 Aerial view of Amager | |
 | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Øresund |
| Area | 96 km2 (37 sq mi) |
| Administration | |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 216,262 (1 January 2022) |
Amager (Danish pronunciation: [ˈɑˌmɑˀ] or, especially among older speakers, [ˈɑˌmɛˀɐ]), located in the Øresund, is Denmark's most densely populated island, with more than 216,000 inhabitants (January 2022). The protected natural area of Naturpark Amager (including Kalvebod Fælled) makes up more than one-third of the island's total area of 96 km2.[1]
The Danish capital, Copenhagen Municipality, is partly situated on Amager, covering the northern part of the island, which is connected to the much larger island of Zealand by eight bridges and a metro tunnel. Amager also has a connection across the Øresund to Sweden, the Øresund Bridge. Its western part begins with a tunnel from Amager to another Danish island, Peberholm. Copenhagen Airport is located on the island, around 7 km (4 mi) from Copenhagen city centre.
Amager is the largest island in the Øresund, and the only one with a large population. As of 2021[update], 212,661 people lived on the island, including its northern tip, Christianshavn. The northern part is included in the Copenhagen municipality. The middle part comprises Tårnby municipality, and Dragør municipality is located on the southeast part of the island.
Most of the western part of the island today comprises land that was claimed from the sea from the 1930s to the 1950s. This enlargement, from the shallow sound towards Zealand, is known as Kalveboderne. The enlargement has never been built-up and its soil is unsuitable for agricultural use. However, the area between Dragør town and the airport is cultivated land of high quality. Amager has in the past been referred to as the "kitchen of Copenhagen". At the border of the enlargement there is an old beech forest, Kongelunden (The King's Grove).