Region Zealand Explained

Zealand Region
Settlement Type:Region of Denmark
Image Blank Emblem:Region Zealand logo.svg
Coordinates:55.1667°N 61°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Denmark
Seat Type:Capital
Seat:Sorø
Seat1 Type:Largest city
Seat1:Roskilde
Parts Type:Municipalities
Parts:17
P1:Faxe
P2:Greve
P3:Guldborgsund
P4:Holbæk
P5:Kalundborg
P6:Køge
P7:Lejre
P8:Lolland
P9:Næstved
P10:Odsherred
P11:Ringsted
P12:Roskilde
P13:Slagelse
P14:Solrød
P15:Sorø
P16:Stevns
P17:Vordingborg
Leader Party:A
Leader Title:Chairman
Leader Name:Trine Birk Andersen
Area Total Km2:7223
Area Footnotes:[1]
Population As Of:1 January 2025
Population Total:854902
Population Footnotes:[2]
Population Density Km2:auto
Blank Name Sec1:NUTS code
Blank Info Sec1:DK02
Blank Name Sec2:HDI (2022)
Blank Info Sec2:0.918[3]
· 5th
Demographics Type2:GDP
Demographics2 Footnotes:[4] [5]
Demographics2 Title1:Total
Demographics2 Info1:€37.651 billion (2023)
Iso Code:DK-85[6]

Region Zealand (da|Region Sjælland) is an administrative region of Denmark. It is one of the five classified NUTS-2 statistical regions of Denmark. It was established on 1 January 2007 as part of the 2007 Danish Municipal Reform, which abolished the traditional counties ("amter"). The region incorporates the southernmost parts of the country, and encompasses an area of .

Zealand will merge with the Capital Region of Denmark on 1 January 2027 to create the Region of Eastern Denmark.[7]

The region shares the island of Sjælland (Zealand) with the neighbouring Capital Region of Copenhagen. The region also includes the islands of Lolland, Falster, and Møn. It incorporates the provinces of Østsjælland and Vest-og Sydsjælland, which consists of 17 municipalities. With a population of just over 0.85 million, it is the second least populated of the all the regions in Denmark. The largest city is Roskilde.

History

The Zealand region was established as a part of the 2007 Danish Municipal Reform.[8] The Danish government has announced its intention to merge the region with Hovedstaden on 1 January 2027.[9]

Classification

The country of Denmark is organized into five regions for administrative purposes.[8] The same five broader level sub-divisions are applicable for the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS).[10] [11] These are classified as a NUTS-2 statistical region, and incorporate one or more municipalities within it.[12] [13]

Geography

The Zealand region incorporates the southern most parts of the country, encompassing an area of .[1] The region is located in Northern Europe, in the Baltic Sea.[14] [15] [16] Zealand region was formed from the former counties of Roskilde, Storstrøm, and Vestsjælland, and incorporates the provinces of Østsjælland and Vest-og Sydsjælland.[17] The region is named after the island of Sjælland (Zealand), which it shares with the neighbouring Danish Capital Region of Copenhagen.[18] The region also includes the islands of Lolland, Falster, and Møn.[17] [19] The Oresund strait separates the region from Sweden.[19] The largest city is Roskilde.[20]

Sub-divisions

The region is subdivided into 17 municipalities - Faxe, Greve, Guldborgsund, Holbæk, Kalundborg, Køge, Lejre, Lolland, Næstved, Odsherred, Ringsted, Roskilde, Slagelse, Solrød, Sorø, Stevns, Vordingborg.[17] The five regions of Denmark each have a regional council of 41 members. These are elected every four years, during the local elections.[21]

ElectionParty
2005142334131
200912138512
20131112217134
20171423216103
20211525232102
20251626131192
Source:Kmdvalg.dk

Demographics

With a population of just over 0.85 million, it is the second least populated of the all the regions in Denmark.[2] The population includes 426,092 males and 428,810 females. About 158,739 of the inhabitants are under the age of seventeen. About 82% of the population lived in urban areas. Danish people made up nearly 92% of the population.[20] The Gross domestic product (GDP) of the region was almost €37.7 billion in 2023, accounting for around 10% of Denmark's economic output.[4]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Area by NUTS 3 regions - km2. Eurostat. 1 June 2024.
  2. Web site: Population on 1 January by NUTS 2 region. Eurostat. 1 June 2024.
  3. Web site: Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab. Global datalab. 1 June 2018.
  4. Web site: EU regions by GDP. 18 September 2023. Eurostat.
  5. Web site: GDP per capita in 281 EU regions in 2017. Europa web portal. Eurostat. 26 February 2019. 27 February 2019.
  6. Web site: Denmark Country Codes. codesofcountry.com. 11 April 2024. 11 November 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20241111081325/https://codesofcountry.com/countries/dk. dead.
  7. Web site: About the Region of Eastern Denmark . 26 September 2025 . Capital Region of Denmark.
  8. Kjaer . Ulrik . Hjelmar . Ulf . Leth Olsen . Asmus . August 2010 . Municipal Amalgamations and the Democratic Functioning of Local Councils: The Case of The Danish 2007 Structural Reform . Local Government Studies. 36 . 4 . 569–585 . 10.1080/03003930.2010.494112 . 0300-3930. subscription .
  9. Web site: Region of Eastern Denmark. 8 October 2024. Tv2east.
  10. Web site: NUTS classification. Eurostat. 1 June 2024.
  11. Web site: Regions in the European Union: Nomenclature of territorial units for statistics . European Commission . 25 November 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110221195504/http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_OFFPUB/KS-RA-07-020/EN/KS-RA-07-020-EN.PDF . 21 February 2011 . dead.
  12. Web site: NUTS regions. Eurostat. 1 June 2024.
  13. Web site: Commission Regulation (EU) 2016/2066 of 21 November 2016 amending the annexes to Regulation (EC) No 1059/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the establishment of a common classification of territorial units for statistics (NUTS). EUR-Lex. 3 February 2019.
  14. Web site: Denmark. https://web.archive.org/web/20210109132344/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/denmark. dead. 9 January 2021. CIA World fact book. 1 June 2024.
  15. Web site: NUTS Maps: Denmark. Eurostat. 1 June 2024.
  16. Web site: Denmark. Eurostat. 1 June 2024.
  17. Web site: Classification. Statistics of Denmark. 1 June 2024.
  18. Book: Historical Dictionary of Denmark. Alastair H. Thomas. 2016. 978-1-442-26465-6. 2. Rowman & Littlefield.
  19. Book: Empowering Metropolitan Regions Through New Forms of Cooperation. Alexander Otgaar. Leo van den Berg. Carolien Speller. 2017. 978-1-317-14418-2. Taylor & Francis. 2.
  20. Web site: Zealand population. Citypopulation.de. 1 June 2024.
  21. Web site: Regional council of Denmark. Regioner. 1 June 2024.