helsinki]], [[Tallinn]]
 | embedded             = {{Designation list
| embed = yes
| designation1 = Ramsar
| designation1_offname = Southern coast of the Gulf of Finland, Baltic Sea
| designation1_date = 13 September 1994
| designation1_number = 689<ref>{{Cite web|title=Southern coast of the Gulf of Finland, Baltic Sea|website=[[Ramsar Convention|Ramsar]] Sites Information Service|url=https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris/689|access-date=25 April 2018}}</ref>}}
}}

The '''Gulf of Finland''' ({{langx|et|Soome laht}}; {{langx|fi|Suomenlahti}}; {{langx|ru|Фи́нский зали́в|Finskiy zaliv}}; {{langx|sv|Finska viken}}) is the easternmost arm of the [[Baltic Sea]]. It extends between [[Finland]] to the north and [[Estonia]] to the south, to [[Saint Petersburg]]—the second largest city of [[Russia]]—to the east, where the river [[Neva]] drains into it. Other major cities around the gulf include [[Helsinki]] and [[Tallinn]]. The eastern parts of the gulf belong to Russia, and some of Russia's most important oil harbors are located there, including [[Primorsk, Leningrad Oblast|Primorsk]]. As the seaway to Saint Petersburg, the gulf is of considerable strategic importance to Russia. Some of the [[Baltic Sea#Environmental status|environmental problems affecting the Baltic Sea]] are at their most pronounced in the shallow gulf. Proposals for an [[undersea tunnel|undersea]] [[Helsinki–Tallinn Tunnel]] through the gulf have been made.

==Geography==
[[File:la2-demis-gulf-of-finland.png|thumb|Gulf of Finland|300px]]
[[File:Record sea ice in Gulf of Finland 2003.jpg|thumb|Satellite image showing the gulf entirely frozen over in January 2003]]
The Gulf of Finland has an area of {{convert|30000|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}.<ref>[https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/207525/Gulf-of-Finland Gulf of Finland] Encyclopædia Britannica</ref> The length (from the [[Hanko Peninsula]] to Saint Petersburg) is {{convert|400|km|abbr=on}} and the width varies from {{convert|70|km|abbr= on}} near the entrance to {{convert|130|km|abbr= on}} on the meridian of [[Moshchny Island]]; in the [[Neva Bay]], it decreases to {{convert|12|km|abbr= on}}. The gulf is relatively shallow, with the depth decreasing from the entrance to the gulf to the continent. The sharpest change occurs near [[Narva-Jõesuu]], which is why this place is called the Narva wall. The average depth is {{convert|38|m|abbr= on}} with the maximum of {{convert|115|m|abbr= on}}. The depth of the Neva Bay is less than {{convert|6|m|0}}; therefore, in March 2019, a channel was dug at the bottom for safe navigation. Because of the large influx of fresh water from rivers, especially from the Neva River (two-thirds of the total runoff), the gulf water has very low salinity – between 0.2 and 0.3&nbsp;‰ at the surface and 0.3–0.5&nbsp;‰ near the bottom. The average water temperature is close to {{convert|0|C|F}} in winter; in summer, it is {{convert|15|-|17|C|F}} at the surface and {{convert|2|-|3|C|F}} at the bottom. Parts of the gulf can freeze from late November to late April; the freezing starts in the east and gradually proceeds to the west. Complete freezing usually occurs by late January, and it may not occur in mild winters.<ref>{{Cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=ouOA81nGkGkC&pg=PA336|page= 336|title= Operational oceanography: the challenge for European co-operation : proceedings of the First International Conference on EuroGOOS, 7–11 October 1996, The Hague, The Netherlands, Volume 1996|date= 12 December 1997|publisher= Elsevier|isbn= 0-444-82892-3}}</ref>
Frequent strong western winds cause waves, surges of water and [[floods in Saint Petersburg|floods]].<ref name="SPb Entsiklopediya" /><ref name="Leningradskaya oblast">Darinskii, A. V. [https://books.google.com/books?id=dHJ2HAAACAAJ ''Leningrad Oblast'']. Lenizdat, 1975</ref>

The northern coast of the gulf is high and winding, with abundant small bays and [[skerry|skerries]], but only a few large bays ([[Vyborg]]) and peninsulas (Hanko and [[Porkkalanniemi]]). The coast is mostly sloping; there are abundant sandy dunes, with occasional pine trees.<ref name="SPb Entsiklopediya" /> The southern shores are smooth and shallow, but along the entire coast runs a limestone escarpment, the [[Baltic Klint]], with a height up to {{convert|55|m|abbr= on}}.<ref name=envir.ee>{{cite web|url= http://www.envir.ee/klint/eng/17.html|title= East Viru Klint|work= North Estonian Klint as a symbol of Estonian nature|publisher= Ministry of the Environment|access-date= 2009-10-06|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20091112092743/http://www.envir.ee/klint/eng/17.html|archive-date= 12 November 2009|url-status= dead}}</ref><ref name="Geologicheskie pamyatniki">{{Cite book |author = Khazanovich K.| title = Geological Monuments of Leningrad Oblast |publisher = Lenizdat |year = 1982}}</ref> In the east, the gulf ends with Neva Bay; in the west it merges with the Baltic Sea.

