The Øresund is a Détroit, also called strait of Sund in French, between the Denmark and the Sweden, more precisely between the Danish island of Sjælland and the Swedish province of Scanie. The orthography is Öresund in Swedish, Øresund in Danish.

Geography

The Øresund connects the the Baltic (with the Southern), with the strait of Kattegat (with the Northern ) in direction of the the North Sea. The Øresund is stretched on approximately 118 km on an axis north-north-west south-south-east/, and it makes between 3 and 48 km broad. It separates in the south the harbor cities from Copenhagen (Denmark) and from Malmö (Sweden), then in north those of Elseneur (Denmark) and of Helsingborg (Sweden).

The reliefs of the sea bed and the low depth of Øresund contribute to limit the exchanges of water between the the North Sea and the the Baltic. Øresund was the theater many shipwrecks. The independent factors are its depth, sometimes lower than 10 meters, and its strong frequentation.

History

The control of the strait was an important issue in the history of Denmark and Sweden. Denmark a long time kept a military control with its coastal fortresses of Kronborg to Helsingør, on the west coast, and, until in 1658, of Kärnan to Helsingborg, on the east coast. These two fortresses are located at the place where the strait is broad only of four kilometers.

Tolls of the strait

In 1429, the king Eric de Poméranie introduces tolls of Øresund ( Øresundstolden ). Tolls of transit on the water ways, the roads, the bridges and the crossroads were then a manner agreed to take taxes. These taxes could represent most of the public revenues.

All the foreign ships passing the strait - that they go to Denmark or not - must stop in Helsingør and pay a toll. If a ship refuses to stop, the guns of the two fortresses can open fire and run it. In 1567, toll is converted into tax from 1 to 2% on the value of the cargo. This modification triples the incomes. In order to prevent that the ships do not change simply roads, tolls are also taken on the Grand Belt and the Petit Belt.

The products of this toll remain the most important source of revenue for the Danish crown during several centuries, making the sovereigns Danish relatively independent of the aristocracy. After 1658, when Sweden takes the control of the Eastern coast, the payment of toll cannot be required also effectively but front any more, but Denmark keeps its rights of toll. Sweden however is exempted by it until in 1720.

The Convention of Copenhagen of 1857 abolishes tolls and fact of the Danish straits of international water open to any military or commercial ship. The impact of tolls had indeed become increasingly bad on the port and the merchants of Copenhagen, even if it continued to provide a eighth of the public revenues. Denmark will receive a compensation of 33,5 million rix-dollars.

The bridge

Since the 1st July 2000, the bridge of Øresund connects Copenhagen to the Denmark with Malmö in Sweden. Öresund is neither a bridge nor a tunnel, but both at the same time.
Côté Copenhagen a tunnel posed at the sea-bed of 3,7 km. Malmö side, a bridge made up of 52 pillars and 4 pylons. Between the two, a 4 km length artificial island allowing the continuity of the road traffic and railway enters the immersed part and the emerged part of the work. The bridge of Öresund is the longest stayed girder bridge with double apron (road and railroad) of the world.

Islands

Sources

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