Q 01/05

Which sea fortress did Sweden build off Helsinki from 1748?

A) Olavinlinna

B) Suomenlinna

C) Turku Castle

D) Hamina Fortress

Answer · why

B) Suomenlinna

Suomenlinna was built by Sweden to guard against Russia, yet in 1808 its commander surrendered it to Russian forces, for reasons that remain unclear.

Q 02/05

The Baltic is often called the world's largest basin of what kind of water?

A) Glacial meltwater

B) Hypersaline

C) Freshwater

D) Brackish

Answer · why

D) Brackish

Brackish water fills the Baltic because rivers draining an area over four times its size pour in fresh water, while ocean salt can enter only through ...

Q 03/05

Which sea does the Baltic drain into through the Danish Straits?

A) The Skagerrak

B) The Kattegat

C) The Wadden Sea

D) The Norwegian Sea

Answer · why

B) The Kattegat

The Kattegat is shallow, and its reefs and uneven seabed make it a tricky passage for ships.

Q 04/05

Which artificial waterway, opened in 1895 through Schleswig-Holstein, links the Baltic to the North Sea?

A) The Eider Canal

B) The Göta Canal

C) The Kiel Canal

D) The Elbe-Lübeck Canal

Answer · why

C) The Kiel Canal

The Kiel Canal was sought by merchants and by the German navy, which wanted to link its Baltic and North Sea bases without sailing around Denmark.

Q 05/05

What is the northern arm of the Baltic, lying between Sweden and Finland, called?

A) The Archipelago Sea

B) The Gulf of Finland

C) The Bay of Gdańsk

D) The Gulf of Bothnia

Answer · why

D) The Gulf of Bothnia

The Gulf of Bothnia's northern shores rise about 1 cm a year, as the land rebounds from the weight of the ice-age ice sheet.