Zealand

Zealand (Dan. Sjælland), the largest and most important island of Denmark, lies between the Cattegat and the Baltic, and is separated by the Sound from Sweden and by the Great Belt from Fünen. Length, 81 miles; extreme breadth, 67 miles; area, 2670 sq. m.; pop. (including the small islands of Mœn, Samsø, &c.) 821,703. The surface is nearly everywhere flat, except in the northern peninsulas; the coasts, which are rockbound on the south-east, are indented by bays and fiords, the chief of which is the Roeskilde-Isefjord in the north. The rivers are small, but there are numerous lakes, and all the waters abound in fish. The island contains several beech-forests, is exceedingly fruitful in corn (particularly barley and rye), and breeds excellent horses and cattle. Agriculture and cattle-breeding are the principal employments of the inhabitants. The chief place is Copenhagen (q.v.), on the east coast; the next in rank and size are Elsinore in the north and Korsør in the south-west.