The Świna (; Pomeranian: ''Swina'') is a channel in northwest

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, between from the German border. It connects the

Szczecin Lagoon Szczecin Lagoon (, ), also known as Oder Lagoon (), and Pomeranian Lagoon (), is a lagoon in the Oder estuary, shared by Germany and Poland. It is separated from the Pomeranian Bay of the Baltic Sea by the islands of Usedom and Wolin. The la ...

with the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...

separating the islands of Uznam (German: Usedom) and

Wolin Wolin (; ) is a Polish island in the Baltic Sea, just off the Polish coast. Administratively, the island belongs to the West Pomeranian Voivodeship. Wolin is separated from the island of Usedom (Uznam) by the Strait of Świna, and from mainla ...

. It is a part of the

Oder The Oder ( ; Czech and ) is a river in Central Europe. It is Poland's second-longest river and third-longest within its borders after the Vistula and its largest tributary the Warta. The Oder rises in the Czech Republic and flows through wes ...

estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime enviro ...

, and carries about 75% of that river's waterflow (of the remainder,

Peenestrom The Peenestrom is a strait in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, which separates the mainland from the island of Usedom. It is long and is the westernmost connection between the Szczecin Lagoon and the Baltic Sea (together with the Świna and D ...

carries 15% and

Dziwna The Dziwna () is a channel of the Oder River in northwestern Poland, one of three straits connecting the Szczecin Lagoon with the Bay of Pomerania of the Baltic Sea. It separates the island of Wolin from the Polish mainland. The other two ch ...

10%). It has a length of about .

Świnoujście Świnoujście (; ; ; meaning " Świna ivermouth"; ) is a city in Western Pomerania and seaport on the Baltic Sea and Szczecin Lagoon, in the extreme north-west of Poland, mainly on the islands of Usedom and Wolin, and Karsibór island, once ...

is a major town at the end of the channel towards the Baltic Sea. Swinoujscie Landsat

The

German Empire The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...

dammed and deepened the straits from 1874 to 1880 to create the ''Kaiserfahrt'' ( Piast canal).http://swinemuende.name/Kaseburg%20%28Karsibor,%20district%20of%20Swinemuende%29.htm. Kaseburg (Karsibor district of Swinemuende). Accessed 28-04-2012. It connects the northern part of the Świna directly with the

and the

Pomerania Pomerania ( ; ; ; ) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The central and eastern part belongs to the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, West Pomeranian, Pomeranian Voivod ...

n harbor of

Szczecin Szczecin ( , , ; ; ; or ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the Poland-Germany border, German border, it is a major port, seaport, the la ...

. The straits thus gained importance as a direct waterway to the industrial city. The territory along the straits' path was transferred from Germany to Poland following World War II.

Regressive Delta

The regressive delta was formed by the floods of the Świna channel in the area of the

Wolin National Park Wolin National Park () is one of 23 national parks in Poland, situated on the island of Wolin in the far north-west of the country, in West Pomeranian Voivodeship. An IUCN category II protected area, it was established on 3 March 1960 and cover ...

in 1996. This water-muddy natural complex forms an archipelago of 44 islands and canals with changing directions of water flow. The Delta Świna channel was formed by the Scandinavian glacier that withdrew from this territory 12,000 years ago. During the western and northern storms, sea water flowed into

, overflowing the islands. The borders of islands are constantly shaped during the process of accumulation.

Regressive Delta

References

See also