fjard

thumb|The fjard of Somes Sound, [[Maine, USA.]]

A fjard (, ) is a broad, shallow inlet formed by receding glaciers. open space of water between groups of islands or mainland in archipelagos. Fjard and fjord were originally the same word, and they generally meant sailable waterway. In Scandinavia, fjords dominate along the North Sea coast while fjards dominate the Baltic Sea coast. The Swedish word is also used in reference to lake-like sections of rivers and large open areas of water between parts of an archipelago or part of an archipelago and the mainland.