The municipality covers an area of 250 square kilometres (97 sq mi), and has a population of 23,649 (1 January 2024).

The ten largest locations in the municipality are: The town of Store Heddinge came into existence during the 13th century, and Saint Katharina Church (Sct.

The old town church by the small village of Højerup collapsed partially over the cliffs in 1928 due to erosion.

The cliffs at Højerup are also the place where the father-and-son team of scientists Luis and Walter Alvarez measured[2] the highest level of iridium in the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary layer, which led them to propose their hypothesis that the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event was caused by an impact of a large asteroid 66 million years ago.

The underground system of the fortress features 1.6 kilometres (0.99 mi) of tunnels, living quarters, command centers, hospital and even a chapel.