Which sea contains the Gulf of Bothnia?

The sea that contains the Gulf of Bothnia is the Baltic Sea.

The Gulf of Bothnia is the northernmost arm of the Baltic, lying between Finland’s western coast and Sweden’s eastern coast. It is divided into the Bothnian Bay in the north, the Kvarken region in the middle, and the Bothnian Sea in the south. The Åland Islands sit near its southern entrance.

The Baltic Sea is a large brackish inland sea connected to the Atlantic through the Danish Straits and the Kattegat. Limited water exchange, combined with substantial river inflow, makes its salinity much lower than that of most oceans. The Gulf of Bothnia is especially fresh in the north, where some freshwater fish can thrive.

Readers sometimes confuse the Baltic with the North Sea or the Barents Sea. The North Sea lies west of Denmark and connects more directly with the Atlantic, while the Barents Sea is far farther north, between Norway and Russia. The Gulf’s coastline and seafloor are also still rising after the weight of Ice Age glaciers was removed.