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What's the Kattegat, Where's the Kattegat?


Map of the Kattegat

Map of the Kattegat

Terri M.
Definition: The Kattegat is a narrow bay in southern Scandinavia. From the Oresund and Danish Straits, the Kattegat takes the waters of the Baltic Sea to the Skagerrak (which connects to the North Sea).

The name comes from old Dutch for "cat" and "hole/throat", indicating a very narrow outlet of the sea. However, the Kattegat has widened considerably over time and today the Kattegat is 60 km (40 mi) wide at its narrowest point.

The Kattegat runs along southwestern Sweden and eastern Denmark. It is known locally as Kattegat Bay (Danish) or Kattegatt Bay (Swedish).

There are several small islands in the Kattegat, e.g. Anholt and Samsø. The main cities of the Kattegat are Gothenburg and Aarhus.

Pronunciation: CAT-e-gat
Also Known As: Kattegat Bay
Alternate Spellings: Kattegatt (Swedish)
Common Misspellings: Kategat, Kattegate

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