Lands of Denmark

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Administrative division of Denmark in medieval times.

The three lands of Denmark historically formed the Danish kingdom from its unification and consolidation in the 9th century:

Scania (Skåneland) on the Scandinavian peninsula, with Lund as a centre
Zealand (Sjælland) and other islands of the Danish Straits, with Roskilde as a centre
Jutland (Jylland), the western peninsula, with Viborg as a centre

Each of the lands retained their own thing and statute laws until late medieval time (Scanian Law, Zealandic Law and Jutlandic Law). Although Denmark was a unified kingdom, the custom of rendering homage to the King at the three individual assemblies remained. A remnant is the current division of Denmark into two High Court districts, the Eastern and Western High Court.

Jutland, The Islands and Bornholm is a traditional subdivision of the country till this day, often used in e.g. meteorology and public statistics. Bornholm is the only part to represent Scania after the rest of the region was lost to Sweden in 1658.

In recent decades, the less specific division between Eastern and Western Denmark has also become common, for example when describing logistic, economic and political patterns. Funen may be attributed to both the eastern and western part of the country, the border line being either the Great Belt or the Little Belt.