# Jutland
**Jutland** (Danish: Jylland) is the northern European peninsula making up Denmark's part on the continental mainland, with the [North Sea](https://www.edgepedia.org/north-sea) and the [Skagerrak](https://www.edgepedia.org/skagerrak) along its western and northern sides and the Kattegat and the Little Belt on its eastern side.[1](https://unvis.it/www.britannica.com/place/Jutland) In ancient geography it was the Chersonesus Cimbrica, or Cimbric Chersonese, and it was subsequently named for the Jutes, a Germanic people.[1](https://unvis.it/www.britannica.com/place/Jutland) In its larger sense the peninsula includes the German state of [Schleswig-Holstein](https://www.edgepedia.org/schleswig-holstein), so only its northern portion is Danish Jutland proper.[1](https://unvis.it/www.britannica.com/place/Jutland) • [2](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Jutland)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Extent | The peninsula extends northward from a line between Lübeck and the mouth of the Elbe for 270 miles to the promontory of the Skaw (Skagen)[2](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Jutland) |
| Breadth | Almost at its narrowest (36 miles) at the frontier; extreme breadth 110 miles; 180 miles from near Ribe to the Skaw[2](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Jutland) |
| Area | Danish Jutland, 11,496 square miles (29,775 square km)[1](https://unvis.it/www.britannica.com/place/Jutland); the peninsula covers 23,888 of Denmark's 43,032 square km[3](https://tidsskrift.dk/geografisktidsskrift/article/download/45585/55628?inline=1) |
| Share of Denmark | More than two-thirds of Denmark's total land area lies in the Jutland peninsula[4](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Page%3ANATIONAL_INTELLIGENCE_SURVEY_7%3B_DENMARK%3B_MILITARY_GEOGRAPHY_CIA-RDP01-00707R000200110018-4.pdf/7) |
| Southern boundary | Politically, as a result of the Treaty of Versailles of 1919, Jutland ends southward at Flensburg (Flensborg) Fjord[1](https://unvis.it/www.britannica.com/place/Jutland) |
| Largest cities | Aarhus (273,000 inhabitants) and Aalborg (114,000), the second and fourth largest cities in Denmark (2018 figures)[5](https://www.visitdenmark.com/faq/geography) • [6](https://investin.kystognaturturisme.dk/en/omraader/jylland/) |
| Highest point | Møllehøj, 170.086 m, Denmark's highest point, stands in Jutland[5](https://www.visitdenmark.com/faq/geography) |
## Extent and boundaries
The peninsula projects northward between the North Sea and the Baltic, preventing a natural direct east-west water communication between the two seas.[2](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Jutland) On the Danish side, the North Sea and the Skagerrak lie along Jutland's western and northern edges, while the Kattegat and the Little Belt flank it to the east.[1](https://unvis.it/www.britannica.com/place/Jutland) The Little Belt, the narrow strait separating Jutland and the island of Als from Funen and Ærø, runs 70 nautical miles with a width varying between 0.4 and 16 nautical miles and a maximum depth of 81 meters.[7](https://icj-web.leman.un-icc.cloud/sites/default/files/case-related/86/6893.pdf)
Denmark as a whole consists of the Jutland peninsula and over 400 scattered islands, of which Zealand, home to the capital Copenhagen, is the largest.[5](https://www.visitdenmark.com/faq/geography) The peninsula holds more than two-thirds of the country's land area; the remaining third is spread over roughly 500 islands and inlets.[4](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Page%3ANATIONAL_INTELLIGENCE_SURVEY_7%3B_DENMARK%3B_MILITARY_GEOGRAPHY_CIA-RDP01-00707R000200110018-4.pdf/7) Jutland also carries Denmark's only land border, a 68-kilometer frontier with Germany in the south.[5](https://www.visitdenmark.com/faq/geography)
## Political division and the southern border
The peninsula is divided between Denmark and Germany (Schleswig-Holstein): the northern portion bears the name Jutland, while the southern portion is German.[2](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Jutland) As a result of the [Treaty of Versailles](https://www.edgepedia.org/treaty-of-versailles) of 1919, Danish Jutland ends southward at Flensburg Fjord.[1](https://unvis.it/www.britannica.com/place/Jutland)
In 1911 Danish Jutland comprised nine amter (counties): Hjörring, Thisted, Aalborg, Ringkjöbing, Viborg, Randers, Aarhus, Vejle, and Ribe.[2](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Jutland) Today the Danish part of the peninsula is covered principally by the regions of North Jutland, Mid Jutland (Region Midtjylland), and South Jutland within Southern Denmark.[8](https://www.visitdenmark.com/files/visitdenmark.com/2024-08/Gastronomy%20-%20finalized.pdf)
