The Baltic Sea (also Baltic Sea) is an inland sea in Europe, which has a connection and thus a water exchange with the North Sea only via the Kattegat. In addition to Germany, the littoral states include: Denmark, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, Finland and Sweden. In Germany, the coasts of Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern are located directly on the Baltic Sea. The largest German islands in the Baltic Sea are Fehmarn, Rügen and Usedom, the latter of which, in addition to the German part, is also located on Polish territory. In addition to fine sandy beaches, there are also rocky and steep coasts, such as Cape Arkona on the island of Rügen.