Nordfjorden is the
sixth longest 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 ...
in
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 flows through the municipalities of
Stryn
Stryn is a municipality in the county of Vestland, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Nordfjord. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Stryn. The municipality is located along the innermost part of t ...
,
Gloppen
Gloppen is a municipality in the county of Vestland, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Nordfjord. Gloppen is generally subdivided into three areas: Hyen in the west, Gloppen in the center, and Breim in the east.
Each of the a ...
,
Stad,
Bremanger, and
Kinn
Kinn is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It was established on 1 January 2020. It is in the traditional districts of Nordfjord and Sunnfjord. The municipality is the only non-contiguous municipality in Norway since the municipality of ...
, and it is the central feature of the entire
Nordfjord
Nordfjord ( en, Northern fjord—in contrast to Sunnfjord) is a traditional district of Norway.
Geography
The region is located in the northern part of Vestland county in Western Norway. It centers on the Nordfjorden and it comprises the muni ...
region which makes up the northern third of the county.
![Nordfjord](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c0/Nordfjord.png)
The long fjord stretches from
Husevågøy
Husevågøy is an island in Kinn Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The island is mountainous with few trees. The island lies in the mouth of the Nordfjorden, between the islands of Vågsøy and Bremangerlandet. In 2018, there were abou ...
island in
Kinn Municipality
Kinn is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It was established on 1 January 2020. It is in the traditional districts of Nordfjord and Sunnfjord. The municipality is the only non-contiguous municipality in Norway since the municipality of ...
to the village of
Loen in
Stryn Municipality. The fjord starts as runoff from the
Jostedalsbreen
Jostedal Glacier or is the largest glacier in continental Europe. It is in Vestland county in Western Norway. Jostedalsbreen lies in the municipalities of Luster, Norway, Luster, Sogndal, Sunnfjord (municipality), Sunnfjord, and Stryn. The high ...
, Europe's largest mainland glacier, in the east and it flows west, emptying into the ocean just south of the
Stadlandet peninsula. The mouth of the fjord lies between the large islands of
Vågsøy
Vågsøy is a former municipality in the old Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. It was located in the traditional district of Nordfjord. The municipality's administrative center was the town Måløy. Other population centers in Vågsøy included ...
and
Bremangerlandet
Bremangerlandet is an island in Bremanger Municipality in the traditional district of Nordfjord in Vestland county, Norway. The island is one of the largest islands in the county. The highest point on the island is the tall mountain Svartevasse ...
(with the smaller island of Husevågøy lying in the middle of the mouth).
There are several smaller fjords which branch off the main Nordfjorden:
Eidsfjorden,
Ã…lfotfjorden,
Hyefjorden
Hyefjorden is a fjord in Gloppen Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The long Hyefjorden is relatively narrow with steep rock walls located close to the fjord on both sides. The west side is where impassable mountains plunge straight into t ...
, and
Gloppefjorden
Gloppefjorden or Gloppenfjorden is a fjord in Gloppen Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The long fjord flows from the village of Sandane in the southeast to its mouth at the Nordfjorden in the northwest. The river Gloppeelva is the pri ...
. The fjord reaches a maximum-depth of near the mouth of the Eidsfjorden and also by the village of Bryggja.
Transportation
The fjord has no road or rail crossings, but it has three regular ferry crossings. There is an
electric ferry from Anda to Lote as part of the
European route E39
European route E39 is the designation of a north–south road in Norway and Denmark from Klett, just south of Trondheim, to Aalborg via Bergen, Stavanger and Kristiansand. In total, there are nine ferries, more than any other single road in Eu ...
highway, using 75
kWh per crossing.
Another crossing is from Isane to Stårheim. The final crossing is near the mouth of the fjord from the town of Måløy to Oldeide. This final crossing also includes a stop at the island of Husevågøy in the middle of the fjord.
Settlements
There are numerous old fishing communities located along the fjord that date back to pre-Viking times. Some of the notable population centers along the fjord include the town of
Måløy
Måløy () is a town in the municipality of Kinn in Vestland county, Norway. Måløy is located on the southeastern side of the island of Vågsøy, about northeast of the village of Holvika and about south of the village of Raudeberg. The Mà ...
