Baltic Uplands
Encyclopedia
The Baltic Uplands is a chain of morainic hills about 200 km wide that border the southern Baltic Sea
from Jutland
to Estonia
.
, form the western part of the East European Plain
. To the north they descend steadily into the Gulf of Finland
. Towards the east they merge into the Belarusian Ridge
; to the southeast they sinks gradually into the Polesian depression. To the south the terrain falls away into the extensive Vistula
basin. To the west the Uplands are bordered by the North German Plain
and in the northwest the terrain drops away westwards from the Schleswig-Holstein Uplands
into the North Sea
.
The Baltic Uplands are crossed by the rivers Oder
, Vistula
, Memel
and Düna
. Their component hill ranges are, from west to east, the Angeln
, Schwansen
, Hüttener Berge
, Danish Wahld, Holstein Switzerland, Mecklenburg Switzerland
, Pomeranian Lake Plateau (with the Wieżyca
), the Masurian Lake District (with the Wzgórza Szeskie and the Lower Lithuanian Ridge.
, Tucheler Heide, Rominter Heide).
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
from Jutland
Jutland
Jutland , historically also called Cimbria, is the name of the peninsula that juts out in Northern Europe toward the rest of Scandinavia, forming the mainland part of Denmark. It has the North Sea to its west, Kattegat and Skagerrak to its north, the Baltic Sea to its east, and the Danish–German...
to Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
.
Geography
The uplands, which reach a height of at WieżycaWieżyca (mountain)
Wieżyca is a mountain located in northern Poland, in the historical region of Kashubia, some 40 kilometers southwest of Gdansk. With elevation of 329 meters above sea level, it is the highest peak of central and northern Poland. Its top is covered by a forest, and the mountain was object of pagan...
, form the western part of the East European Plain
East European Plain
The East European Plain is a plain comprising a series of river basins in Eastern Europe. Together with the Northern European Plain it constitutes the European Plain. It is the largest mountain-free part of the European landscape.The plain spans approximately and averages about in elevation...
. To the north they descend steadily into the Gulf of Finland
Gulf of Finland
The Gulf of Finland is the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It extends between Finland and Estonia all the way to Saint Petersburg in Russia, where the river Neva drains into it. Other major cities around the gulf include Helsinki and Tallinn...
. Towards the east they merge into the Belarusian Ridge
Belarusian Ridge
The Belarusian Ridge is a line of terminal moraines in the northwest of Belarus. This ridge, consisting of low, rolling hills, runs for about 500 km in the direction from west-southwest to east-northeast, from the area of the Brest region, which is close to the border of Poland to the Russian...
; to the southeast they sinks gradually into the Polesian depression. To the south the terrain falls away into the extensive Vistula
Vistula
The Vistula is the longest and the most important river in Poland, at 1,047 km in length. The watershed area of the Vistula is , of which lies within Poland ....
basin. To the west the Uplands are bordered by the North German Plain
North German plain
The North German Plain or Northern Lowland is one of the major geographical regions of Germany. It is the German part of the North European Plain...
and in the northwest the terrain drops away westwards from the Schleswig-Holstein Uplands
Schleswig-Holstein Uplands
The Schleswig-Holstein Uplands is one of the three landscapes of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein; the others being the marsch and the geest...
into the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
.
The Baltic Uplands are crossed by the rivers Oder
Oder
The Oder is a river in Central Europe. It rises in the Czech Republic and flows through western Poland, later forming of the border between Poland and Germany, part of the Oder-Neisse line...
, Vistula
Vistula
The Vistula is the longest and the most important river in Poland, at 1,047 km in length. The watershed area of the Vistula is , of which lies within Poland ....
, Memel
Neman River
Neman or Niemen or Nemunas, is a major Eastern European river rising in Belarus and flowing through Lithuania before draining into the Curonian Lagoon and then into the Baltic Sea at Klaipėda. It is the northern border between Lithuania and Russia's Kaliningrad Oblast in its lower reaches...
and Düna
Duna
Duna is the Soviet-Russian pop-music band that was created in 1987. It became very popular in 1989 just before the fall of the Soviet Union with the song .-Members:*Viktor "Ryba" Rybin, vocal, percussion...
. Their component hill ranges are, from west to east, the Angeln
Angeln
Modern Angeln, also known as Anglia , is a small peninsula in Southern Schleswig in the northern Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, protruding into the Bay of Kiel...
, Schwansen
Schwansen
Schwansen is a peninsula in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, protruding into the Baltic Sea. It is located between the Eckernförde Bay in the south and the Schlei inlet in the north....
, Hüttener Berge
Hüttener Berge
Hüttener Berge is an Amt in the district of Rendsburg-Eckernförde, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Its seat is in Groß Wittensee. It was formed on 1 January 2008 from the former Ämter Hütten and Wittensee....
, Danish Wahld, Holstein Switzerland, Mecklenburg Switzerland
Mecklenburgische Schweiz
Mecklenburgische Schweiz is an Amt in the district of Rostock, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. The seat of the Amt is in Teterow, itself not part of the Amt.The Amt Mecklenburgische Schweiz consists of the following municipalities:...
, Pomeranian Lake Plateau (with the Wieżyca
Wieżyca (mountain)
Wieżyca is a mountain located in northern Poland, in the historical region of Kashubia, some 40 kilometers southwest of Gdansk. With elevation of 329 meters above sea level, it is the highest peak of central and northern Poland. Its top is covered by a forest, and the mountain was object of pagan...
), the Masurian Lake District (with the Wzgórza Szeskie and the Lower Lithuanian Ridge.
Economy, tourism and landscape
The low, rolling, ground moraine landscape is fertile and supports highly-productive arable farming. The chain of lakes and end moraine ridges are popular holiday areas. The poorer, sandy areas are largely covered by pine forest (e. g. SchorfheideSchorfheide
Schorfheide is a municipality in the Barnim district of Brandenburg, Germany. It was established in 2003 by the merger of Finowfurt and Groß Schönebeck.-Overview:...
, Tucheler Heide, Rominter Heide).