Austfjorden 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, Förden and East Jutland Fjorde, Germany, ...
in
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 the ...
. The long fjord runs along the border between
Alver Municipality and
Masfjorden Municipality. It starts in Alver and extends to the northwest. The
Masfjorden
Masfjorden is a municipality in the central part of Vestland county in Norway. The municipality is located in the Nordhordland district of the county. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Masfjordnes. Other villages ...
joins the Austfjorden from the north, and then the Austfjorden empties into the
Fensfjorden
Fensfjorden is a fjord in Vestland, Norway. The long fjord begins in the North Sea at Holmengrå Lighthouse and flows to the southeast through the municipalities of Austrheim, Gulen, Lindås, and Masfjorden. The fjord ends on the Masfjorden-Li ...
before reaching the open sea near
Fedje
Fedje is an island municipality in the Nordhordland region of Vestland county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Fedje. The traditional economic activity of the inhabitants is fishing.
The municipality is ...
. The Austfjorden is the innermost arm of the Fensfjorden. The village of
Knarrviki and the
Mongstad
Mongstad is an industrial site in Vestland county, Norway. The site sits on the border of the municipalities of Alver and Austrheim, with most of the site in Alver. The site features an oil refinery for Equinor and other oil companies, including ...
industrial area lie on the western shore of the Austfjorden. The village of
Myking lies on the western shore of the fjord, near the innermost part of the fjord.
On the north side of the Austfjorden there are several deep bays. The first of these is the long ''Mjangersvågen'' with the small village of Mjanger the head of the bay. The next two are ''Nordkvingevågen'' with a harbor area at the village of Nordkvingo and ''Sørekvingevågen'' with a harbor at the village of Sørkvingo. Between these two lies the
cape
A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment which drapes the wearer's back, arms, and chest, and connects at the neck.
History
Capes were common in medieval Europe, especially when combined with a hood in the chaperon. Th ...
''Melshovden''. A little further south into the fjord is the ''Kjekallevågen'' bay where there is a
causeway and a bridge at the mouth of the bay. At the Kjekallevågen bay, the Austefjorden stretches farther southeast and the
Hidnesfjorden branches off to the west and heads south for about . At the head of the Hidnesfjorden, there is a wide
isthmus
An isthmus (; ; ) is a narrow piece of land connecting two larger areas across an expanse of water by which they are otherwise separated. A tombolo is an isthmus that consists of a spit or bar, and a strait is the sea counterpart of an isthmus ...
of land that separates this fjord from the
Osterfjorden
Osterfjorden is a fjord in Vestland county, Norway. The fjord is one of three fjords surrounding the island of Osterøy. The fjord runs along the municipal border of Alver and Osterøy municipalities. The fjord begins at the Romarheimsfjorde ...
to the south. The village of
Ostereidet lies on the isthmus.
See also
*
List of Norwegian fjords
References
Fjords of Vestland
Alver (municipality)
Masfjorden
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