LAND-COVER AND POPULATION-DENSITY IN THE BALTIC-SEA DRAINAGE-BASIN - A GIS DATABASE

We present a Geographic Information System (GIS) database of the large -scale drainage basin of the Baltic Sea. A set of GIS map layers were created and used to generate information on the current landscape char acteristics and population distribution patterns in the drainage basin . Such data can be generated at the 92 meso-scale subdrainage basins, at the seven major subdrainage basins, and at the drainage basin as a whole, as well as by nations. Forests dominate in the drainage basin ( 48% coverage), followed by arable land (20%), and nonproductive open l ands (17%). Sweden and Finland contain 60% of total forest land, while most of the drainage basin's agricultural land is located in Poland. Wetlands cover roughly 8% of the drainage basin. Of the 85 million peo ple living in the Baltic Sea drainage basin, the vast majority (64%) l ive in the drainage areas of the Baltic Proper, and 45% live in Poland . About 22 million people (26%) live within metropolitan areas, 45% in towns or small cities, and 29% are rural. Nearly 15 million people li ve within 10 km from the Baltic coast. Expanding to a 50 km distance f rom the coastline, we find 43% of the total populated area and 31% of the total population.