The gulf contains numerous banks, skerries and islands. The largest include [[Kotlin Island]] with the city of [[Kronstadt]] (population 42,800), [[Beryozovye Islands]], Lisiy Island, [[Maly Vysotsky Island]] with the nearby city of [[Vysotsk]] (population 1706), [[Gogland]] (Suursaari), [[Moshchny Island|Moshtchny]] (Lavansaari), [[Bolshoy Tyuters]] (Tytärsaari), [[Sommers]], [[Naissaar]], [[Kimitoön (island)|Kimitoön]], [[Kökar]], [[Seskar]] (Seiskari), [[Pakri Islands]] and others.<ref name="Atlas_USSR">Atlas of the USSR. – M.: GUGK, 1984</ref>

Starting in 1700, Russia constructed nineteen [[artificial island]]s with fortresses in the gulf. They aimed to defend Russia from maritime attacks, especially in the context of the [[Great Northern War]] of 1700–1721. Such fortresses include [[Fort Alexander (Saint Petersburg)|Fort Alexander]], [[Krasnaya Gorka fort|Krasnaya Gorka]], [[Fort Ino|Ino]], Totleben and {{ill|Kronshlot|ru|Кроншлот}}.<ref>[http://www.fingulf.ru/fort/ Gulf of Finland – Forts]. Fingulf.ru. Retrieved on 2011-08-14.</ref>

The largest rivers flowing into the gulf are the [[Neva River|Neva]] (from the east), the [[Narva River|Narva]] (from the south), and the [[Kymi (river)|Kymi]] (from the north). [[Keila River|Keila]], [[Pirita River|Pirita]], [[Jägala River|Jägala]], [[Kunda River|Kunda]], [[Luga River|Luga]], Sista and Kovashi flow into the gulf from the south. From the north flow the [[Sestra River (Leningrad Oblast)|Sestra River]], [[Porvoonjoki|Porvoo]], [[Vantaa (river)|Vantaa]] and several other small rivers. The [[Saimaa Canal]] connects the gulf with the [[Saimaa]] lake.<ref name="Atlas_USSR"/>

===Extent===
The [[International Hydrographic Organization]] defines the western limit of the Gulf of Finland as a line running from [[Spithami]] (59°13'N), in Estonia, through the Estonian island of [[Osmussaar]] from SE to NW and on to the SW extremity of [[Hanko Peninsula]] (22°54'E) in Finland.<ref>{{cite web
|url= https://iho.int/uploads/user/pubs/standards/s-23/S-23_Ed3_1953_EN.pdf
|title= Limits of Oceans and Seas, 3rd edition
|year= 1953
|publisher= International Hydrographic Organization
|access-date= 28 December 2020
|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20111008191433/http://www.iho.int/iho_pubs/standard/S-23/S-23_Ed3_1953_EN.pdf
|archive-date= 8 October 2011
}}</ref>

==Geological history==
{{see also|Eridanos (geology)}}
The modern depression can be traced to the [[river incision|incision]] of large rivers during the [[Cenozoic]] prior to the [[Quaternary glaciation]].<ref name=Estonica>{{cite encyclopedia |title=The Gulf of Finland |encyclopedia=[[Estonica]] |url=http://www.estonica.org/en/Nature/Gulf_of_Finland_and_the_North-Estonian_coastal_plain/The_Gulf_of_Finland/ |date=28 September 2012 |publisher=[[Eesti Instituut]] |access-date=20 February 2018 |archive-date=16 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211216214703/http://www.estonica.org/en/Nature/Gulf_of_Finland_and_the_North-Estonian_coastal_plain/The_Gulf_of_Finland/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> These rivers eroded the sedimentary strata above the [[Baltic Shield|Fennoscandian Shield]].<ref name=Estonica/> In particular the eroded material was made up of [[Ediacaran]] (Vendian) and [[Cambrian]]-aged claystone and sandstone.<ref name=Estonica/> As erosion progressed, the rivers encountered harder layers of [[Ordovician]]-aged [[limestone]], leading to the formation of the cliffs of [[Baltic Klint]] in northern [[Estonia]] and [[Ingria]].<ref name=Estonica/> Subsequently, the depression was somewhat reshaped by glacier activities. Its retreat formed the [[Littorina Sea]], whose water level was some 7–9 metres higher than the present level of the Baltic Sea. Some 4,000 years ago the sea receded and shoals in the gulf have become its islands.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LElrclnl0C8C&pg=PA217|pages=217–219|title=Climate development and history of the North Atlantic realm|author=Gerold Wefer|publisher=Springer|year=2002|isbn=3-540-43201-9}}</ref><ref name="Geografiya Leningrada">{{Cite book|author = Darinskii, A.V.|title = Geography of Leningrad|publisher = Lenizdat|year = 1982|pages = 12–18|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KuRdPAAACAAJ}}</ref> Later uplifting of the [[Baltic Shield]] skewed the surface of the gulf; for this reason, its ancient northern shores are significantly higher than the southern ones.<ref name="SPb Entsiklopediya">Saint Petersburg: Encyclopedia. – Moscow: Russian Political Encyclopedia. 2006 {{ISBN|5-8110-0107-X}}</ref>

