Kattegat

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The Kattegat (Danish), or Kattegatt (Swedish), is a bay of the North Sea and a continuation of the Skagerrak, bounded by Denmark and Sweden. The Baltic Sea drains into the Kattegat through the Oresund and the Danish Straits.

[edit] Geography

Waterways that drain into the Kattegat are the rivers of Göta älv at Gothenburg, together with Lagan, Nissan, Ätran and Viskan from the province of Halland on the Swedish side, and the river of Gudenå from Jutland, in Denmark.

The main islands of the Kattegat are Samsø, Læsø and Anholt, where the latter two, due to their dry summer climate, are referred to as the Danish desert belt.

A number of noteworthy coastal areas abut the Kattegat, including the Kullaberg Nature Reserve in Sweden, which contains a number of rare species and a scenic rocky shore; and the town of Mölle, Sweden, which has a picturesque harbour and views into the Kullaberg.

[edit] Etymology

According to Den Store Danske Encyklopædi and Politikens Nydansk Ordbog, the name derives from the Dutch words Kat (cat) and Gat (hole). It refers to late medieval navigation, where captains compared this region to a hole so narrow that even a cat would have difficulty creeping through due to the many reefs and shallow waters.<ref>Den Store Danske Encyklopædi (2004), CD-rom edition, Copenhagen: Gyldendal, entry Kattegat.</ref><ref name="Nydansk">Nudansk Ordbog (1993), 15th edition, 2nd reprint, Copenhagen: Politikens Forlag, entry Kattegat.</ref> At one point, the passable waters are a mere 3.84 kilometers (2.38 miles) wide. An older name for both the Skagerrak and Kattegat was the Norwegian Sea or Jutland Sea. Knýtlinga saga mentions the name Jótlandshaf. The name of the Copenhagen street, Kattesundet, is derived from the same root.<ref name="Nydansk"/>