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Amager

Geography
Location	Øresund
Coordinates	55°37′N 12°37′E
Area	96.29 km2 (37.18 sq mi)
Length	16.1 km (10 mi)
Width	11.1 km (6.9 mi)
Administration
Denmark
Demographics
Population	171,210
Pop. density	1,796.6/km2 (4653.2/sq mi)

Amager ([ˈamaˀ] or, especially among older speakers, [ˈamæjˀɐ]) is a Danish island in the Øresund. The Danish capital, Copenhagen, is partly situated on Amager, which is connected to the much larger island of Zealand by five bridges. The island was originally much smaller but has, through succesive land reclamnations, spanning several hundred years, grown to its present sixe of just under 100 km². It long served as the 'vegetable garden of Copenhagen', known for its community of Dutch farmers, but came under increasing industrialisation and urbanisation in the late 19th century, and is now the most densely populated island in Denmark.

The island is particularly well served by infrastructure with Copenhagen Airport, the largest airport in Scandinavia, the two first lines of the Copenhagen Metro and the Øresund Bridge which since 2000 has connected the island to Malmö, Sweden. Together with the proximity to the city centre, this has transformed Amager-side Copenhagen from a relatively poor and somewhat worn-down cul-de-sac to one of the fastest-growing parts of the city and a venue for modern architecture.

The largest town on the island outside Copenhagen is Dragør. The western part of the island, the result of reclamnations in the 1930s, remains uninhabited and is now a nature reserve.

Geography

Aerial view of Amager.

Amager is approximately egg-shaped and covers an area of 96.28 km². As of 1 January 2011 the population was 174.179, concentrated mainly in the north and east. A large portion of the western part of the island is designated as the Vestamager protected area while the southern part has some farmland.

History

Early history

Traces of numerous settlements along the original coastline Amager has sustained a large population since the early Stone Age. Both Tårnby and Store Magleby traces their history back to before 11. From the early 13th century, fishing, salting and trade in herring from Dragør played a large role in the island's economy , each authumn attracting up to 20,000 foreign fishermen and merchants.

In 1167 most of Amager was granted by King Valdemar to the Bishop of Amager along with the rest of the Copenhagen area. Much of the island was by then administrated from Borgby Manor south of Tårnby. The island remained in the pocession Bishop Seatof Roskilde until 1416 when King Eric VII confiscated the entire area and and made it crown land.

Dutch settlers

In 1521, Christian II invited some Dutch farmers to move to Amager and grow vegetables to supply the Danish Court and Copenhagen.

Urbanisation and industrialisation

It was only in the late 19th century that Copenhagen began to expand onto the island (Sundbyerne), and in 1902 these built-up areas were incorporated into Copenhagen.

During the Second World War, high unemployment in Copenhagen led authorities to drain a large part of the sea, west of the island, and build a dam to hold out the water, effectively adding one half of Amager's previous area to the island.

During the 1970s Amager was used as a place to dump litter; this led to a slang term for the island 'Lorteøen' (The Shit Island). See Renholdningsselskabet af 1898.

21st century

The reclaimed area is currently known as Kalvebod Fælled, and was originally a military area, but today it is part of a major construction area called the Ørestad, being thought of as an extension to central Copenhagen. The area houses such major facilities as the Bella Center, a convention and exposition center, and Field's, the second-largest shopping center in Scandinavia. This project was initiated by the Danish government.

The beach area to the east of the island, known as Amager Strandpark (Amager Beach Park), which had fallen into disrepair since its inception in the 1930s, was extensively redeveloped between May 2004 and August 2005. A 2 km long artificial island was constructed just off the mainland which narrows to the southeast, creating a small lagoon.

Amenities

Large parts of Kalvebod Fælled are rich in nature and have many grazing cows and horses. This area allows the citizens of Copenhagen to experience nature, without travelling far from the city.

The seaward-facing side of the island has a wide sandy bathing beach, while the lagoon-facing side is mainly made up of low dunes. There is another beach on the mainland side of the lagoon, which runs alongside the beach road. Ice-cream kiosks, coffee shops, a marina and two small recreational parks can also be found in the Strandpark area. The lagoon is popular, and regularly used, for water sports – such as kayaking or wind-surfing.

Amager is also home to the Amager Bio, a cinema, concert and cultural venue. Top bands from the last 40 years have played there, both those of international origin (Prince, Aimee Mann, Uriah Heep, King Crimson, Cradle of Filth, John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers, Jethro Tull, The Moody Blues, MGMT, Nas) and from Denmark (D.A.D, Dodo and the Dodos, Johnny Deluxe, Big Fat Snake).

Communities

Various communities are located on Amager, including Islands Brygge, and the towns of Dragør, Kastrup, and Tårnby.

Transport

The Øresund Bridge connects Sweden to Denmark on Amager. The construction of the bridge has had a large impact on the physical geography of the island, largely due to the construction of new highways.

The Copenhagen Metro connects Amager to central Copenhagen. The metro line from Vanløse to Amager divides into M1 and M2 lines at Christianshavn and then continue to Vestamager and Lufthavnen (Copenhagen Airport).

Copenhagen Airport is located on the eastern part of Amager. It is linked by the train, Metro and bus.

Notable people

• Frank Arnesen
• Martin Bernburg
• Brian Holm
• Mikkel Kessler
• Klaus Rifbjerg

See also

• List of islands of Denmark

External links

• Amager Beach Park
• Amager Bio