==Flora and fauna==
[[File:Malusi hülged 02.jpg|thumb|[[Malusi islands]] in Estonia are one of the main habitats of [[grey seal]]s in the Gulf of Finland.]]
The climate in the area is [[humid continental climate]], characterized by temperate to hot summers and cold, occasionally severe winters with regular precipitation. The vegetation is dominated by a mixture of [[coniferous]] and [[deciduous]] forests and treeless coastal meadows and cliffs. The major forest trees are [[pine]], [[Picea abies|spruce]], [[birch]], [[willows]], [[rowan]], [[aspen]], [[Alnus glutinosa|common]] and [[Alnus incana|gray alder]]. In the far eastern part of the gulf vegetation of the marshy areas consists mainly of [[Typha|bulrush]] and [[Phragmites communis|reeds]], as well as fully aquatic plants, such as [[Nymphaea alba|white]] and [[Nuphar lutea|yellow]] waterlilies and [[Carex acuta|acute sedge]]. Aquatic plants in the shallow waters of the gulf include ''[[Ruppia]]'' and [[Najas marina|spiny naiad]].<ref name="Finsky bay of the Baltic Sea-Priroda">[http://www.fingulf.ru/nature/ Gulf of Finland – Nature]. Fingulf.ru. Retrieved on 2011-08-14.</ref>

Fish species of the gulf include [[Atlantic salmon]], [[viviparous eelpout]], [[goby|gobies]], [[Leucaspius delineatus|belica]], [[Misgurnus|loach]], [[European chub]], [[common minnow]], [[Blicca bjoerkna|silver bream]], [[common dace]], [[ruffe]], [[Crucian carp]], [[stickleback]], [[European smelt]], [[common rudd]], [[brown trout]], [[tench]], [[pipefish]], [[burbot]], [[European perch|perch]], [[Gobio gobio|gudgeon]], [[Cyclopterus lumpus|lumpsucker]], [[Rutilus|roach]], [[lamprey]], [[Coregonus albula|vendace]], [[garfish]], [[Coregonus lavaretus|common whitefish]], [[common bream]], [[zander]], [[Ide (fish)|orfe]], [[northern pike]], [[spined loach]], [[European sprat|sprat]], [[Baltic herring]], [[Pelecus cultratus|sabre carp]], [[common bleak]], [[European eel]] and [[Atlantic cod]]. Commercial fishing is carried out in spring and autumn. [[Grey seal]] and [[ringed seal]] are met in the gulf, but the latter is very rare.<ref name="Finsky bay of the Baltic Sea-Priroda" />

==History==
{{See also|History of Finland|History of Estonia|History of Saint Petersburg}}
Many ancient sites were discovered on the shores of the gulf dated to up to 9000 years old. Humans began to inhabit these places soon after the ice age glaciers retreated and the water level of the [[Littorina Sea]] lowered to reveal the land. Remains of about 11 [[Neolithic]] settlements were found since 1905 in the mouth of the river [[Sestra River (Leningrad Oblast)]]. They contain arrow tips and scrapers made of [[quartz]], numerous food utensils and traces of fire camps – all indicative of hunting rather than agricultural or [[animal husbandry]] activities.<ref name="Geologicheskie pamyatniki" />

The gulf coast was later populated by [[Balto-Finnic peoples|Finnic peoples]]. [[Estonians]] inhabited the region of the modern Estonia, [[Votians|Votes]] were living on the south of the gulf and [[Izhorians]] to the south of Neva River. [[Karelians|Korela]] tribes settled to the west of [[Lake Ladoga]].<!-- name "BRE" i.e according to the Great Russian Encyclopedia published in Russia in 2004: already in the 8th and 9th centuries, the banks of Neva and of the Gulf of Finland were populated not by Finnic tribes but [[East Slavs]] instead, in particular by [[Ilmen Slavs]] and [[Krivichs]].--> They were engaged in [[slash-and-burn]] agriculture, animal husbandry, hunting and fishing. From the 8th to the 13th century, the Gulf of Finland and Neva were parts of the waterway from [[Scandinavia]] to the [[Byzantine Empire]].

From the 9th century, the eastern coast of the gulf was controlled by [[Veliky Novgorod]] and was called ''Vodskaya Pyatina''. As a result of the 1219, crusade and the [[Battle of Lyndanisse|Battle of Lindanise]], northern Estonia became part of Denmark ([[Danish Estonia]]). In the 13th century, the city of Reval (Tallinn) ({{langx|la|Revalia}}) was established on the site of modern Tallinn, capital of Estonia. As a result of the [[Saint George's Night Uprising|Estonian uprising in 1343]], northern Estonia was taken over by the [[Teutonic Order]] and sold by Denmark in 1346. In 1559, during the [[Livonian War]], the [[Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek|Bishop of Ösel-Wiek]] in [[Old Livonia]] sold his lands to King [[Frederick II of Denmark]]. The Danish king gave the territory to his younger brother Magnus who landed on [[Saaremaa]] with an army in 1560.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Eastern Europe |last=Frucht |first=Richard  |year=2005 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=1-57607-800-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lVBB1a0rC70C |page=70 }}</ref> The whole of [[Saaremaa]] became a Danish possession in 1573, and remained so until it was transferred to Sweden in 1645.<ref name="Strany and narody">Countries and Peoples: USSR. Baltic republics. Belarus. Ukraine. Moldova. – Moscow: Mysl, 1984.</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Estonia, Latvia & Lithuania |last=Williams |first=Nicola|author2=Debra Herrmann |author3=Cathryn Kemp  |year=2003 |publisher=University of Michigan |isbn=1-74059-132-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hJ8iAQAAIAAJ|page=190}}</ref>

