å

Definition

A stream or small river, written å, the last letter of the Danish alphabet. The older spelling aa survives in names such as Aalborg and Aarhus. Denmark's longest river, the Gudenå, is 176 km long according to Statistics Denmark, and it also carries the letter. Danish rivers are short and slow, so a blue line labelled å on a map usually means a quiet waterway for walks and canoes rather than a major barrier. See also: sø, fjord, and the guide How to Read a Map of Denmark.