
Windmill on Fanø

Map of North Frisian and Danish Islands
The 'Danish Wadden Sea Islands' are a group of islands on the western coast of
Jutland,
Denmark. They belong to the Danish
counties of ''
South Jutland'' and ''
Ribe''. They will belong to the new
region ''
South Denmark'' from
January 1,
2007.
The Danish islands differ from the
German North Frisian Islands because no
Frisians live on the Danish islands.
The islands
'
Fanø' is located just off
Esbjerg to which it is connected by a ferry. The main towns on Fanø are Nordby and Sønderho. Other towns include Fanø Vesterhavsbad and Rindby. The island is 16 km long and 5 km wide, and has an area of 56 km². As of 2005, about 3,169 people live there. A variety of environments is to be found on Fanø. Not surprisingly, a very common one is sand. The island's whole western shore is made up of beaches, and the sea off the island's northwest end is also home to the "Søren-Jessens-Sand", a vast
sandbank. Fanø also has
heath and a small
pine wood.
'
Mandø' is a smaller island farther south, a bit farther from the mainland. It is Denmark's only
Hallig, being much like the islands bearing that description among the German islands. A dike on Mandø keeps the sea at bay. Much of the islanders' history involve efforts to reclaim parts of their island from the sea.
'
Rømø' is currently the southernmost of Denmark's Wadden Sea Islands (a small uninhabited one called
Jordsand was farther south, but sank in
1999). Rømø is linked to the Danish mainland by a road running across a causeway, and the island also lies only about 3 km from its German neighbour
Sylt, to which it is connected by ferry. It is home to a number of small communities such as Kongsmark, Østerby, Lakolk, and Sønderstrand.
There is also a small island among Denmark's share of the
archipelago called '
Langli', which is to be found in the Ho Bugt north of Esbjerg. It is the northernmost island in the whole group. It was once part of a peninsula whose landward stretch was washed away in a storm tide centuries ago. Since then, another
spit has formed to the west and now shields Langli from some of the sea's more destructive tendencies.
Langli is nowadays home to a natural science station, housed in a villa built in the
20th century.
Langli has an area of about 8 km² and can be reached from the mainland over an ''ebbevej'' (watershed) that is 3 km long.
'
Jordsand' and '
Koresand' are two
sandbanks in the danish
Wadden Sea. Jordsand is a former
hallig.
See also
★
List of islands of Denmark