In the 12th and 13th centuries, the Finnish tribes on the north of the gulf were conquered by the Swedes who then proceeded to the Slavs. The first encounter is attributed to 1142 when 60 Swedish ships attacked 3 Russian merchant vessels. After a Swedish attack in 1256, the Russian army of [[Alexander Nevsky]] crossed the frozen gulf and raided the Swedish territories in the modern Finland. In 1293, the [[Vyborg Castle]] and city of [[Vyborg]] was founded by the Swedish [[marshal]] [[Torkel Knutsson]]. The castle was fought over for decades between Sweden and the [[Novgorod Republic]]. By the [[Treaty of Nöteborg]] in 1323, Vyborg was finally recognized as a part of [[Sweden]]. It withstood a prolonged siege by [[Daniil Shchenya]] during the [[Russo-Swedish War (1496–1499)|Russo-Swedish War of 1496–1499]]. The town's trade privileges were [[Royal charter|chartered]] by King [[Eric of Pomerania]] in 1403. Vyborg remained in Swedish hands until its capture by [[Peter the Great]] in the [[Great Northern War]] (1710).<ref name="hist">V. A. Ezhov [https://books.google.com/books?id=7GQdAAAAMAAJ ''Leningrad Oblast: a historical sketch''], Lenizdat, 1986 (in Russian)</ref>

In 1323, the [[Treaty of Nöteborg]] set the border between Sweden and Russia along the river Sestra. In the 15th century, the [[Izhorians|Izhorian]] lands of the Novgorod Republic were attached to the [[Grand Duchy of Moscow]]. In 1550, [[Gustav I of Sweden]] founded a city on the site of modern [[Helsinki]].<ref name="GES">A. F. Treshnikov [https://books.google.com/books?id=27zCPQAACAAJ Encyclopedic Dictionary of Geography: Geographical names] – Moscow: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1983.</ref> As a result of the Russian defeat in the [[Ingrian War]] (1610–1617) and the [[Treaty of Stolbovo]] (1617) the lands on the Gulf of Finland and Neva River became part of the [[Swedish Ingria]]. Its capital Nyen was located in the delta of Neva River.<ref name="hist"/>

Russia reclaimed the eastern part of the gulf as a result of the victory in the [[Great Northern War]] (1700–1721). On 16 May 1703, [[Saint Petersburg]] was founded in the mouth of Neva River, not far from Nyen, and in 1712 it became the capital city of Russia. To protect the city from the Swedish fleet, the Kronshlot fortress was built on an artificial island near the Kotlin Island in May 1704. By 1705, five more such forts were built nearby composing the city [[Kronstadt]]. These fortifications, nicknamed by the contemporaries "the Russian [[Dardanelles]]", were designed to control the Gulf waterway.<ref>{{Cite book|author = Lisaevich, Irina Ignatyevna|title = Domenico Trezzini|publisher = Lenizdat|year = 1986|pages = 20–26}}</ref>

In 1710, the cities of [[Petergof|Peterhof]] and [[Lomonosov, Russia|Oranienbaum]] were founded on the southern shore of the Gulf of Finland. On 27 July 1714, near the [[Hanko Peninsula]], the Russian Navy won the [[Battle of Gangut]] – a decisive victory over the Imperial Swedish Navy.<ref name="BRE">[[Great Russian Encyclopedia]]. "Russia". 2004</ref> The Russo-Swedish war ended in 1721 by the [[Treaty of Nystad]], by which Russia received all the lands along the Neva and the Gulf of Finland, as well as [[Estonia|Estland]], [[Swedish Livonia]] and western part of the [[Karelian Isthmus]], including Vyborg. However, Finland was returned to Sweden.<ref name="Sinhronicheskie tablitsy">Lurie, F.M. ''Russian and world history in the tables: Synchronic table.'' – SPb.: Caravelle, 1995.</ref> The [[Russo-Swedish War (1788–1790)|war]] resumed in (1788–1790), and the [[Battle of Hogland]] occurred on 6 July 1788 near the island [[Gogland]]. Both the battle and the war were relatively minor and indecisive, with the outcome of Russia retaining its territories.<ref name="BRE" />

[[File:Memorial Rusalka, Tallinn, Estonia, 2012-08-12, DD 07.JPG|thumb|The [[Russalka Memorial]] (by [[Amandus Adamson]], 1902) was erected by the [[Tallinn Bay]] in memory of a [[Russian monitor Rusalka|Russian warship which sank in 1893]] in a storm in the Gulf of Finland]] 
The next [[Finnish War|Russo-Swedish war]] was fought in (1808–1809). It ended with the [[Treaty of Fredrikshamn]] giving the Russia rights on the territory of Finland and [[Åland]]. A newly established [[Grand Duchy of Finland]] in 1809 received broad autonomy from Russian Empire, and [[Old Finland|Western Karelia]] was returned to Finland.<ref>David Kirby (2006) A concise history of Finland. Cambridge University Press. {{ISBN|978-0-521-53989-0}}</ref> On 6 December 1917, the [[Parliament of Finland]] promulgated the [[Finnish Declaration of Independence]]. Western Karelia was annexed by the Soviet Union after the [[Winter War]].<ref name="BRE" />

Estonia declared independence in 1918, and in 1918–1920 fought a successful [[Estonian War of Independence|war of independence]] against Soviet Russia. Estonia declared neutrality at the outbreak of World War II; however the country was repeatedly contested, invaded and occupied, first by the Soviet Union in 1940, then by Nazi Germany in 1941, and was ultimately reoccupied in 1944 by, and annexed into, the USSR as an administrative subunit (Estonian SSR). Estonia regained independence in 1991.

