Djursland () is a 44 km × 33 km hilly lowland peninsula in Denmark at the entrance to the Baltic Sea, between Denmark and Sweden in Northern Europe. Djursland protrudes into the Kattegat sea, as part of the larger peninsula of Jutland, which itself extends from the Central European continent. Djursland comprises the two municipalities of Norddjurs and Syddjurs.
The only larger city on Djursland is Grenå, but both Randers and Aarhus are close-by. Agriculture and fishing has been the mainstay of the rural culture here for millennia. There are many prehistoric relics of the past on Djursland, reaching back to the earliest cultures of the Nordic Stone Age.
Djursland is a popular place for recreation in the summer and has several activities for tourists to offer. It attracts both Danes and foreigners alike and tourism is a major job and economic contributor on Djursland nowadays.
Since 2009, a larger area of Djursland has been part of the Mols Bjerge National Park, connecting several previously disconnected protections.
Climate
Djursland has a mild, temperate coastal climate, influenced by the North Atlantic Current. Westerly and southwesterly winds prevail. The yearly precipitation is 700 mm, making Djursland well suited for agriculture, like the rest of Denmark. The average summer temperature is 16 degrees Celsius. The coldest month is January with an average temperature of 0.5 degrees. The predominant crops are barley, wheat, canola, and in recent years corn, growing at its northern range, even though the average temperature has fallen 0.2 degrees over the last 60 years in Denmark. A little over 10% of Djursland is covered with forest (plantations) and the most common trees are Norway spruce, Scots pine and beech.
Population
The population density of Djursland is 42 inhabitants per km2, compared to 126 for Denmark as a whole. Neighboring Germany to the south has 230 inhabitants per km2, England to the west 407, and Sweden to the east of Denmark 21 inhabitants per km2. Denmark has 5.6 million inhabitants, of whom 80,000 live in Djursland.
Landscape
Even on hilly Djursland, only a few of the hills rise above 70 metres above sea level and none higher than 140 metres. As in the rest of Denmark, excluding the remote island of Bornholm, there is no surface bedrock - neither above nor below the sea -, as Djursland's landscapes were formed by complex and non-uniform glacial movements with related meltwater flows, in the span of the last three ice ages.
Coastlines: Djursland is surrounded by sea on three sides, and has three corresponding distinct types of coastline. Variation is a common denominator for Djursland's coastal geography, as well as the inland geography. North Coast - The 35 km northern coastline of Djursland comprise all-sand beaches with shallow waters throughout. It stretches east from a shallow delta-like marshy coast where the outlet of Denmark's largest river, the Gudenå, enters Randers Fjord and the sea. The north coast beaches are child-friendly for bathing and paddling, while swimming depths are reached about a hundred metres from the shores. The shallow water heats up quickly in summer. Fishing for flatfish is good, but it takes a boat to reach sufficient fishing depth. East Coast - The 50 km coastline facing Sweden (approximately 100 km to the east across the Kattegat) is stony. The east coast has sufficient swimming depth close to the shore within 5–20 metres from land. The east coast is known among anglers and scuba divers. There are two major exceptions to the stony coastline. One is at the Cliffs of Sangstrup and Karlby where a 5 km stretch of coast consists of up to 12 m high limestone cliffs, similar to the Cliffs of Dover but on a smaller scale. The second exception is Grenå Beach, a sandy 5 km long beach with dunes. The beach lies by the coastal town, Grenå, and is a popular bathing beach. Here and there on Djursland's eastern coast, there are steep inclines caused by active coastal erosion, such as at Gjerrild and Rugaard. South Coast - The southern coastline of Djursland is dominated by bights and inlets, with varied stony and sandy stretches and mixed depth gradients. It is always possible to find bights and coves in shelter for any wind direction within a short driving distance. There are a number of sandy bathing beaches here.
The tide is moderate around Djursland, with a difference between ebb and flow usually less than 30 cm.