sund

Sund is a geographic term used in Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish to describe a strait or channel of seawater that connects two larger bodies of water and separates two landmasses. Sunds are common in regions with many islands or peninsulas and are important for navigation and local ecosystems, serving as natural water corridors that influence tides, currents, and marine life.

Etymology and usage: The word derives from Old Norse sund, meaning strait or gap, and is cognate with related Germanic terms in other languages; in English, the root appears in the word sound, used similarly to describe a waterway. In Scandinavian toponyms, sund appears as part of geographic names for waterways, and may also appear in population centers located near such channels.

Notable example: Øresund, the strait between the Danish island of Zealand and the Swedish mainland, is the most internationally recognized sund. It forms a major transit route in northern Europe and is bridged by the Øresund Bridge, linking Copenhagen and Malmö. Beyond Øresund, numerous local waterways throughout Denmark, Norway, and Sweden carry the name or concept of a sund, reflecting their prominence as geographic features.

See also: Sound (geography), strait.