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List of islands of Denmark

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A map showing the Jutland Peninsula and most notable larger islands of Denmark.

This is a list of islands of Denmark.

Overview

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There are around 1400 islands in Denmark, where about 409 of the islands are named, not including the Faroe Islands or Greenland.[1] Some 70 of them are populated while the rest are uninhabited. Some of the uninhabited islands have only become uninhabited in recent decades, for economic reasons, as lighthouses and other publicly run facilities either became automated, or relocated to main islands or Jutland peninsula. Others became uninhabited as living costs outpaced income for the often fewer than 10 locals.

Definition

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Different lists of Danish islands vary, depending on how the word "island" is defined. According to the official Danish Government definition, an "island" needs to be surrounded by water at least one-half metre deep, and also to have land vegetation.[2]

Another common criterion is that an "island" needs to be surrounded by free-flowing, natural water and not just an artificial, narrow canal. According to this criterion, places such as Christianshavn and Holmen in Copenhagen, although sometimes referred to as artificial islands, are actually parts of the island of Amager.

Dynamic number

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Drejø, Hjortø and Skarø seen from above

The number of islands in Denmark changes from time to time. New islands are occasionally formed by sedimentation. Several examples of these new islands are found in the waters around Æbelø, north of Funen, including Drætlingen which formed in the late 1990s, and a still unnamed islet that was registered in 2008. These new islands are generally less stable than larger, morainic islands, and may later disappear again. Other islands are created artificially. Peberholm, formed in the process of construction of the Øresund Bridge, is a notable example. Other artificial Danish islands include a number of marine fortresses off Copenhagen, such as Middelgrundsfortet, Trekroner Fort and Flakfortet.

Islands may also disappear. An example of this is Jordsand, one of the Danish Wadden Sea Islands. According to records from 1231, the island then had an area of about 2,000 hectares (8 square miles). After a series of severe storms during that century, its area decreased to around 41 hectares, and by 1763 to around 18 hectares. By December 1999, the European windstorm Cyclone Anatol had destroyed the last piece of the island and Jordsand had ceased to exist.[3]

In other cases, islands are absorbed by larger neighbouring masses of dry land, as a result of either natural sedimentation or artificial land reclamation in the channels separating them. Sometimes this means that an island becomes a cape or headland, or a peninsula as is the case of the former island of Reersø.

Denmark's second largest island, the North Jutlandic Island, was not always an island. A storm on 3 February 1825 penetrated the narrow land mass, Agger Tange, and thus separated Northern Jutland from the rest of Jutland. The area had earlier been an island, when a strait at Vust had been open prior to the 12th century.

List of 100 largest Danish islands

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This is a list of the 100 largest islands of Denmark (press the symbol after the headings in the table to rearrange the list according to population size, location or alphabetically):

