Nissum Fjord is an

inlet An inlet is a (usually long and narrow) indentation of a shoreline, such as a small arm, bay, sound, fjord, lagoon or marsh, that leads to an enclosed larger body of water such as a lake, estuary, gulf or marginal sea. Overview In marine geogra ...

located in West Jutland, west of Vemb and is demarcated from the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...

by a 1.3 km wide isthmus, Bøvling Klit, and passes through a

lock Lock(s) may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainment * ''Lock ...

in Thorsminde. The inlet has a water area of 70 km² or 7,000 ha. but the average water depth is only about 1 meter, and the deepest areas in Felsted Kog and the center of the inlet are between 2 and 3 meters. The northern part of the inlet, called Bøvling Fjord, is so shallow that it is sometimes completely drained by strong winds. Nissum Fjord has several creeks which empty into it, such as Ramme Creek, Flynder Creek, Damhus Creek and the largest creek, Storåen, which has its mouth at the eastern corner of Felsted Kog in the southeastern end of the inlet. Since the 1870s, Thorsminde has regulated the inlet's water level and salinity content at the lock, which facilitates water exchange in the inlet. The whole inlet as well as some surrounding land is designated as a wildlife sanctuary and

Ramsar wetland The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of Ramsar sites (wetlands). It is also known as the Convention on Wetlands. It i ...

, and the inlet and its surrounding reeds and meadows have a rich variety of

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

life.

Fjandø

In the southwest part of Nissum Fjord, off of the

peninsula A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on all ...

Nørre Fjand, lies a small uninhabited island of 40 hectares called Fjandø. The island's

heath A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a cooler ...

vegetation is kept in check by a flock of sheep during the summer, giving good conditions for bird life. From 1 April to 31 August there is a total traffic ban on the island and in a 100-meter zone around the island.

Felsted Kog

Felsted Kog is the result of a drainage project in the latter half of the 19th century. The "Kog" got its name during the time people attempted to drain the entire inlet; ''"kog"'' means "acquired land." The project succeeded only at Felsted where a 13 km long

dike Dyke (UK) or dike (US) may refer to: General uses * Dyke (slang), a slang word meaning "lesbian" * Dike (geology), a subvertical sheet-like intrusion of magma or sediment * Dike (mythology), ''Dikē'', the Greek goddess of moral justice * Dikes ...

was constructed and approximately 1400 ha. were drained. But it was soon found that the soil was not suitable for agricultural usage, and the dike often breached under heavy storms; thus the project was abandoned in 1885.

References

External links

Nissum Fjord Network (Danish)

Ulfborg Tourist Society (Danish)DOF Base (Danish)
{{coord, 56, 21, 26.14, N, 8, 10, 33.19, E, display=title Ramsar sites in Denmark Fjords of Denmark