When it reaches the Baltic Sea, the Neman splits into a maze of river branches and canals, forming polders and wetlands that make it a very attractive destination for eco-tourism.
Since 1999, the Lithuanian Society of Ornithologists [3] and the Nemunas Delta Regional Park Administration have been organizing bird counts every October.
The delta undergoes annual flooding, but the greatest threats to its integrity are posed by pollution, agriculture, the fishing industry, and tourism.
Another of the delta's special features is Lake Krokų Lanka (near where the Nemunas debouches), which formed when the river's outwash separated it from the Curonian Lagoon.
The Kuršininkai were considered Latvians until after World War I when Latvia gained independence from the Russian Empire, a consideration based on linguistic arguments.