Ringkøbing Fjord, despite its name, is in fact a shallow lagoon on the west coast of Jutland.
Skjern River terminates in Ringkøbing Fjord with a large river delta system to the east, and the lagoon is shielded from the North Sea by a long isthmus named Holmsland Dunes to the west. On the Hvide Sande Canal in the middle of the isthmus, there is a floodgate that provides access to the sea to the west. The fjord is about 30 kilometers long and 2 to 3 meters deep with an area of almost 300 square kilometers. In the southwestern corner is the Tipperne peninsula, where there is a bird reservation. The town of Ringkøbing lies to the north-east. Ringkøbing Fjord was once affected by oxygen depletion, but today both plant and fish life abounds.
