SOUND, THE

Danish resund, Swedish resund strait between Sjlland, or Zealand (Denmark), and Skne (Sweden), connecting the Kattegat Strait (northwest) with the Baltic Sea (south). Its extreme length, between Kullen and Falsterbo (Sweden), is 70 miles (110 km). The most landlocked portion, between Helsingr (Elsinore)-Helsingborg in the north (width 3 miles) and Copenhagen-Malm in the south (width 9 miles), is 33 miles long. The strait has a minimum depth of 23 feet (7 metres) and a surface current of up to 3 to 4 miles per hour toward the Kattegat. Ice in the almost tideless strait may impede navigation in severe winters. Three large islands lie in The Sound: Amager (partly embraced by Copenhagen), Ven, and Saltholme. These divide the waters into the channels of Drgden (west) and Flinterenden (east). Copenhagen and Helsingr are the principal ports on the Danish side, Malm and Helsingborg on the Swedish side. In the past, political control of The Sound, the shortest route from the Kattegat to the Baltic, conferred great commercial benefits. Between 1429 and 1657, Denmark controlled both shores and exacted tolls from all shipping passing through. Even after Skne was annexed by Sweden in 1658, the great Danish coastal fortress of Kronborg at Helsingr continued to levy The Sound toll until 1857. The Sound is one of the busiest sea lanes in the world.