Rugen

Rügen 

an island in the Baltic Sea, in the northern part of the German Democratic Republic. Area, 926 sq km. Population, including that of the small adjacent islands, 86,200 (1971).

The shores are low and very irregular, with many spits, barrier beaches, and dunes. The relief is a rolling plain with ridges of terminal moraines overlying limestones. The highest elevation is 161 m. Most of the land is under cultivation, primarily with rye, oats, potatoes, and sugar beets. There are large beech forests in the eastern and central parts of the island. Dairy farming, fishing for herring, and eeling are common. The chief port is Sassnitz; chalk is quarried nearby. Seaside resorts include Binz and Sellin. Rügen is linked with the mainland by a railroad and highway by way of a 2.5-km-long dam and a bridge. There is a ferry between Sassnitz and Trelleborg, Sweden.

REFERENCE

Oehler, H. Mit offenen Augen durchs Rügenland. Schwerin [1971].