Szczecin Lagoon in the context of "Dziwna"

The Oder (/ˈoʊdər/ OH-dər; Czech and Polish: Odra) is a river in Central Europe. It is Poland's second-longest river and third-longest within its borders after the Vistula and its largest tributary the Warta. The Oder rises in the Czech Republic and flows 742 kilometres (461 mi) through western Poland, later forming 187 kilometres (116 mi) of the border between Poland and Germany as part of the Oder–Neisse line. The river ultimately flows into the Szczecin Lagoon north of Szczecin and then into three branches (the Dziwna, Świna and Peene) that empty into the Bay of Pomerania of the Baltic Sea.

Usedom (German: Usedom [ˈuːzədɔm] , Polish: Uznam [ˈuznam]) is a Baltic Sea island in Pomerania, divided between Germany and Poland. It is the second largest Pomeranian island after Rügen, and the most populous island in the Baltic Sea.

It lies north of the Szczecin Lagoon estuary of the Oder river. About 80% of the island belongs to the German district of Vorpommern-Greifswald in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The eastern part and the largest city on the island, Świnoujście, are part of the Polish West Pomeranian Voivodeship. The island's total area is 445 square kilometres (172 square miles) – 373 square kilometres (144 square miles) in the German part and 72 square kilometres (28 square miles) in the Polish part. Its population is 76,500 (German part 31,500; Polish part 45,000).

Szczecin (UK: /ˈʃtʃɛtʃɪn/ SHCHETCH-in, US: /-tʃiːn/ -⁠een, Polish: [ˈʂt͡ʂɛt͡ɕin] ; German: Stettin [ʃtɛˈtiːn] ; Swedish: Stettin [stɛˈtiːn]) is the capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the German border, it is a major seaport, the largest city of northwestern Poland, and seventh-largest city of Poland. As of 31 December 2022, the population was 391,566.

Szczecin is located on the Oder River, south of the Szczecin Lagoon and the Bay of Pomerania. The city is situated along the southwestern shore of Dąbie Lake, on both sides of the Oder and on several large islands between the western and eastern branches of the river. It is also surrounded by dense forests, shrubland and heaths, chiefly the Wkrzańska Heath shared with Germany (Ueckermünde) and the Szczecin Landscape Park. Szczecin is adjacent to the town of Police and is the urban centre of the Szczecin agglomeration, an extended metropolitan area that includes communities in the German states of Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

Świnoujście (Polish: [ɕfʲinɔˈujɕt͡ɕɛ] ; German: Swinemünde German pronunciation: [ˌsviːnəˈmʏndə]; Low German: Swienemünn; meaning "Świna [river] mouth"; Kashubian: Swina) is a city in Western Pomerania and seaport on the Baltic Sea and Szczecin Lagoon, in the extreme north-west of Poland, mainly on the islands of Usedom, Wolin, and Karsibór, the latter once part of Usedom, now separated by the Piast Canal to facilitate ship access to Szczecin.

Świnoujście borders the German seaside resort of Ahlbeck on Usedom, connected by a street and 12 km (7 mi) of beach promenade.

The Port of Szczecin (in Polish generally Port Szczecin) is a Polish seaport and deep water harbour in Szczecin, Poland. It is located at the Oder and Regalica rivers in the Lower Oder Valley, off the Szczecin Lagoon. In the past, the port included the now defunct Szczecin Shipyard. A free trade zone has been designated within the port area.

In 2022, cargo traffic in the seaport equaled 11,208,700 tons, comprising 9,4% of all cargo traffic in Polish seaports and the port was entered by 3173 ships with gross tonnage of more than 100.

The Świna (German: Swine; Pomeranian: Swina) is a channel in northwest Poland, between 2 and 4 km (1.2 and 2.5 miles) from the German border. It connects the Szczecin Lagoon with the Baltic Sea separating the islands of Uznam (German: Usedom) and Wolin. It is a part of the Oder estuary, and carries about 75% of that river's waterflow (of the remainder, Peenestrom carries 15% and Dziwna 10%). It has a length of about 16 km (9.9 miles). Świnoujście is a major town at the end of the channel towards the Baltic Sea.

The German Empire dammed and deepened the straits from 1874 to 1880 to create the Kaiserfahrt (Piast canal). It connects the northern part of the Świna directly with the Szczecin Lagoon and the Pomeranian harbor of Szczecin. The straits thus gained importance as a direct waterway to the industrial city. The territory along the straits' path was transferred from Germany to Poland following World War II.

The Bay of Pomerania (Polish: Zatoka Pomorska [zaˈtɔ.ka pɔˈmɔr.ska]; German: Pommersche Bucht; Kashubian: Pòmòrskô Hôwinga) is a basin in the southwestern Baltic Sea, off the Pomeranian shores of Poland and Germany. It stretches between the northernmost tip of the island of Rügen called Gellort northwest of Cape Arkona in the west, and the village of Jarosławiec in the east. In the south, it is bounded by the islands of Usedom/Uznam and Wolin, which separate it from the Szczecin Lagoon which is flown through by the Oder River, and is connected to the bay by three straits, the Dziwna, Świna, and Peenestrom.

The Bay of Greifswald with the islands of Koos and Vilm is a large sub-bay in the southwest of the Bay of Pomerania. Apart from Rügen, Usedom/Uznam, and Wolin, the islands Greifswalder Oie and Ruden also lie in the Bay of Pomerania. Maximum depth is 20 metres and salinity is about 8%. The main ports on the Bay of Pomerania are Mukran Port in Sassnitz-Mukran, the port of Świnoujście, the port of Kołobrzeg, the port of Greifswald on the mouth of the Ryck River in Greifswald-Wieck, the port of Dziwnów, and the port of Wolgast.