Jutland

Jutland (Danish, Jylland), in physical geography, peninsula, northern Europe, extending northwards from the Eider River, and bounded on the north by the Skagerrak strait, on the east by the Kattegat strait and the Lille Baelt channel, and on the west by the North Sea. In political geography, Jutland comprises part of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, and all of the mainland of Denmark. The name is applied in common usage only to the Danish portion of the peninsula.

Danish Jutland extends about 338 km (210 mi) in a north-south direction and has a maximum width of about 177 km (110 mi). It has an area of 29,767 sq km (11,493 sq mi). The population (1989 estimate) is 2,374,000, giving a population density of about 80 people per sq km (206 per sq mi). The peninsula is generally low lying, except for a range of hills in the east central region which contains Denmark's highest point, Yding Skovhøj, 173 m (568 ft) above sea level. Jutland is crossed by numerous small streams, of which the Gudenå River, about 160 km (100 mi) in length, is the longest. The peninsula's western coast, which consists of a continuous sandy beach, has only one good harbour, at the town of Esbjerg (population, 2003 estimate, 72,613). The eastern coast, indented by numerous bays and fiords, is bordered by a fertile area of undulating fields and meadows. Agricultural activity, confined largely to this region, includes beef and dairy farming. Fishing is also an important industry. Århus (population, 2003 estimate, 222,559) is the largest city of Danish Jutland. Besides Esbjerg, other leading communities include Ålborg (2003 estimate, 121,100), Horsens (2003 estimate, 49,457), and Randers (2003 estimate, 55,897).

The ancient Romans called the peninsula Chersonesus Cimbrica, a reference to the native Cimbri. In the 5th century Jutland was occupied by the Jutes, a Germanic tribe which gave its name to the peninsula and which participated, along with the Angles and Saxons, in the invasion of Britain. The Jutes were succeeded on the peninsula by the Norsemen or Vikings, the ancestors of the modern Danes.