Rügen

Rügen / Rugia

Map of the island
Rügen / Rugia
Geography
Location	Baltic Sea
Area	926.4 km2 (357.7 sq mi)
Length	51.4 km (31.94 mi)
Width	42.8 km (26.59 mi)
Coastline	574 km (356.7 mi)
Highest elevation	161 m (528 ft)
Highest point	Piekberg
Administration
Germany
State	Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
District	Vorpommern-Rügen
Demographics
Demonym	Rugians
Population	77,000 (2006)
Pop. density	79 /km2 (205 /sq mi)

Rügen (German pronunciation: [ˈʁyːɡən]; also lat. Rugia; Ruegen) is Germany's largest island by area. It is located off the Pomeranian coast in the Baltic Sea and belongs to the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

The "gateway" to Rügen island is the Hanseatic city of Stralsund, where it is linked to the mainland by road and railway via the Rügen Bridge and Causeway, two routes crossing the two-kilometre-wide Strelasund, a sound of the Baltic Sea.

Rügen has a maximum length of 51.4 km (from north to south), a maximum width of 42.8 km in the south and an area of 926 km². The coast is characterized by numerous sandy beaches, lagoons (Bodden) and open bays (Wieke), as well as projecting peninsulas and headlands. In June 2011, UNESCO awarded the status of a World Heritage Site to the Jasmund National Park, famous for its vast stands of beeches and chalk cliffs like King's Chair, the main landmark of Rügen island.

The island of Rügen is part of the district of Vorpommern-Rügen, with its county seat in Stralsund. The towns on Rügen are: Bergen, Sassnitz, Putbus and Garz. In addition, there are the Baltic seaside resorts of Binz, Baabe, Göhren, Sellin and Thiessow.