Jordsand was a small Danish hallig located in the

Wadden Sea The Wadden Sea ( nl, Waddenzee ; german: Wattenmeer; nds, Wattensee or ; da, Vadehavet; fy, Waadsee, longname=yes; frr, di Heef) is an intertidal zone in the southeastern part of the North Sea. It lies between the coast of northwestern cont ...

southeast of the Danish island Rømø and east of the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

island

Sylt Sylt (; da, Sild; Söl'ring North Frisian: ) is an island in northern Germany, part of Nordfriesland district, Schleswig-Holstein, and well known for the distinctive shape of its shoreline. It belongs to the North Frisian Islands and is the ...

. The island was first known by the name ''Hiortsand'' (" hart island") and was possibly connected to both the mainland and the island of Sylt. The old name refers to the presence of

deer Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the ...

on the island. Records from 1231 describe the island as having a size equivalent of 20 km² (7.7 square miles). It contained numerous terps. The island was destroyed in a series of storm tides. Its size was described in 1807 and 1873 as 40.7 and 18.4

hectares The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is a ...

respectively. In 1895, a storm destroyed the last terp and the island was abandoned and became a

bird sanctuary An animal sanctuary is a facility where animals are brought to live and to be protected for the rest of their lives. Pattrice Jones, co-founder of VINE Sanctuary defines an animal sanctuary as "a safe-enough place or relationship within the cont ...

. Attempts to protect it from the recurring floods were made in the 1970s but with limited success since the island remained unprotected by a

dyke 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, ...

. The island's size ultimately shrunk to 2.3 hectares and the uninhabited island was finally destroyed in a flood during the winter of 1998/99. By 1999 all vegetation on the former island had disappeared, and the Danish Nature Agency removed its observational hut from the flooded area. In 1999, the island was officially registered as disappeared. The area is now a sandbank (''højsande''), ''Jordsand Flak''Jordsand
''

Den Store Danske Den may refer to: * Den (room), a small room in a house * Maternity den, a lair where an animal gives birth Media and entertainment * ''Den'' (album), 2012, by Kreidler * Den (''Battle Angel Alita''), a character in the ''Battle Angel Alita ...

'' similar to Koresand near Fanø. ''Højsande'' denotes a sandbank that is only flooded during exceptionally high waters. Its name lives on in the name of one of Germany's oldest environmental organizations, ''Verein Jordsand'' established in 1907.

Sources

* Palle Uhd Jepsen: ''Wattenmeerbilder''. Vardemuseum 2000 Former islands of Denmark Former populated places in Denmark Halligen {{Denmark-island-stub