SPACEPHOTOS

Lolland, Denmark August 1997 Denmark’s unusually fragmented shape is shown in this near nadir look of several of the medium sized islands of eastern Denmark. While most of the 400 plus islands that make up Denmark are uninhabited, the medium sized islands (southern end of Zealand—bottom; Lolland—upper right; Falster—center; and Mon—lower left) shown in this picture display an extensive agricultural landscape. In addition to almost ideal topography (relatively flat to gently rolling hills) for most of the county, Denmark has a good climate and fertile soils. Over 60% of the open land is dominated by intensive agriculture. The favorable landscape is the result of glacial activity. The coastal areas around the islands are constantly changing as a result of erosion and shifting sands (notice the elongated, sandy-looking features off of the southern coast of Lolland). There are even sediment patterns (lighter colored water) in the shore off coastal waters.