Rank Island's name Area Population[4]
(1 January 2013)
Location
km2 sq mi
1 Zealand 7,031 2,715 2,208,348 Baltic Sea / Kattegat / Øresund / Great Belt
2 North Jutlandic Island
(Vendsyssel-Thy)
4,685 1,809 297 886 North Sea / Kattegat / Skagerrak / Limfjord
3 Funen 2,985 1,153 456,128 Great Belt / Little Belt / Kattegat / South Funen Archipelago
4 Lolland 1,243 480 62,578 Baltic Sea / Smålandsfarvandet / Storstrømmen
5 Bornholm 588 227 40,715 Baltic Sea
6 Falster 514 198 42,544 Baltic Sea / Storstrømmen
7 Mors 368 142 21,163 Limfjord
8 Als 321 124 50,682 Little Belt
9 Langeland 284 110 12,644 Great Belt
10 Møn 218 84 9,580 Baltic Sea
11 Rømø 129 50 618 Wadden Sea, North Sea
12 Samsø 112 43 3,806 Kattegat
13 Læsø 101 39 1,839 Kattegat
14 Amager 95.3 36.8 180,657 Øresund
15 Ærø 88 34 6,516 South Funen Archipelago
16 Tåsinge 70 27 6,174 South Funen Archipelago
17 Fanø 56 22 3,237 Wadden Sea, North Sea
18 Fur 22 8.5 826 Limfjorden
19 Anholt 22 8.5 169 Kattegat
20 Fejø 16 6.2 464 Smålandsfarvandet
21 Saltholm 16.0 6.2 1 Øresund
22 Orø 15 5.8 846 Isefjorden
23 Endelave 13.1 5.1 176 Kattegat
24 Bogø 13.0 5.0 1,108 Storstrømmen
25 Sejerø 12.4 4.8 348 Kattegat
26 Femø 11.0 4.2 123 Smålandsfarvandet
27 Jegindø 7.9 3.1 464 Limfjord
28 Mandø 7.6 2.9 41 Wadden Sea, North Sea
29 Thurø 7.5 2.9 3,595 South Funen Archipelago
30 Alrø 7.5 2.9 147 Horsens Fjord
31 Agersø 7.0 2.7 181 Great Belt
32 Venø 6.5 2.5 190 Limfjord
33 Bågø 6.2 2.4 27 Little Belt
34 Lyø 6.0 2.3 101 South Funen Archipelago
35 Egholm 6 2.3 48 Limfjord
36 Avernakø 5.9 2.3 114 South Funen Archipelago
37 Årø 5.7 2.2 157 Little Belt
38 Glænø 5.6 2.2 51 Smålandsfarvandet
39 Gavnø 5.5 2.1 31 Great Belt
40 Strynø 4.9 1.9 202 South Funen Archipelago
41 Nyord 4.8 1.9 41 Baltic Sea
42 Omø 4.5 1.7 154 Great Belt
43 Drejø 4.3 1.7 64 South Funen Archipelago
44 Fænø 3.9 1.5 2 Little Belt
45 Agerø 3.8 1.5 26 Limfjord
46 Tunø 3.5 1.4 109 Kattegat
47 Enø 3.4 1.3 332 Smålandsfarvandet
48 Livø 3.3 1.3 9 Limfjord
49 Hjarnø 3.2 1.2 104 Kattegat
50 Askø 2.82 1.09 37 Smålandsfarvandet
51 Æbelø 2.50 0.97 - Kattegat
52 Barsø 2.50 0.97 22 Little Belt
53 Nekselø 2.20 0.85 18 Kattegat (Sejerøbugten)
54 Brandsø 2.00 0.77 - Little Belt
55 Skarø 1.97 0.76 33 South Funen Archipelago
56 Tærø 1.73 0.67 1 Storstrømmen
57 Masnedø 1.68 0.65 129 Storstrømmen
58 Vejrø 1.57 0.61 5 Storstrømmen
59 Bjørnø 1.50 0.58 32 South Funen Archipelago
60 Sprogø 1.50 0.58 - Great Belt
61 Eskilsø 1.39 0.54 6 Roskilde Fjord
62 Dybsø 1.34 0.52 1 Smålandsfarvandet
63 Vigelsø 1.32 0.51 - Odense Fjord
64 Siø 1.31 0.51 15 South Funen Archipelago
65 Langø 1.30 0.50 2 Storstrømmen
66 Peberholm 1.3 0.50 - Øresund
67 Romsø 1.09 0.42 - Great Belt
68 Skalø 1.06 0.41 - Smålandsfarvandet
69 Enehøje 1.04 0.40 - Nakskov Fjord
70 Langli 1.00 0.39 - Wadden Sea, North Sea
71 Hjortø 0.90 0.35 8 South Funen Archipelago
72 Farø 0.93 0.36 5 Storstrømmen
73 Birkholm 0.92 0.36 11 South Funen Archipelago
74 Illumø 0.90 0.35 - South Funen Archipelago (Helnæsbugten)
75 Lilleø 0.86 0.33 7 Storstrømmen
76 Rågø 0.80 0.31 - Smålandsfarvandet
77 Hesselø 0.71 0.27 - Kattegat
78 Store Egholm 0.70 0.27 - South Funen Archipelago
79 Hjelm 0.63 0.24 - Kattegat
80 Vorsø 0.6 0.23 1 Horsens Fjord
81 Halmø 0.50 0.19 - South Funen Archipelago
82 Strynø Kalv 0.50 0.19 - South Funen Archipelago (Helnæsbugten)
83 Fjendø 0.40 0.15 - Nissum Fjord
84 Vejlø 0.37 0.14 - Nakskov Fjord
85 Mejlø 0.34 0.13 - Kattegat / Great Belt
86 Draget 0.28 0.11 - Kattegat (off Bogense)
87 Store Svelmø 0.27 0.10 - South Funen Archipelago
88 Christiansø 0.25 0.097 92 Baltic Sea
89 Kalvø, Guldborgsund 0.22 0.085 - Baltic Sea (Guldborgsund)
90 Slotsholmen 0.21 0.081 14 Øresund
91 Tornø 0.21 0.081 4 Odense Fjord
92 Græsholm, Hirsholmene 0.21 0.081 3 Kattegat
93 Vigø 0.20 0.077 - South Funen Archipelago (Helnæsbugten)
94 Slotø 0.20 0.077 - Nakskov Fjord
95 Hjælmshoved 0.20 0.077 - South Funen Archipelago
96 Kalvø, Genner Bugt 0.17 0.066 13 Little Belt
97 Hirsholm 0.17 0.066 3 Kattegat
98 Ejlinge 0.16 0.062 - Kattegat
99 Møgelø 0.14 0.054 - Julsø

Other populated islands

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Areas sometimes referred to as islands

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Other small unpopulated islands

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Facts and Figures Archived 2010-06-30 at the Wayback Machine", Danish Defence, Defence Command Denmark. Retrieved 11 June 2010.
  2. ^ "Hov - den der ø har jeg ikke set før". Politiken. Retrieved 2010-07-30.
  3. ^ . "Danmarksnationalparker.dk". Øer der kom og gik. Archived 2013-06-24 at archive.today Retrieved 20 June 2013
  4. ^ "Danmarks Statistik." Retrieved 11 June 2010.
  5. ^ "Lindholm Forsøgsstation" Archived 2011-07-19 at the Wayback Machine, Møn Kulturarvsatlas. (in Danish) 13 June 2010.
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