The Great Belt separates Denmark’s Zealand and Funen islands and forms part of the route between the Kattegat and Baltic Sea.
It is the largest of the three channels that collectively make up the Danish straits. The other two are the Øresund, between Zealand and Sweden, and the Little Belt, between Funen and the Jutland Peninsula. The Great Belt itself runs between Zealand on the east and Langeland and Funen on the west.
The Great Belt Fixed Link opened in stages from 1997 to 1998. Its suspension bridge and rail tunnel created a direct road and rail connection across the waterway, replacing much of the earlier ferry traffic.
The Great Belt is not the same as the Øresund, which is the narrower strait beside Copenhagen and Malmö.