In March 1921, the [[Kronstadt rebellion]] by sailors was put down by the Red Army. The Gulf of Finland had several major naval operations during World War II. In August 1941, during the [[Soviet evacuation of Tallinn|evacuation of the Baltic Fleet]] from Tallinn to Kronstadt, German forces sank 15 Russian military vessels, (5 [[destroyer]]s, 2 [[submarine]]s, 3 [[guard ship]]s, 2 [[minesweeper]]s, 2 [[gunboat]]s and 1 [[Motor Torpedo Boat]]) as well as 43 transport and support ships. Several ships still remain on the gulf bottom near Cape Juminda, and a monument was raised there in memory of those lost in the events.<ref>Platonov, A.V. [http://militera.lib.ru/h/platonov_av/03.html Tragedies of the Gulf of Finland]. Penguin Books, Saint Petersburg: Terra Fantastica, 2005</ref>

In 1978, construction was started on the [[Saint Petersburg Dam]] aiming to protect Saint Petersburg from the [[Floods in Saint Petersburg|frequent floods]]. The work was halted at 60% completion in the late 1980s, due to the financial problems related to the breakup of the Soviet Union; it was resumed in 2001 and is – as of August 2011 – complete.<ref name="SPb Entsiklopediya" /><ref name="Damba">[http://www.spb-projects.ru/showpage.php?id=600 Dam. A Complex of protection measures of Saint Petersburg against Flood]. Spb-projects.ru. Retrieved on 2011-08-14.</ref>

==Economy==
The southern coast of the gulf contains the [[Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant]] and a network of ports and unique natural and historical places. Navigation has long been the dominant activity in the gulf. The major port cities and their functions are, in Russia: [[Big port Saint Petersburg|Saint Petersburg]] (all kinds of goods), [[Kronstadt]] (container shipping),
Lomonosov (general cargo, containers, metals), [[Vyborg]] (general cargo), [[Primorsk, Leningrad Oblast|Primorsk]] (oil and petroleum products), [[Vysotsk]] (oil and coal), [[Ust-Luga]] ([[Baltic Pipeline System-II|oil]], coal, timber, containers);<ref>[http://portnews.ru/digest/188/ Ports of the Gulf of Finland] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170817034551/http://portnews.ru/digest/188/ |date=17 August 2017 }}. Portnews.ru (29 November 2004). Retrieved on 2011-08-14.</ref> in Finland: [[Helsinki]] (containers), [[Port of Hamina-Kotka|Kotka]] (containers, timber, agricultural products; it is the main transhipment cargo port for Russia), [[Hanko, Finland|Hanko]] (containers, vehicles), [[Port of Turku|Turku]] (containers, rail ferry),<ref>[http://www.logistics.ru/9/5/i20_23921p3.htm Ports. Changes in the Finnish ports] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100512142147/http://www.logistics.ru/9/5/i20_23921p3.htm |date=12 May 2010 }}. Logistics.ru. Retrieved on 2011-08-14.</ref> [[Port of Kilpilahti|Kilpilahti/Sköldvik harbour]] ([[oil refinery]]); in Estonia: [[Tallinn]] (grains, refrigerators, oil), [[Paldiski]], [[Sillamäe]]. Gulf of Finland is also part of the [[Volga–Baltic Waterway]] and [[White Sea–Baltic Canal]]. Important goods include [[apatite]] from the [[Kola Peninsula]], [[Karelia]]n [[granite]] and [[Greenstone belt|greenstone]], [[timber]] from [[Arkhangelsk Oblast]] and [[Vologda Oblast|Vologda]], [[ferrous metals]] from [[Cherepovets]], coal from [[Donbas]] and the [[Kuznetsk Basin]], [[pyrite]] from Ural, [[potassium chloride]] from [[Solikamsk]], [[Absheron Peninsula|oil]] from [[Volga]] region, and grains from many regions of Russia.<ref name="INFOFLOT.RU">[http://www.map.infoflot.ru/region_europe/index_euro.htm Russian river fleet and tourism, INFOFLOT.RU] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171020231021/http://map.infoflot.ru/region_europe/index_euro.htm# |date=20 October 2017 }}. Map.infoflot.ru. Retrieved on 2011-08-14.</ref>

Passenger transport on the gulf includes a number of ferry lines which connect the following ports: Helsinki and Hanko (Finland), [[Mariehamn]] ([[Åland]]), [[Stockholm]] and [[Kapellskär]] (Sweden), Tallinn and Paldiski (Estonia), [[Rostock]] (Germany), Saint Petersburg and [[Kaliningrad]] (Russia), as well as many other cities.<ref>[http://www.prohotel.ru/news-20286/0/ Из Петербурга в Хельсинки на пароме] (From Saint Petersburg to Helsinki by ferry). prohotel.ru. 7 July 2008</ref><ref>[http://www.esline.ru/stellalines.html Ferry traffic between Finland and Russia starts in April 2010] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303175133/http://www.esline.ru/stellalines.html |date=3 March 2016 }}. Esline.ru. Retrieved on 2011-08-14.</ref><ref>[http://www.expert.ru/printissues/northwest/2010/03/news_week/ News of the week-Expert Online 2.0]{{Dead link|date=July 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, expert.ru</ref> The capitals of Estonia and Finland both face the Gulf and with Estonia joining the EU (2004) and the [[Schengen Area]] (2007), travel between those culturally and linguistically close capitals increased dramatically. In 2023 over 7 million passengers traveled by ferry between Tallinn and Helsinki.<ref>https://www.portofhelsinki.fi/en/about-us/port-of-helsinki/whats-new/number-of-passengers-on-helsinki-ship-routes-increased-cargo-traffic-dropped-from-previous-year/</ref> There are proposals for a fixed link (bridge or tunnel) sometimes referred to with the portmanteau [[Talsinki]].

