Ærø

Ærø

Marstal, largest town on the island
Geography
Location	Baltic Sea
Coordinates	54°53′N 10°20′E / 54.883°N 10.333°E / 54.883; 10.333Coordinates: 54°53′N 10°20′E / 54.883°N 10.333°E / 54.883; 10.333
Area	88 km2 (34 sq mi)
Administration
Denmark
Region	South Denmark Region
Municipality	Ærø Municipality
Largest settlement	Marstal (pop. 2,266)
Demographics
Population	6,383 (2014)
Pop. density	75.8 /km2 (196.3 /sq mi)

Ærø (Danish pronunciation: [ˈɛːʁœːˀ]) is one of the Danish Baltic Sea islands, and part of the Southern Denmark Region. The name comes from the Danish words ær (maple) and ø (island).

Since 1 January 2006 the whole of Ærø has constituted a single municipality, known as Ærø Kommune. Before that date, there were two municipalities on the island: Ærøskøbing Kommune in the west and Marstal Kommune in the east.

Ærø measures roughly 20 km from northwest to southeast and varies in width from around 4 to 8 km. There are three small towns on the island: the largest is Marstal with a population of 2,266. Ærøskøbing has 925 inhabitants and Søby 496. Fourteen villages and a number of farms complete the island's pattern of settlement.

Ærøskøbing, with its narrow lanes and picturesque 18th-century houses was historically Ærø's chief town, and remains the primary port for ferry connections. Marstal, also known as the "skipper village", from its being the home of so many sailors and captains, is the island's largest town today and is its principal commercial and shopping centre.

The countryside is for the most part gently undulating, and there is a several-kilometre-long stretch of 33-metre-high cliffs at Voderup Klint on the west coast. With its generally low traffic density, Ærø is a popular destination for hikers and cyclists. The island's beaches also attract anglers and artists. As one of the islands making up the South Funen Archipelago, Ærø is favoured by particularly fine weather. It enjoys a higher number of sunshine hours than the average for the rest of Denmark, and the year-round temperature is also a few degrees above the national average.