ABSTRACT
The Kaliningrad region spans over 15.1 thousand square kilometres. The coastline is some 140 km long, and the maximum distance from the sea shore is nowhere more than 250 km. Due to human activities, the natural vegetation in the Kaliningrad region has been altered. The environmental state of affairs pertains to a considerable degree to economic-demographical pressures. The population of the Kaliningrad region amounted in the beginning of 1996 to some 933.800 inhabitants. The ports of Svetly, Kaliningrad and Pionersk also contributed to the overall pollution. The Kuronian and Vistula spits are of special importance for the Kaliningrad region, not only because of their unique position, but also due to their all-Russian significance. There are social movements in the environmental field, but their voice and impact could grow much larger taking into account the nature and magnitude of the problems that the Kaliningrad region is experiencing.
