Sjælland

Sjælland, also Zealand, island, eastern Denmark. The largest and most important island of Denmark, with an area of 7,016 sq km (2,709 sq mi), it lies between the Kattegat and the Baltic Sea; it is separated by the strait of Øresund from Sweden and by the Storebælt (Great Belt) from the island of Fyn. The coasts, which are rockbound on the south-east, are indented by bays and fiords. Agriculture and cattle-breeding are the leading occupations. The chief city is Copenhagen, the Danish capital. A fixed link across the Storebælt between Sjælland and Fyn opened to rail traffic in 1997. The road bridge opened to traffic the following year. The population of the island (1994 estimate) is 2,159,260.