Øresund

Øresund (örəsŭnd`) or the Sound, Swed. Öresund, c.45 mi (70 km) long, strait between the Danish island of Sjælland and Sweden, connecting the Kattegat with the Baltic Sea, to which it is the deepest channel. Between Helsingborg and Helsingør it is only 2.5 mi (4 km) wide. Copenhagen and Malmö are on the Øresund. A strategic passage, control of the strait was long contested between Denmark and Sweden. A bridge-tunnel link across the strait, connecting Copenhagen and Malmö, opened in 2000.

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Øresund

Almost tideless strait between Sjælland island, Denmark, and Skåne, Sweden, connecting the Kattegat Strait with the Baltic Sea. It is one of the busiest sea lanes in the world, though ice sometimes impedes navigation in severe winters. Three large islands within it divide the waters into channels. The strait's principal ports are Copenhagen and Helsingør in Denmark and Malmö and Hälsingborg in Sweden.