Curonian Spit

Curonian Spit is a 98 km long, thin, curved sand-dune spit that separates the Curonian Lagoon from the Baltic Sea coast. It stretches from the Sambian Peninsula on the south to its northern tip next to a narrow strait, across which lies the port city of Klaipėda on the mainland of Lithuania. The northern 52 km long stretch of Curonian Spit peninsula belongs to Lithuania, while the rest is a part of Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia. The width of the spit varies from a minimum of 400 m in Russia to a maximum of 3,800 m in Lithuania.

The spit is home to the highest drifting sand dunes in Europe. Their average height is 35 m, but some attain the height of 60 m. The spit is frequently visited by migratory waterfowl. Between 10 and 20 million birds fly over the feature during spring and fall migrations, and many pause to rest or breed there. The spit also has several towns, the largest of which is Nida in Lithuania, which is a popular holiday resort, mostly frequented by Lithuanian and German tourists.