Danish straits

The Danish straits are the

Toponymy and geography

Five straits are named 'belt' (Danish: bælt), the only ones in the world^{[clarification needed]}. Several other straits are named 'sound' (Danish, Swedish and German: sund). Where an island is situated between a "belt" and a "sound", typically the broader strait is called "belt" and the narrower one is the "sound":

• Als
  :
  • separated from the continent by Alssund
  • separated from
    Fyn
    by the southern part of the Little Belt, an area referred to in German (but not Danish) as Alsenbelt
• Fehmarn
  • separated from the continent by Fehmarnsund, also Femersund
  • separated from Lolland by Fehmarnbelt (German) / Femerbelt (Platt) / Femernbælt (former spelling: Femer Bælt)

• Langeland:
  • separated from Tåsinge Island by Siø Sund (Tåsinge itself is separated from Fyn by Svendborg Sund)
  • separated from Lolland by Langelandsbælt, the southern part of Great Belt
• Lolland:
  • separated from Falster Island by Guldborgsund (Falster itself is separated from Zealand by Storstrømmen Strait)
  • separated from Langeland by Langelandsbælt
  • separated from Fehmarn by Femernbælt, which is the common continuation of Great Belt–Langelandsbælt and Little Belt
• Zealand
  (Danish: Sjælland)
  • separated from Scandinavian peninsula of the continent by Øresund (Danish) / Öresund (Swedish)
  • separated from Fyn Island by the Great Belt

Etymology of "sound" / "sund"

The

Another explanation derives "sound" from an ancient verb "sund" in the meaning of to swim. That way a sound is a swimmable strait. In the Swedish language any strait is called "sund".

The Germanic word "sound" is not related to the

• Kiel Canal
• Göta Canal
• Eider Canal
• List of islands of Denmark
• March across the Belts

References

• Denmark 1:500,000 – official map for download
• Norwegian dictionary: sund
• Norwegian dictionary: sundre

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