Åkrafjorden is a

fjord In physical geography, a fjord or fiord () is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Alaska, Antarctica, British Columbia, Chile, Denmark, Germany, Greenland, the Faroe Islands, Ice ...

Vestland Vestland is a county in Norway established on 1 January 2020. The county is located in Western Norway and it is centred around the city of Bergen, Norway's second largest city. The administrative centre of the county is the city of Bergen, where t ...

county,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. It is located in the municipalities of

Etne Etne is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Sunnhordland, although it is also sometimes considered to be part of the district o ...

and

Kvinnherad Kvinnherad is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sunnhordland, along the Hardangerfjorden. The municipality was the 5th in size in former Hordaland county. The administrative centre of the mu ...

. The long fjord reaches a maximum depth of . The fjord flows from the southern part of the

Folgefonna National Park Folgefonna National Park ( no, Folgefonna nasjonalpark) is a national park in Vestland county, Norway. The park is located on the Folgefonna peninsula and it spans the municipalities of Kvinnherad, Etne, and Ullensvang. The national park was ope ...

, draining the huge

Folgefonna Folgefonna is a collective term for three plateau glaciers in the Hardanger region of Vestland county, Norway. They are located on the Folgefonna peninsula in the municipalities of Ullensvang, Kvinnherad, and Etne. The three glaciers are: * Nord ...

glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its Ablation#Glaciology, ablation over many years, often Century, centuries. It acquires dis ...

. The fjord then flows to the southwest before emptying into the

Skånevikfjorden Skånevikfjorden is a fjord in Norway. The long fjord runs through Etne and Kvinnherad municipalities in Vestland county and in Vindafjord municipality in Rogaland county. The fjord is fed by several smaller fjords such as the Åkrafjorden, E ...

near the village of

Utåker Utåker is a village in Kvinnherad municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The village is located where the Skåneviksfjorden splits into the Matersfjorden and Åkrafjorden. The village of Skånevik lies to the south, across the fjord. The vil ...

. The Langfossen

waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several wa ...

runs down the steep cliffs on the south side of the fjord, just west of Fjæra. The village of

Fjæra Fjæra (historically called ''Åkrabotn'') is a village in Etne municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The village is located at the innermost end of the Åkrafjorden, at the mouth of Fjæraelva (Fjæra River). The European route E134 highway ...

lies at the innermost end of the Åkrafjorden and the village of

Åkra Åkra is a former municipality in the traditional district of Haugaland in Rogaland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1892 until 1965 and it encompassed the central part of the western coast of the island of Karmøy. The administ ...

lies on the northern shore of the fjord, about mid-way through the fjord. The

European route E134 European highway E 134 ( no, Europavei 134) is a European highway that crosses Norway starting at Haugesund Airport, Karmøy near the city of Haugesund on the west coast, heading over Haukeli, passing the city of Drammen, and ending in Vass ...

highway runs along the southern shore of the fjord, and due to the steep mountainsides along the fjord, there are several long tunnels as part of the E134 highway that go through the mountains rather than along the shore. The tunnels include the

Åkrafjord Tunnel The Åkrafjord Tunnel ( no, Åkrafjordtunnelen) is a road tunnel in Etne municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The long tunnel is located on the European route E134 highway, on the southeastern side of the Åkrafjorden, about northeast of t ...

, Fjæra Tunnel, and

Markhus Tunnel The Markhus Tunnel ( no, Markhustunnelen) is a road tunnel in Etne municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The long tunnel is located on the European route E134 highway on the southern shore of the Åkrafjorden, about southwest of the village ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aakrafjorden Fjords of Vestland Etne Kvinnherad

See also

References