| Western Pomerania Lagoon Area National Park | |
|---|---|
| Nationalpark Vorpommersche Boddenlandschaft | |
 Coastal vegetation | |
  | |
| Location | Mecklenburg-Vorpommern,Germany |
| Nearest city | Rostock andStralsund |
| Coordinates | 54°26′10″N12°54′32″E / 54.436°N 12.909°E /54.436; 12.909 |
| Area | 805 km2 (311 sq mi) |
| Established | 1 October 1990 |
TheWestern Pomerania Lagoon Area National Park[1] (Nationalpark Vorpommersche Boddenlandschaft) isMecklenburg-Vorpommern's largest national park, situated at the coast of theBaltic Sea. It consists of several peninsulas, islands and lagoon shore areas in theBaltic Sea, belonging to the district ofVorpommern-Rügen.
The national park includes:
The national park is characterised by very shallow water housing a unique coastal fauna. All portions of the national park are famous for being a resting place for tens of thousands ofcranes andgeese.
Its area is 805 km2 (311 sq mi).
Approximately half the area of the park is open Baltic Sea; more than another quarter covers parts of the lagoons in theDarss-Zingst Bodden Chain including theWest Rügen Bodden. Thus it protects these shallow water areas (in the Baltic Sea, the National Park boundary is based on the ten-metre depth contour) with their rich flora and fauna. The differing salt content of thebrackish water habitats of the Baltic and thebodden (shallow lagoons) contribute significantly to the local diversity of nature. For example, theBaltic Herring visits the shallow bays regularly to spawn here.
The territory of the national park includes parts of theDarß and the peninsula ofZingst as well as most of the island ofHiddensee. In addition, a narrow strip of land on the island ofRügen, next to thebodden lies within the national park. Pine and beech woods, such as theDarß Forest, cover much of the land. In treeless areas there arebogs, resulting fromcoastal flooding.
| North Germany |  | |
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| Central Germany | ||
| South Germany | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
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