Danish Straits - Naming and Geography

Naming and Geography

By closer view there are five straits named belt (Danish: Bælt), the only ones in the world and several straits 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 more narrow one is the sound:

• Als:
  • separated from the continent by Alssund
  • separated from Fyn 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 Scandinavia Peninsula of the continent by Øresund (Danish) / Öresund (Swedish)
  • separated from Fyn Island by the Great Belt