Germany
Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
34.6km²
Area
44km
Coastline
3m
Highest point
5,175
People
18°C
Warmest sea
August
12km
To the mainland
When to go to Borkum
Best to visit from July to August.
The sea is warmest in August (18 °C) and coolest in February (4 °C). The water never reaches 21 °C: bring a wetsuit.
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Island in Germany
Borkum is an island in Germany. It covers 34.6 km², with 44 km of coastline. Its highest point rises to 3 m. About 5,175 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 12 km away.
Getting there
- Groningen Airport Eelde (GRQ)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 53 km in a straight lineCar hire at GRQ airport (Groningen)Discover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- FerriesEmden-Borkum, Eemshaven - Borkum, Borkumer Wattfahrwasser
- 12 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- From July to Augustbest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
On the island
What you find on Borkum.
- 18beachesSüdstrand, FKK-Strand, Hundestrand and 15 more
- 7viewpointsAussichtsdüne Ostland, Duala Aussichtsdüne, Hooge Hörn and 4 more
- 3lighthousesNeuer Leuchtturm, Quermarkenfeuer Düne Borkum, Kleiner Leuchtturm
- 3ferry terminalsAnleger 3 - Katamaran-Anleger, Borkum, Anleger 1
- 5ruins and archaeological sitesÜberreste Batterie Hänisch, Mittelhaus, Aggregat 2 Startrampe and 2 more
- 1dive centresShark & Eagle
- 14waymarked walking routesWaldlehrpfad Borkum, Strandweg, Deich- und Salzwiesenweg and 11 more
- 3campsitesInsel-Camping-Borkum, Camping Aggen
- 177hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 71restaurants, cafés and bars
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
Cross-checked with our atlases
Borkum in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Borkum, each with its own numbers.
3beaches and covesCoastya
Beach with the warmest sea
18.7°C
Nordstrand
sea in the warmest month · according to Coastya
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 3 m above the sea. 100 % of it is below 200 m.
- 100 %0–50 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
5 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- Borkum5,186 people
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 5 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 15 | 18 | 20 | 21 | 18 | 14 | 9 | 6 |
| Night low (°C) | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 13 | 10 | 6 | 3 |
| Sea (°C) | 5 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 14 | 10 | 7 |
| Rain (mm) | 84 | 66 | 56 | 40 | 57 | 66 | 82 | 89 | 71 | 77 | 79 | 85 |
| Wet days | 16 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 16 |
| Sun h/day | 0.7 | 2.0 | 4.2 | 6.8 | 7.5 | 7.3 | 7.1 | 6.2 | 5.0 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 0.5 |
| Wind (km/h) | 29 | 27 | 25 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 23 | 26 | 26 | 28 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +1.6 | +2.5 | +1.7 | +0.9 | +0.3 | +0.8 | +0.7 | +1.1 | +1.1 | +0.4 | +1.1 | +1.2 |
| 2021 | +0.9 | −0.7 | −0.3 | −0.5 | −0.9 | +0.4 | +0.6 | +0.4 | +1.1 | +1.2 | +0.6 | +0.2 |
| 2022 | +0.9 | +2.0 | +1.9 | +1.4 | +1.9 | +1.0 | +0.7 | +1.3 | +0.9 | +0.3 | +1.2 | −0.3 |
| 2023 | +2.0 | +1.4 | +1.5 | +1.0 | +0.8 | +1.2 | +0.9 | +0.1 | +1.8 | +1.0 | +0.4 | +0.2 |
| 2024 | +1.5 | +2.3 | +2.4 | +2.7 | +3.1 | +1.4 | +1.1 | +1.3 | +1.1 | +0.2 | +0.5 | +0.3 |
| 2025 | +0.9 | +0.1 | +0.8 | +1.7 | +1.6 | +1.7 | +1.9 | +0.4 | +0.3 | +0.1 | −0.1 | −0.2 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Nearby
More islands nearby.
About these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q17075271) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Coastya — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0; NOAA OISST |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
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