This is a list of islands of Denmark.

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

Overview

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

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

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):

More information Rank, Island's name ...
Rank Island's name Area Population[4]
(1 January 2013)
Location
km2 sq mi
1Zealand7,0312,7152,208,348Baltic Sea / Kattegat / Øresund / Great Belt
2North Jutlandic Island
(Vendsyssel-Thy)
4,6851,809297 886North Sea / Kattegat / Skagerrak / Limfjord
3Funen2,9851,153456,128Great Belt / Little Belt / Kattegat / South Funen Archipelago
4Lolland1,24348062,578Baltic Sea / Smålandsfarvandet / Storstrømmen
5Bornholm58822740,715Baltic Sea
6Falster51419842,544Baltic Sea / Storstrømmen
7Mors36814221,163Limfjord
8Als32112450,682Little Belt
9Langeland28411012,644Great Belt
10Møn218849,580Baltic Sea
11Rømø12950618Wadden Sea, North Sea
12Samsø112433,806Kattegat
13Læsø101391,839Kattegat
14Amager95.336.8180,657Øresund
15Ærø88346,516South Funen Archipelago
16Tåsinge70276,174South Funen Archipelago
17Fanø56223,237Wadden Sea, North Sea
18Fur228.5826Limfjorden
19Anholt228.5169Kattegat
20Fejø166.2464Smålandsfarvandet
21Saltholm16.06.21Øresund
22Orø155.8846Isefjorden
23Endelave13.15.1176Kattegat
24Bogø13.05.01,108Storstrømmen
25Sejerø12.44.8348Kattegat
26Femø11.04.2123Smålandsfarvandet
27Jegindø7.93.1464Limfjord
28Mandø7.62.941Wadden Sea, North Sea
29Thurø7.52.93,595South Funen Archipelago
30Alrø7.52.9147Horsens Fjord
31Agersø7.02.7181Great Belt
32Venø6.52.5190Limfjord
33Bågø6.22.427Little Belt
34Lyø6.02.3101South Funen Archipelago
35Egholm62.348Limfjord
36Avernakø5.92.3114South Funen Archipelago
37Årø5.72.2157Little Belt
38Glænø5.62.251Smålandsfarvandet
39Gavnø5.52.131Great Belt
40Strynø4.91.9202South Funen Archipelago
41Nyord4.81.941Baltic Sea
42Omø4.51.7154Great Belt
43Drejø4.31.764South Funen Archipelago
44Fænø3.91.52Little Belt
45Agerø3.81.526Limfjord
46Tunø3.51.4109Kattegat
47Enø3.41.3332Smålandsfarvandet
48Livø3.31.39Limfjord
49Hjarnø3.21.2104Kattegat
50Askø2.821.0937Smålandsfarvandet
51Æbelø2.500.97-Kattegat
52Barsø2.500.9722Little Belt
53Nekselø2.200.8518Kattegat (Sejerøbugten)
54Brandsø2.000.77-Little Belt
55Skarø1.970.7633South Funen Archipelago
56Tærø1.730.671Storstrømmen
57Masnedø1.680.65129Storstrømmen
58Vejrø1.570.615Storstrømmen
59Bjørnø1.500.5832South Funen Archipelago
60Sprogø1.500.58-Great Belt
61Eskilsø1.390.546Roskilde Fjord
62Dybsø1.340.521Smålandsfarvandet
63Vigelsø1.320.51-Odense Fjord
64Siø1.310.5115South Funen Archipelago
65Langø1.300.502Storstrømmen
66Peberholm1.30.50-Øresund
67Romsø1.090.42-Great Belt
68Skalø1.060.41-Smålandsfarvandet
69Enehøje1.040.40-Nakskov Fjord
70Langli1.000.39-Wadden Sea, North Sea
71Hjortø0.900.358South Funen Archipelago
72Farø0.930.365Storstrømmen
73Birkholm0.920.3611South Funen Archipelago
74Illumø0.900.35-South Funen Archipelago (Helnæsbugten)
75Lilleø0.860.337Storstrømmen
76Rågø0.800.31-Smålandsfarvandet
77Hesselø0.710.27-Kattegat
78Store Egholm0.700.27-South Funen Archipelago
79Hjelm0.630.24-Kattegat
80Vorsø0.60.231Horsens Fjord
81Halmø0.500.19-South Funen Archipelago
82Strynø Kalv0.500.19-South Funen Archipelago (Helnæsbugten)
83Fjendø0.400.15-Nissum Fjord
84Vejlø0.370.14-Nakskov Fjord
85Mejlø0.340.13-Kattegat / Great Belt
86Draget0.280.11-Kattegat (off Bogense)
87Store Svelmø0.270.10-South Funen Archipelago
88Christiansø0.250.09792Baltic Sea
89Kalvø, Guldborgsund0.220.085-Baltic Sea (Guldborgsund)
90Slotsholmen0.210.08114Øresund
91Tornø0.210.0814Odense Fjord
92Græsholm, Hirsholmene0.210.0813Kattegat
93Vigø0.200.077-South Funen Archipelago (Helnæsbugten)
94Slotø0.200.077-Nakskov Fjord
95Hjælmshoved0.200.077-South Funen Archipelago
96Kalvø, Genner Bugt0.170.06613Little Belt
97Hirsholm0.170.0663Kattegat
98Ejlinge0.160.062-Kattegat
99Møgelø0.140.054-Julsø
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Other populated islands

Areas sometimes referred to as islands

Other small unpopulated islands

See also

References

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