Helgoland
Helgoland is an island in the North Sea off the northwest coast of Germany.Helgoland, or Heligoland, a German island in the North Sea. The island is about 30 miles (48 km) off the German mainland. Its area is less than one-fourth of a square mile (65 hectares). Helgoland belonged to Denmark when in 1807, during the Napoleonic Wars, it was seized by Britain. In 1890 Britain ceded it to Germany in exchange for territory in Africa. The Germans made the island a strong fortress, and it became known as the Gibraltar of the North Sea. After World War II the British destroyed its submarine pens and extensive tunneling, submerging about one-sixth of the island. Helgoland was returned to Germany in 1952.