The name comes from old Dutch for "cat" and "hole/throat", indicating a very narrow outlet of the sea. However, the Kattegat has widened considerably over time and today the Kattegat is 60 km (40 mi) wide at its narrowest point.
The Kattegat runs along southwestern Sweden and eastern Denmark. It is known locally as Kattegat Bay (Danish) or Kattegatt Bay (Swedish).
There are several small islands in the Kattegat, e.g. Anholt and Samsø. The main cities of the Kattegat are Gothenburg and Aarhus.


