The Oder-Neisse line is the border between Germany and Poland which was drawn in the aftermath of World War II. The line is formed primarily by the Oder and Lusatian Neisse rivers, and meets the Baltic Sea west of the seaport cities of Szczecin (German: Stettin) and Świnoujście (Swinemünde). All pre-war German territory east of the line (23.8% of the former Weimar Republic lands, most of them from Prussia) was either awarded to Poland or the Soviet Union after the war, and the vast majority of its native German population was expelled by force. The line marked the border between the German Democratic Republic and Poland from 1950 to 1990. In 1990 newly reunited Germany and the Republic of Poland signed a treaty recognizing it as their border.

Tags: Oder, Oder-Neisse line, river