Another major and historical activity in the gulf is fishing, especially on the northern coast near Vyborg, Primorsk and on the southern coast near Ust-Luga.<ref name="Leningradskaya oblast" /> Commercial fish species are [[herring]], [[European sprat|sprats]], [[European smelt]], [[Coregonus|whitefishes]], [[carp bream]], [[Rutilus|roaches]], [[perch]], [[European eel]], [[lamprey]] and others.<ref name="Geografiya Leningrada2">{{Cite book|author = Darinskii, A.V.|title = Geography of Leningrad|publisher = Lenizdat|year = 1982|pages = 30–34|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KuRdPAAACAAJ}}</ref> In 2005, the catchment was 2000 tons by the ships of Saint Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast alone.<ref name="SPBLAND.RU" />

In September 2005 the agreement was signed on the construction of the [[Nord Stream 1]] offshore gas pipeline on the Baltic Sea, from Vyborg to the German city of [[Greifswald]]. The first line was expected become operational in 2011.<ref name="Nord Stream">[http://www.nord-stream.com/ru/the-pipeline.html Nord Stream] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110104220229/http://www.nord-stream.com/ru/the-pipeline.html |date=4 January 2011 }}. Nord Stream. Retrieved on 2011-08-14.</ref> Afterwards, the first line of Nord Stream was laid by May 2011 and was inaugurated on 8 November 2011;<ref name=spiegel081111>{{cite news | url = http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,796611,00.html | title = Controversial Project Launched: Merkel and Medvedev Open Baltic Gas Pipeline | newspaper = [[Spiegel Online]] | date = 8 November 2011 | access-date = 8 November 2011}}</ref><ref name=ft081111>{{cite news | url = http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/51ea636e-0a14-11e1-8d46-00144feabdc0.html | first1 = Gerrit | last1 = Wiesmann | title = Russia-EU gas pipeline delivers first supplies | newspaper = [[Financial Times]] | date = 8 November 2011 | access-date = 8 November 2011}}</ref> the [[Nord Stream 2|second line]] was inaugurated on 8 October 2012,<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.nord-stream.com/press-info/press-releases/nord-stream-five-years-of-successful-gas-supply-to-europe-497/ | title = Nord Stream – Five Years of Successful Gas Supply to Europe | publisher = [[Nord Stream AG]] | date = 16 October 2017 | access-date = 9 November 2017}}</ref> and was completed in September 2021,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/russias-gazprom-says-it-has-completed-nord-stream-2-construction-2021-09-10/|title=Russia completes Nord Stream 2 construction, gas flows yet to start|last=Soldatkin|first=Vladimir|work=[[Reuters]]|date=10 September 2021|access-date=4 May 2022}}</ref> but has not entered service yet, as its approval got halted in February 2022.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/germanys-scholz-halts-nord-stream-2-certification-2022-02-22/|title=Germany freezes Nord Stream 2 gas project as Ukraine crisis deepens|last2=Chambers|first2=MAdeline|first1=Sarah|last1=Marsh|work=[[Reuters]]|date=22 February 2022|access-date=4 May 2022}}</ref>

==Archaeology==
[[File:Laevavrakk "Kazanets".JPG|thumb|Shipwreck of ''[[Kazanets]]'' near [[Osmussaar]], in Estonia]]
The bottom of the gulf is one of the world's largest [[Ship graveyard|ship cemeteries]]. Because of the low [[salinity]] and cold waters, and no [[shipworm]]s, the ships are relatively well preserved. Since the 6th century, major waterways were running through the gulf, and from the 8th to the 10th century, about 3,000 tonnes of [[silver]] was transported there. Later, the gulf was actively used by Sweden and Russia for transport of goods. Every year saw dozens of lost ships. In the fall of 1743, 17 Russian warships returning from Finland sank in just 7 hours, and in the summer of 1747, 26 merchant vessels sank within 4 hours near Narva. A record was set in 1721 when during the evacuation of Russian troops from Finland, more than 100 vessels were lost within 3 months, including 64 in a single night.<ref>[http://www.baltic-sunken-ships.ru/data/offline/rus/page76.html Underwater discoveries in the eastern Gulf of Finland] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101221215727/http://www.baltic-sunken-ships.ru/data/offline/rus/page76.html |date=21 December 2010 }}. Baltic-sunken-ships.ru. Retrieved on 2011-08-14.</ref>

