List of islands of Denmark

This is a list of islands of Denmark, specifically those forming the Danish archipelago just off the European continent.

Overview There are around 1,400 islands in Denmark, 409 of which are named, not including the Faroe Islands or Greenland."Facts and Figures ", Danish Defence, Defence Command Denmark. Retrieved 11 June 2010. 70 of these islands are inhabited. Some islands became depopulated only in recent decades, either for economic reasons, as lighthouses and other publicly-run facilities became automated, or because their population relocated to larger islands or to the Jutland peninsula. Others became uninhabited as living costs outpaced income for the often fewer than 10 locals.

Definition 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.

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

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.. "Danmarksnationalparker.dk". Øer der kom og gik. Retrieved 20 June 2013

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 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 AreaPopulation"Danmarks Statistik." Retrieved 11 June 2010.(1 January 2013) Locationkm2sq mi 1 Zealand 2,208,348 Baltic Sea / Kattegat / Øresund / Great Belt 2 North Jutlandic Island(Vendsyssel-Thy) 297 886 North Sea / Kattegat / Skagerrak / Limfjord 3 Funen 456,128 Great Belt / Little Belt / Kattegat / South Funen Archipelago 4 Lolland 62,578 Baltic Sea / Smålandsfarvandet / Storstrømmen 5 Bornholm 40,715 Baltic Sea 6 Falster 42,544 Baltic Sea / Storstrømmen 7 Mors 21,163 Limfjord 8 Als 50,682 Little Belt 9 Langeland 12,644 Great Belt 10 Møn 9,580 Baltic Sea 11 Rømø 618 Wadden Sea, North Sea 12 Samsø 3,806 Kattegat 13 Læsø 1,839 Kattegat 14 Amager 180,657 Øresund 15 Ærø 6,516 South Funen Archipelago 16 Tåsinge 6,174 South Funen Archipelago 17 Fanø 3,237 Wadden Sea, North Sea 18 Fur 826 Limfjorden 19 Anholt 169 Kattegat 20 Fejø 464 Smålandsfarvandet 21 Saltholm 1 Øresund 22 Orø 846 Isefjorden 23 Endelave 176 Kattegat 24 Bogø 1,108 Storstrømmen 25 Sejerø 348 Kattegat 26 Femø 123 Smålandsfarvandet 27 Jegindø 464 Limfjord 28 Mandø 41 Wadden Sea, North Sea 29 Thurø 3,595 South Funen Archipelago 30 Alrø 147 Horsens Fjord 31 Agersø 181 Great Belt 32 Venø 190 Limfjord 33 Bågø 27 Little Belt 34 Lyø 101 South Funen Archipelago 35 Egholm 48 Limfjord 36 Avernakø 114 South Funen Archipelago 37 Årø 157 Little Belt 38 Glænø 51 Smålandsfarvandet 39 Gavnø 31 Great Belt 40 Strynø 202 South Funen Archipelago 41 Nyord 41 Baltic Sea 42 Omø 154 Great Belt 43 Drejø 64 South Funen Archipelago 44 Fænø 2 Little Belt 45 Agerø 26 Limfjord 46 Tunø 109 Kattegat 47 Enø 332 Smålandsfarvandet 48 Livø 9 Limfjord 49 Hjarnø 104 Kattegat 50 Askø 37 Smålandsfarvandet 51 Æbelø - Kattegat 52 Barsø 22 Little Belt 53 Nekselø 18 Kattegat (Sejerøbugten) 54 Brandsø - Little Belt 55 Skarø 33 South Funen Archipelago 56 Tærø 1 Storstrømmen 57 Masnedø 129 Storstrømmen 58 Vejrø 5 Storstrømmen 59 Bjørnø 32 South Funen Archipelago 60 Sprogø - Great Belt 61 Eskilsø 6 Roskilde Fjord 62 Dybsø - Smålandsfarvandet 63 Vigelsø - Odense Fjord 64 Siø 15 South Funen Archipelago 65 Langø 2 Storstrømmen 66 Peberholm - Øresund 67 Romsø - Great Belt 68 Skalø - Smålandsfarvandet 69 Enehøje - Nakskov Fjord 70 Langli - Wadden Sea, North Sea 71 Hjortø 8 South Funen Archipelago 72 Farø 5 Storstrømmen 73 Birkholm 11 South Funen Archipelago 74 Illumø - South Funen Archipelago (Helnæsbugten) 75 Lilleø 7 Storstrømmen 76 Rågø - Smålandsfarvandet 77 Hesselø - Kattegat 78 Store Egholm - South Funen Archipelago 79 Hjelm - Kattegat 80 Vorsø 1 Horsens Fjord 81 Halmø - South Funen Archipelago 82 Strynø Kalv - South Funen Archipelago (Helnæsbugten) 83 Fjandø - Nissum Fjord 84 Vejlø - Nakskov Fjord 85 Mejlø - Kattegat / Great Belt 86 Draget - Kattegat (off Bogense) 87 Store Svelmø - South Funen Archipelago 88 Christiansø 92 Baltic Sea 89 Kalvø, Guldborgsund - Baltic Sea (Guldborgsund) 90 Slotsholmen 14 Øresund 91 Tornø 4 Odense Fjord 92 Græsholm, Hirsholmene 3 Kattegat 93 Vigø - South Funen Archipelago (Helnæsbugten) 94 Slotø - Nakskov Fjord 95 Hjælmshoved - South Funen Archipelago 96 Kalvø, Genner Bugt 13 Little Belt 97 Hirsholm 3 Kattegat 98 Ejlinge - Kattegat 99 Møgelø - Julsø

Other populated islands Frederiksø - see Christiansø above Lindø Klavs Nars Holm

Areas sometimes referred to as islands Jordsand, a former island Christianshavn, considered part of Amager Island Holmen, considered part of Christianshavn/Amager

Other small unpopulated islands Lindholm, Stege Bugt (which has a medical research facility)"Lindholm Forsøgsstation" , Møn Kulturarvsatlas. 13 June 2010.

See also Danish Straits Faroe Islands Greenland List of islands in the Atlantic Ocean Lists of islands

References

External links Statistics Denmark Populated islands National survey authority Danish Wikipedia List of inhabited islands