Julsundet is a 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) long strait

Strait

A strait or straits is a narrow, typically navigable channel of water that connects two larger, navigable bodies of water. It most commonly refers to a channel of water that lies between two land masses, but it may also refer to a navigable channel through a body of water that is otherwise not...

 between the North Atlantic Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...

 and the Romsdalsfjord

Romsdalsfjord

Romsdalsfjord is the ninth longest fjord in Norway. It is long and located in the Romsdal district of Møre og Romsdal county. It flows through the municipalities of Midsund, Haram, Vestnes, Molde, Nesset, and Rauma...

, about 15 minutes west of Molde

Molde

is a city and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Romsdal region. The municipality is located on the Romsdal Peninsula, surrounding the Fannefjord and Moldefjord...

, Norway

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

. It runs through the municipalities of Fræna

Fræna

Fræna is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the region of Romsdal. The municipality is located on the Romsdal peninsula surrounding the Frænfjorden, the eastern shore of the Julsund strait, and includes most of the Hustadvika area...

, Aukra

Aukra

Aukra is a village and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the region of Romsdalen. The administrative centre is the village of Aukra....

, Molde

Molde

is a city and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Romsdal region. The municipality is located on the Romsdal Peninsula, surrounding the Fannefjord and Moldefjord...

, and Midsund

Midsund

Midsund is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Romsdal region. The administrative centre is the village of Midsund on Otrøya island. The municipality consists of the islands of Otrøya, Midøya, Dryna, and the smaller Midsund is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal...

, flowing north-south from Bud

Bud

In botany, a bud is an undeveloped or embryonic shoot and normally occurs in the axil of a leaf or at the tip of the stem. Once formed, a bud may remain for some time in a dormant condition, or it may form a shoot immediately. Buds may be specialized to develop flowers or short shoots, or may have...

 to Julneset (in Molde). It is between the Romsdal peninsula

Romsdal Peninsula

Romsdalshalvøya, sometimes translated as the Romsdal Peninsula is a peninsula located in the Romsdal district of Møre og Romsdal county in Norway...

 and the islands of Otrøya

Otrøya

Otrøya is the largest island of the municipality of Midsund in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The island sits at the entrance to the Romsdalsfjord. The highest point is Oppstadhornet at above sea level....

 and Gossa.

The strait

Strait

A strait or straits is a narrow, typically navigable channel of water that connects two larger, navigable bodies of water. It most commonly refers to a channel of water that lies between two land masses, but it may also refer to a navigable channel through a body of water that is otherwise not...

 is up to 500 metres (1,640.4 ft) deep and it is 2 to 3 km (1.2 to 1.9 ) wide. It has a significant tidal current and is exposed to strong northerly winds. Julsundet was heavily fortified by the German

Germans

The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....

s during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

.

The mainland part of the municipality of Aukra

Aukra

Aukra is a village and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the region of Romsdalen. The administrative centre is the village of Aukra....

is also often referred to as Julsundet.