Sound is a narrow stretch of water. There are several different kinds of sounds. One is a fiord, a submerged glaciated valley, such as Doubtful Sound on South Island in New Zealand. Another is a deep, protected bay formed by the submergence of nonglaciated hilly land below sea level. An example of this kind of sound is Xinghua Wan on the southeastern coast of China. The word sound is also used as a synonym for strait, a narrow passage of water that lies between two broad areas of sea. Such straits include Kalmar Sound, separating the Swedish island of Oland from the Swedish mainland, and The Sound, or Oresund, which separates the Danish island of Sjaelland from Sweden. See also Bay ; Fiord ; Strait .
