Geography
The island is separated to the east from the neighbouring island of Wolin by the Świna (German: Swine) strait (or river), which is the main route connecting Szczecin Bay with the Pomeranian Bay, a part of the Baltic Sea. The strait between the island and the mainland is called the Peenestrom; it is a downstream extension of the valley of the Peene river, which flows into the westernmost part of the Stettin Lagoon. The island is mostly flat, partly covered by marshes.
The largest town on the island is Świnoujście, which has more inhabitants than the rest of the island. Another town, Usedom, gives its name to the island. The largest municipality in the German part is Heringsdorf (from 2005 to 2006 called Dreikaiserbäder (which means "Three Emperor Baths"). There are many popular tourist resorts on the northern coast, including the three Dreikaiserbäder cities of Ahlbeck, Heringsdorf and Bansin, as well as Świnoujście and Zinnowitz.
Economic activities include tourism, agriculture, fishing, animal husbandry, food processing and timber production.
Read more about this topic: Usedom
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