## Landscape
The main watershed of the peninsula lies toward the east coast, so the elevated ground is found in the east, while the western slope is a gentle, low sandy plain of slight undulation.[2](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Jutland) The North Sea coast and the Skagerrak coast consist mainly of a sweeping line of dunes with wide lagoons behind them; the west coast is dominated by long, windswept sand stretches and some of [Northern Europe](https://www.edgepedia.org/northern-europe)'s biggest shifting dunes.[2](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Jutland) • [5](https://www.visitdenmark.com/faq/geography) The German portion of the peninsula generally resembles western Jutland, the main difference being the North Frisian islands off its coast in place of sand-bars and lagoons.[2](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Jutland)
**Glacial shaping.** The Main Stationary Line of the last glaciation forms a characteristic boundary down through Jutland, west of which lie huge sandur (outwash) plains and erosional remnants of the older Saalian landscape.[9](https://data.geus.dk/pure-pdf/27842_GEUS-R_2009_11_opt.pdf) North of the main residence line the ice left a hilly moraine landscape at the Limfjord.[10](https://www.geoparkvestjylland.dk/en/geologi-og-geosites) Limfjorden, the strongly incised fjord and inner-sea system of northern Jutland, was open to the west only about 8,000 years ago, when it formed an archipelago on the transition to the North Sea.[9](https://data.geus.dk/pure-pdf/27842_GEUS-R_2009_11_opt.pdf)
**Climate on the coasts.** In the district of Aalborg in northern Jutland a cold, dry northwest wind called the skai prevails in May and June and is exceedingly destructive to vegetation; along the west coast a salt mist produces similar effects, carrying its influence from 15 to 30 miles inland.[11](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica%2C_Ninth_Edition/Denmark)
## Settlement and economy
Jutland holds the two largest Danish cities outside the capital region: Aarhus, with 273,000 inhabitants, and Aalborg, with 114,000, ranked second and fourth in Denmark.[5](https://www.visitdenmark.com/faq/geography) • [6](https://investin.kystognaturturisme.dk/en/omraader/jylland/) [Agriculture](https://www.edgepedia.org/agriculture) dominates land use across Denmark at 66 percent, with forest and heathland at 16 percent.[5](https://www.visitdenmark.com/faq/geography) The peninsula's rivers include the Gudenå, Denmark's longest at 176 km.[5](https://www.visitdenmark.com/faq/geography)
The west coast is a major draw in Danish tourism, with a particularly large number of overnight stays in holiday homes, and traditional coastal holidays drive major national attractions such as LEGOLAND.[6](https://investin.kystognaturturisme.dk/en/omraader/jylland/) The peninsula is easily accessible from the European mainland: it is possible to drive from Bologna in Italy to Frederikshavn in northern Denmark without leaving motorways.[6](https://investin.kystognaturturisme.dk/en/omraader/jylland/) Three UNESCO World Heritage Sites can be visited on a trip around the south and west coast of Jutland.[12](https://www.visitdenmark.com/denmark/destinations/jutland)
## References
1. [Jutland, region, Denmark, Encyclopædia Britannica](https://unvis.it/www.britannica.com/place/Jutland)
2. [1911 Encyclopædia Britannica: Jutland, Wikisource](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Jutland)
3. [Denmark's area and population by peninsula and islands, Geografisk Tidsskrift](https://tidsskrift.dk/geografisktidsskrift/article/download/45585/55628?inline=1)
4. [National Intelligence Survey 7: Denmark, Military Geography, Wikisource](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Page%3ANATIONAL_INTELLIGENCE_SURVEY_7%3B_DENMARK%3B_MILITARY_GEOGRAPHY_CIA-RDP01-00707R000200110018-4.pdf/7)
5. [Geography of Denmark, VisitDenmark](https://www.visitdenmark.com/faq/geography)
6. [Jutland, Jylland, Kyst og Naturturisme](https://investin.kystognaturturisme.dk/en/omraader/jylland/)
7. [The Geography of Denmark and the Danish Straits, ICJ case document](https://icj-web.leman.un-icc.cloud/sites/default/files/case-related/86/6893.pdf)
8. [Denmark and its Regions, VisitDenmark product manual](https://www.visitdenmark.com/files/visitdenmark.com/2024-08/Gastronomy%20-%20finalized.pdf)
9. [Glacial deposits and environments in north-western Denmark, GEUS report](https://data.geus.dk/pure-pdf/27842_GEUS-R_2009_11_opt.pdf)
10. [Geology and geosites, Geopark Vestjylland](https://www.geoparkvestjylland.dk/en/geologi-og-geosites)
11. [Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition: Denmark, Wikisource](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica%2C_Ninth_Edition/Denmark)
12. [Jutland, wild beaches and packed with history, VisitDenmark](https://www.visitdenmark.com/denmark/destinations/jutland)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Places and geography › Landforms and terrestrial features › Islands and dry-land coastal features › Peninsulas*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license