Editing Pirates of the Baltic Sea (section)

==Regions==

===Gulf of Bothnia===

The northernmost arm of the Baltic Sea, situated between Finland's west coast and Sweden's east coast. And possibly the safest region in the entire Baltic. Nearly all the traffic here is between Sweden and Finland, and since friendly relations with both is vital to Buccaneers, they do not raid here. Nor do Raiders of Thule or other pirates. Åland dominates access to Gulf of Bothnia, so any pirate who wished to enter the Gulf would need to get past the Buccaneers first.

Water in the gulf is nearly fresh. The land surrounding the Gulf of Bothnia is heavily forested, and forest products are one of the more common products transported in the gulf, along with oil and ore. There are three large ports on the Finnish coast, Rauma, Kokkola and Tornio. The Swedish coast has twice that number, Luleå, Skellefteå, Umeå, Sundsvall, Gävle and Hargshamn. Gävle is Sweden's third-largest container port. 

There is some fishery in the gulf, mainly Baltic herring for domestic needs. Fishing vessels from Åland favor the gulf for its safety, so herring from the Gulf of Bothnia often finds its way on the plates of the Buccaneers. A persistent problem is pollution, because the sea is enclosed by a large drainage basin and is poorly connected to fresher waters from the Atlantic. Runoff from the Northern Fallout Zone has not helped the situation any. Mercury and PCB levels can be relatively high, although the Ålandic Food Safety Authority considers the herring edible. Although the levels exceed the limits, the fatty acids have health benefits that offset this risk.

===Bay of Bothnia===
The northernmost part of the Gulf of Bothnia. The bay is fed by several large rivers, and is relatively unaffected by tides, so has low salinity. Compared to other parts of the Baltic it had little plant or animal life to begin with, and after the Northern Fallout Zone formed, irradiated and toxic waters flowing down the Tornio River have turned the Bay of Bothnia entirely lifeless. Ships have little reason to come here, unless they are visiting the Badlander settlement at the mouth of the river. Some locals, and the Buccaneers, occasionally visit the settlement to trade for the things Badlanders have gathered from the Fallout Zone. Some Badlanders also have their own boats and the more entrepreneurial ones sail to Åland to offer their wares. Badlander boats tend to be jury-rigged things built from vessels abandoned in the Zone using gathered junk, and are rarely armed.

===Gulf of Finland===

With the cities of Saint Petersburg, Helsinki and Tallinn, the Gulf of Finland sees heavy traffic. Particularly between Helsinki and Tallinn. Helsinki is the busiest passenger port in the world. Still, Buccaneers generally do not raid any of the Helsinki-Tallinn traffic unless they are after some very specific cargo. The Buccaneers are too reliant on Finnish goodwill for their freedom to operate to risk antagonizing Finland, and interfering with the traffic between Helsinki and Tallinn would definitely do that.

Past Helsinki and Tallinn is the city of Saint Petersburg. The city itself deserves special mention, but it is not the only Russian port on the Baltic coast. Russia's most important oil harbours, such as Primorsk, are nearby. So is Ust-Luga, the largest transportation and logistics hub in northwestern Russia.

The environmental problems affecting the Baltic Sea are at their most pronounced in the shallow gulf. Massive algae growths are a common sight during summer, and sometimes the winter storms get so fierce that the Helsinki-Tallinn ferries will not leave port.

One reason why some buccaneers visit the gulf is shipwrecks. The bottom of the gulf is one of the world's largest ship cemeteries. Because of the low salinity and cold waters, and no shipworms, the ships are relatively well preserved. Since the 6th century, major waterways have been running through the gulf, and in the past every year saw dozens of lost ships. In more modern times, the number of ships lost in the Gulf of Finland decreased, but it has never completely stopped. And those lost ships do not even include all the sea battles fought in the gulf. There are thousands of submerged objects on the seafloor. Sometimes items of value or use can be found in the wrecks. There are hazards though. The surrounding nations do not mind recreational diving, but take a very dim view of people who rob sea graves. And the seabed remains under jurisdiction of the states. Buccaneers looting the wrecks need to keep an eye out and be ready to depart swiftly should a navy patrol approach. Not always easy to do when there are divers in the water. Also, some objects on the seafloor are dangerous hazards. Mines and munitions from various wars fought in the gulf litter the seafloor, and anyone diving down there needs to be careful not to set those off.

===Gulf of Riga===

The bay between Estonia and Latvia is the home of one of the fiercest rivals of the Buccaneers. The Raiders of Thule. They have their base in the island of Saaremaa, at the mouth of the Bay. This is not a safe region of the Baltic for the Buccaneers. Although there is a certain prestige in giving the raiders a finger in their home waters – if you can do it and survive.

===Bay of Gdańsk===

With eight ports, the sea route from the bay sees heavy traffic. It is also heavily patrolled. Among the Buccaneers preying on corporate shipping, the Bay of Gdańsk is known as a high risk, high profit region.

===Danish Straits===

Denmark and Sweden control the Danish Straits and the connection from the Baltic Sea to the North Sea. These days they also hold the massive edifice of the Danish Seawall. Sea level in the Atlantic is much higher than in the Baltic Sea. Long ago, when the sea levels started to rise, Danish and Swedish governments formed a corporation, the Baltic Shield Corporation, to protect the Baltic. All the Baltic Sea states are shareholders. Their investments funded the massive wall between the Baltic and the Atlantic that kept the sea level on the Baltic side low. The Seawall is actually several walls, with an elaborate lock system that allows even large ships to pass, despite the difference in sea level. But crossings are strictly monitored and there are charges for passing through.

To the Buccaneers, the Straits are a barrier. Any Buccaneer vessel attempting passage would be seized, unless the crew has quality forged documentation. Since few crews have a reason to leave the Baltic Sea, this rarely happens.