By the end of 1996, about 5,000 submerged objects were identified in the Russian part of the gulf, including 2,500 ships, 1,500 airplanes, and small items such as boats, [[anchor]]s, tanks, tractors, cars, cannons, and even [[naval mine]]s, [[aerial bomb]]s, torpedoes, and other ammunition. The ships belonged to Russia (25%), Germany (19%), United Kingdom (17%), Sweden (15%), Netherlands (8%), and Finland (7%). The remaining 9% are from Norway, Denmark, France, United States, Italy, Estonia, and Latvia.<ref>[http://www.baltic-sunken-ships.ru/data/offline/rus/page58.html Catalog and atlas of objects on the bottom of the Baltic Sea and finds of the remains of ancient ships at the bottom of the Gulf of Finland] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110904231322/http://www.baltic-sunken-ships.ru/data/offline/rus/page58.html |date=4 September 2011 }}. Baltic-sunken-ships.ru. Retrieved on 2011-08-14.</ref> These objects present potential hazards to navigation, fishery, coastal construction, laying of submarine pipelines and cables, and the environment. Mines were laid in the gulf during [[World War&nbsp;I]] (38,932 units), the [[Russian Civil War]], and the [[Winter War]] (1939–1940), with an estimated total number of 60,000; 85,000 more mines were set during World War&nbsp;II, and only a fraction of all those were eliminated after the wars.<ref>[http://www.baltic-sunken-ships.ru/data/offline/rus/page112.html Hazardous Objects] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100222090832/http://www.baltic-sunken-ships.ru/data/offline/rus/page112.html |date=22 February 2010 }}. Baltic-sunken-ships.ru. Retrieved on 2011-08-14.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.izvestia.ru/news/news70701|language=ru|title=Atlas of ships sunken in the Baltic Sea|publisher=Izvestia.ru|date=11 January 2004}}</ref>

==Pollution==
[[File:Location of Ust-Luga Multimodal Complex.gif|thumb|right|300px|[[Ust-Luga Multimodal Complex]] on the [[Soikinsky Peninsula]] in the [[Kingiseppsky District]] of northwestern Russia]]
The ecological condition of the Gulf of Finland, Neva Bay and Neva River is unsatisfactory. There is significant contamination by ions of [[mercury (element)|mercury]] and [[copper]], organochlorine [[pesticide]]s, [[phenols]], [[petroleum product]]s and [[polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon]]s. Cleaning of waste water in Saint Petersburg was started in 1979 and by 1997 about 74% of wastewater was purified. This number rose to 85% in 2005, to 91.7% by 2008, and as of 2009 was expected to reach 100% by 2011 with the completion of the expansion of the main sewerage plant.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://eco.rian.ru/shortage/20091020/189781554.html|title=Within the next two years, Saint Petersburg will be cleaned of almost 100% of wastewater|publisher = RIA Novosti|language=ru|date=20 November 2009|access-date=10 November 2017}}</ref> Nevertheless, in 2008, the Federal Service of Saint Petersburg announced that no beach of Saint Petersburg is fit for swimming.<ref name="Grinpis">{{cite web|url = http://www.greenpeace.org/russia/ru/save-neva/project|title = Clean Neva|publisher = [[Greenpeace]]|url-status = dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100310173326/http://www.greenpeace.org/russia/ru/save-neva/project|archive-date = 10 March 2010|access-date=10 November 2017}}</ref>

Fish catchment decreased 10 times between 1989 and 2005. Apart from pollution, another reason for that is hydraulic and engineering works. For example, construction of new ports in Ust-Luga and Vysotsk and on [[Vasilyevsky Island]] adversely affected the [[spawn (biology)|spawning]] of fish. [[Sand mining|Extraction of sand]] and gravel in the Neva Bay for the land reclamation destroy spawning sites of [[European smelt]].<ref name="SPBLAND.RU">[http://news.spbland.ru/i/18352/ Construction of ports in the Gulf of destroying fish] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171110005159/http://news.spbland.ru/i/18352/ |date=10 November 2017 }}. News.spbland.ru. Retrieved on 2011-08-14.</ref>

Construction of the [[Saint Petersburg Dam]] reduced water exchange of the Neva Bay with the eastern part of the gulf by 10–20% that increased the contamination level of Neva Bay. The largest changes occur within {{convert|5|km|0|abbr=on}} from the dam. Some shallow areas between Saint Petersburg and the dam are turning into swamps. Waterlogging and the associated rotting of plants may eventually lead to [[eutrophication]] of the area.<ref name="B">[http://www.evol.nw.ru/lew/base1/ftp-ser/base.doc Databases of the gulf ecology and their structure] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111021010258/http://www.evol.nw.ru/lew/base1/ftp-ser/base.doc |date=21 October 2011 }}. None. Retrieved on 2011-08-14.</ref> Also worrying is expansion of oil ports in the gulf<ref name="B" /> and the construction of a treatment center for spent fuel from the [[Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Stolyarova|first=Galina|title=Russia Shamed by Ecology Record on Baltic Sea|url=http://www.times.spb.ru/index.php?action_id=2&story_id=32045|access-date=27 July 2010|newspaper=The Saint Petersburg Times|date=27 July 2010}}</ref>

