The Väinameri (Estonian for Strait Sea or Sea of Straits) 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.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/ba/V%C3%A4inameri_location_map.svg/220px-V%C3%A4inameri_location_map.svg.png)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/69/Kumari_kanal_35km.png/220px-Kumari_kanal_35km.png)
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).[1]
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.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4a/Auklaid%2C_%C3%96akse_laid%2C_Saarnaki_laid%2C_Hanikatsi_laid.jpg/220px-Auklaid%2C_%C3%96akse_laid%2C_Saarnaki_laid%2C_Hanikatsi_laid.jpg)
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "The Väinameri Sea". Estonica. Eesti Instituut. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
External links
editWikimedia Commons has media related to Väinameri.
58°45′00″N 23°05′00″E / 58.75°N 23.08333°E