LIMFJORDEN

strait (110 mi long) across northern Jutland, Denmark, connecting the North Sea and the Kattegat and separating the Vendsyssel and Thy regions from the mainland. Actually a series of fjords dotted with inlets and islands, it opens into a lagoon (15 mi wide) in its middle course, then becomes narrow from lborg to the Kattegat. Shallow in parts (maximum depth 50 ft ), it has been deepened to aid shipping. Its western outlet at Thyborn was open during the Viking period but silted up in the Middle Ages creating freshwater lakes, which drained into the Kattegat from the eastern end. In 1825 the tide of the North Sea broke through the western part, and the Thyborn Kanal was cut in 1875 to keep the outlet open. In addition to being a thoroughfare for shipping, it is noted for its oysters and mussels, and the ash and clay of the surrounding region supplies special lightweight building bricks (moler). The largest island is Mors and the chief ports are lborg, Nrresundby, Lgstr, Nykbing Mors, and Thisted.