SYLT (probably from the O. Fris. Silendi, i.e. sealand)  , the largest German island in the North Sea, being about 38 sq. m. in area and nearly 23 M. long . It is, however, very narrow, being generally about half a mile in width, except in the middle, where it sends out a peninsula to the east 7 M. across . It belongs to the Prussian province of Schleswig-Holstein, and lies from 7 to 12 M. from the Schleswig coast . The central peninsula contains some marshland and moorland pasture, on which a few thousand sheep graze; but the rest of the island consists merely of dunes or sandhills . These attain at places a height of from 100 to 150 ft., and are continually shifting to the westward . The inhabitants (3500) are of Frisian origin, and the official language is German, though in the extreme north of the island, known as List, Danish is spoken . Their occupations are fishing, oyster-dredging, seafaring and wild-duck catching . The chief places are Keitum, Tinnum, Morsum, Rantum and Westerland . Westerland, one of the most frequented sea-bathing places of Germany, lies on the west side of the island, separated from the sea, which is seldom perfectly calm, by a chain of sand dunes, across which board walks lead to the beach . The island is reached by a regular steamboat service from Hoyer on the main-land to Munkmarsch, which is connected by a steam tram with Westerland . Another line of steamers runs from Hamburg to Sylt via Heligoland . During the Danish War of 1864, after suffering severely at the hands of the Danes, the island was occupied by the Prussians on the 13th of July (see FRISIAN ISLANDS) .

See P . Knuth, Botanische Wanderungen auf der Insel Sylt (

Tondern, 1890) ; C . P . Hansen, Das Nordseebad Westerland auf Sylt (Garding, 1891); Meyn, Geologische Beschreibung der Insel Sylt (Berlin, 1876) ; and Kepp, Wegweiser auf Sylt (Tondern, 1885) .