Mauranger is the northernmost district of

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 ...

municipality 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 t ...

. The district is centered on the

Maurangsfjorden Maurangerfjord or Maurangsfjorden is a fjord in Kvinnherad Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The long fjord is a small branch off of the main Hardangerfjorden. The inner end of the Maurangsfjorden branches into the ''Nordrepollen'' and ...

on the western side of the vast

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 ...

. Mauranger consists of the villages of

Sundal Sundal or Sunndal is the largest village in the Mauranger district of Kvinnherad municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The village is located on the southern shore of the Maurangsfjorden, south of Nordrepollen and Gjetingsdalen. The villa ...

Austrepollen Austrepollen is a village in the Mauranger area of Kvinnherad municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The village is located at the end of the Maurangsfjorden, about east of the village of Gjetingsdalen and about northeast of the village of S ...

Nordrepollen Nordrepollen is a village in the Mauranger area of Kvinnherad municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The village is located at the northern end of the Maurangsfjorden, about half-way between the villages of Gjetingsdalen and Austrepollen. Th ...

, and

Gjetingsdalen Gjetingsdalen is a village in the Mauranger area of Kvinnherad municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The village is located in the Gjetingsdalen valley, on a hillside overlooking the Maurangsfjorden. The village of Austrepollen lies about to ...

. The scenery is characterised by its closeness to

, several valleys, and precipitous mountainsides. The main industries in Mauranger are

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

fish farming upright=1.3, Salmon farming in the sea (mariculture) at Loch Ainort, Isle of Skye">mariculture.html" ;"title="Salmon farming in the sea (mariculture">Salmon farming in the sea (mariculture) at Loch Ainort, Isle of Skye, Scotland Fish farming or ...

and

power production Electricity generation is the process of generating electric power from sources of primary energy. For electric utility, utilities in the electric power industry, it is the stage prior to its Electricity delivery, delivery (Electric power transmi ...

. The Mauranger area was historically isolated by the mountains, glaciers, and the fjord, with the only access by boat, and more recently one small road running along the coastline. Then in 2001, the

Folgefonna Tunnel The Folgefonna Tunnel ( no, Folgefonntunnelen) is a long road tunnel in Vestland county, Norway. The tunnel connects the village of Eitrheim and the town of Odda at the head of Sørfjorden in Ullensvang Municipality to the village of Austrepo ...

opened, connecting Mauranger to the neighboring town of

Odda Odda () is a former municipality in the old Hordaland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1913 until its dissolution in 2020 when it was merged into Ullensvang Municipality in Vestland county. It was located in southeastern Hordaland c ...

on the eastern side of the Folgefonna glacier. This has made Mauranger more accessible, and it has led to an increase in

. Mauranger was made even more accessible in 2012 with the opening of the

Jondal Tunnel The Jondal Tunnel ( no, Jondalstunnelen) is a road tunnel in the Hardanger region of Vestland county, Norway. The tunnel is part of Norwegian County Road 49 and it lies in Kvinnherad and Ullensvang municipalities. The long tunnel was built to ...

connecting it with the village of

Jondal Jondal is a former municipality in the old Hordaland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1863 until its dissolution in 2020 when it became part of Ullensvang Municipality in Vestland county. It was located on the Folgefonna peninsula ...

to the northwest. Now, Mauranger is located on a main transportation route through

Sunnhordland Sunnhordland is a traditional district in the western region of Norway. The district consists of the southern coastal regions of the old Hordaland county (now part of Vestland county). It includes the areas that surround the mouth of the Hardang ...

References

Districts of Vestland Kvinnherad {{Vestland-geo-stub