Command of the sea Great Britain accepted the principle in 1805; Russia, in 1824; and the United States (tacitly) in 1894. Many treaties, including the Treaty of Versailles, have dealt with the open seas, and currently the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea formalizes this freedom. Historically, many powers attempted to extend command of the sea into peacetime, imposing taxes or other restrictions on shipping using areas of open sea. For example, Venice claimed the Adriatic, and exacted a heavy toll from vessels navigating its northern waters. Genoa and France each claimed portions of the western Mediterranean. Denmark and Sweden claimed
Gulf of Bothnia of Bothnia into a southern gulf and northern lake across the Norra Kvarken area in about 2,000 years. Some historians suggest that the adventurer Ottar was referring to the Gulf of Bothnia when he spoke of the "Kven Sea" in the 9th century. It is also possible that Claudius Clavus's usage of the term "Mare Gotticus" in the 15th century refers to the Gulf of Bothnia. The land surrounding the Gulf of Bothnia is heavily forested. Trees are logged, then transported to the coast for milling. The gulf is also important for oil transport to the coastal cities and ore