The port of [[Kronstadt]] is currently serving as a transit point for the import in Russia of [[radioactive waste]] through the Baltic Sea. The waste, mostly [[depleted uranium hexafluoride]], is further transported through Saint Petersburg to [[Novouralsk]], [[Angarsk]] and other cities of eastern Russia. This [[Ust-Luga Multimodal Complex|transit point]] will be moved from Saint Petersburg to the port [[Ust-Luga]], which is about {{convert|110|km|mi}} west of Saint Petersburg, and within the [[Border Security Zone of Russia]], as decided by the Russian government in 2003 (Order No. 1491-r of 14 October 2003). It is expected that after this completes it should reduce the ecological risks for Saint Petersburg.<ref>[http://www.greenworld.org.ru/?q=bv103 Radioactive draft from a window to Europe] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170817075808/http://www.greenworld.org.ru/?q=bv103 |date=17 August 2017 }}. Greenworld.org.ru. Retrieved on 2011-08-14.</ref> Ust-Luga is envisioned to be the largest transportation and logistics hub in northwestern Russia.<ref>{{cite news | title = Territory Development Scheme of Kingiseppsky District of Leningrad Region | url = http://ust-luga-mmc.ru/EN/news/Shema_territorialnogo_planirovaniya_Kingiseppskogo_rayona_Leningradskoy_oblasti/ | work = Ust-Luga multimodal complex | date = 26 November 2011 | access-date = 16 August 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title = The second day of the exhibition TransRussia\TransLogistica 19 | url = http://ust-luga-mmc.ru/EN/news/Vtoroy_den_vistavki_TransRussia_TransLogistica/ | work = Ust-Luga multimodal complex | date = 19 April 2017 | access-date = 16 August 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title = Ust-Luga multimodal complex | url = http://ust-luga-mmc.ru/EN/about/ | access-date = 16 August 2017}}</ref> However, in 2015 it was reported that some construction plans in Ust-Luga were frozen, and the construction of Ust-Luga Multimodal Complex, supposed to be the transit point for radioactive waste, never started.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://en.portnews.ru/comments/1906/ |newspaper=PortNews |title=Ust-Luga comes to finish |date=10 February 2015 |access-date=9 November 2017 |last=Chernov |first=Vitaly |language=en |archive-date=10 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171110005333/http://en.portnews.ru/comments/1906/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Gallery ==
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|[[Battle of Gangut]]
|[[Battle of Hogland]]
|''Sea battle at Vyborg(1790)'' <br /> [[Ivan Aivazovsky]], 1846
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<gallery mode="packed">
File:4A7A3069 Moika, Saint Petersburg (35468573803).jpg|[[Moyka]], Saint Petersburg, Russia
File:Helsinki (23883925315).jpg|View of Helsinki, Finland
File:Tallinna vanalinn 2015.jpg|[[Tallinn Old Town]], Estonia
File:Ryssänsaari Island in front of Helsinki.jpg|Ryssänsaari island near Helsinki
File:Tallinna südalinna panoraam (2021).jpg|View of [[Tallinn Bay]]
File:Finland gulf.jpg|Fishermen on the Gulf of Finland
File:Suursaari.jpg|[[Gogland|Hogland]] island on horizon (view from [[Kotka]])
File:Haven Kronstadt 20080403 3.JPG|Kronstadt harbour in winter
File:Komarovo bereg.jpg|Gulf coast near [[Komarovo, Saint Petersburg|Komarovo]]
File:Ice off the coast at sunset.jpg|Ice off the coast of Komarovo at sunset
File:Hiems vespere in septentrionalem plagam Neva Bay.jpg|Northern coast of the Neva Bay
File:San Petersburgo, panorámica del Rio Neva.JPG|Panoramic view of Neva river
File:030527-1-TheGulfofFinland-IMG 0487-2.jpg|The "Fox Beach" by the Gulf in Saint Petersburg
File:030527-1-TheGulfofFinland-IMG 0444-2.jpg|Beach («Морские Дубки») by the Gulf in Saint Petersburg
</gallery>

==Major cities==
{{Div col|colwidth=20em}}
* [[Espoo]]
* [[Hamina]]
* [[Hanko, Finland|Hanko]]
* [[Helsinki]]
* [[Kirkkonummi]]
* [[Kotka]]
* [[Kronstadt]]
* [[Kunda, Estonia|Kunda]]
* [[Loksa]]
* [[Lomonosov, Russia|Lomonosov]]
* [[Loviisa]]
* [[Maardu]]
* [[Narva-Jõesuu]]
* [[Paldiski]]
* [[Petergof|Peterhof]]
* [[Porvoo]]
* [[Primorsk, Leningrad Oblast|Primorsk]]
* [[Saint Petersburg]]
* [[Sestroretsk]]
* [[Sillamäe]]
* [[Sosnovy Bor, Leningrad Oblast|Sosnovy Bor]]
* [[Tallinn]]
* [[Vyborg]]
* [[Zelenogorsk, Saint Petersburg|Zelenogorsk]]
{{div col end}}

==See also==
{{portal|Oceans|Finland}}
* [[Kiperort Peninsula]]
* [[Kven Sea]]
* [[Peter the Great's Naval Fortress]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Gulf of Finland}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20040707022638/http://earth.esa.int/showcase/env/Finland/Gulf_of_Finland_MER_FR_Orbit_07204_20030717.htm ESA satellite photograph of the Gulf of Finland] (archived 7 July 2004)
* {{Cite NIE|wstitle=Finland, Gulf of|short=x}}
* {{Cite AmCyc|wstitle=Finland, Gulf of|short=x}}

{{Marginal seas of the Atlantic Ocean}}
{{Landing stages Sestroretsk - St.-Petersburg}}
{{List of seas}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gulf of Finland}}
[[Category:Gulf of Finland| ]]
[[Category:Baltic Sea|Finland, Gulf of]]
[[Category:Gulfs of the Atlantic Ocean]]
[[Category:Gulfs of Russia]]
[[Category:Gulfs of Finland]]
[[Category:Bodies of water of Estonia]]
[[Category:Estonia–Russia border]]
[[Category:Finland–Russia border]]
[[Category:Karelian Isthmus]]
[[Category:Geography of Europe]]
[[Category:Bodies of water of Saint Petersburg]]
[[Category:Bodies of water of Leningrad Oblast]]
[[Category:Ramsar sites in Russia]]