Fanø is the second northernmost of the Danish Wadden Sea islands and lies about 50 kilometers north of Sylt. The nearest major town is the industrial and port city of Esbjerg, which belongs to Jutland. A ferry connects Fanø to Esbjerg. The journey takes about twelve minutes.
Fanø is 16 kilometers long and 5 kilometers wide at its widest point. The 55.78 km² island[2] has a population of 3,270 (as of January 1, 2025[1]). This corresponds to a population density of approximately 59 people per km².
The two largest towns on the island are Nordby with 2,629 inhabitants and Sønderho with 279 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2025).[3] There are also the towns of Fanø Bad and Rindby. The economy is largely dependent on tourism.
Fanø originated as a sandbank in the shallow sea between Horns Rev (reef) and the German island of Sylt. The island's subsoil consists primarily of drifting sand formations, which have formed both high dunes and flat areas. The vast dunes and the broad sandy beach, which stretch along Fanø's entire west coast, are the defining features of the landscape. Even today, the sea washes large quantities of sand onto the west beach, causing the island to slowly expand westward. In the east of the island (from Grøningen in the north to Hønen near Sønderho in the south) runs a narrow strip of marshland and riparian meadows, which are extensively grazed and from which reeds are harvested.
In the center of the island are heathland, a planted pine forest, and a so-called klitplantage (roughly translated as "dune plantation"). Especially in autumn and winter, a comparatively large amount of amber washes up on the island's west beach after storms. Beads, animal figures and amulets made of amber have also been found here, dating back to the time of the Mesolithic Maglemose or Ertebølle culture.