(near the north side of the mouth in Kinn), the villages of
Bryggja
Bryggja is a village in southwestern part of Stad Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located on the mainland, along the northern shore of the Nordfjorden. The village is located about east of the urban areas of MÃ¥løy– Dekn ...
and
Totland
Totland is a village, civil parish and electoral ward on the Isle of Wight. Besides the village of Totland, the civil parish comprises the western tip of the Isle of Wight, and includes The Needles, Tennyson Down and the hamlet of Middleton.
The ...
(in Stad);
Rugsund
Rugsund is a village in Bremanger Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The village is located on the mainland along the shore of the Nordfjorden. The village is home to Rugsund Church, the local church for this part of the municipality. Ther ...
,
Davik
Davik is a former municipality in the traditional district of Nordfjord in the old Sogn og Fjordane county (now Vestland), Norway. The former municipality existed from 1838 until 1964 and it encompassed all the lands surrounding the outer part ...
, and
Ã…lfoten
Ã…lfoten is a village in Bremanger Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The village is located along the Ã…lfotfjorden, a branch of the main Nordfjorden and has a population of about 200.
The village has an elementary school, a grocery s ...
(in Bremanger);
Kjølsdalen
Kjølsdalen is a village in the municipality of Stad in Vestland county, Norway. The village is located on the northern shore of the Nordfjorden, about west of the village of Stårheim and about east of the village of Bryggja (in Vågsøy Mun ...
,
Stårheim
Stårheim (or ''Torvika'') is a village in the municipality of Stad in Vestland county, Norway. Stårheim is located in the central part of Stad Municipality on the north shore of the Nordfjorden, about west of the municipal center of Nordfjo ...
,
Nordfjordeid
Nordfjordeid is the administrative centre of the municipality of Stad in Vestland county, western Norway. It is located at the end of the Eidsfjorden, an arm off of the main Nordfjorden, west of the large lake Hornindalsvatnet. The village of ...
, and
Lote Lote may refer to:
Places
*Lote, Norway, a village in Eid municipality, Sogn og Fjordane, Norway
*Lote, India, an area in the Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra
People
* Denis Kiwanuka Lote (1938–2022), Ugandan Roman Catholic prelate, Archbishop ...
(in Stad);
Sandane
Sandane is the administrative centre of the municipality of Gloppen in Vestland county, Norway. It is located at the end of the Gloppefjorden, along the European route E39 highway. Sandane is south of the village of Nordfjordeid and about we ...
and
Gimmestad (in Gloppen); and
Randabygda
Randabygda or Hopland is a village in Stryn Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The village is located on the northern shore of the Nordfjorden on a rather steep sloping area along the fjord. The village lies about east of the village of L ...
,
Utvik
Utvik is a village in Stryn Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The village is located on the southern shore of the Nordfjorden. The village lies about southwest of the village of Innvik and about north of the village of Byrkjelo (in Gl ...
,
Innvik
Innvik is a former municipality in the old Sogn og Fjordane county in Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until 1965. Innvik is located in the present-day Stryn Municipality in Vestland county, encompassing about the western third of th ...
,
Roset,
Stryn
Stryn is a municipality in the county of Vestland, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Nordfjord. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Stryn. The municipality is located along the innermost part of t ...
,
Olden
Olden may refer to:
Places
*Olden, Norway, a village in Stryn, Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway
*Olden, Missouri, an unincorporated community
*Olden, Texas, a community in Eastland county, Texas, USA
People
*Charles Smith Olden, an American polit ...
, and
Loen (in Stryn).
Media gallery
Panorama of Nordfjord.jpg, Panorama of the Nordfjord from the mountain Hoven. The lake Lovatnet
Lovatnet (also Loenvatnet) is a lake in the municipality of Stryn in Vestland county, Norway. It is located about southeast of the village of Loen and about east of the village of Olden. The lake lies just southwest of the mountain Skåla ...
can be seen in the left part of the image
Nordfjorden.jpg, View of the Anda-Lote ferry crossing
See also
*
List of Norwegian fjords
This list of Norwegian fjords shows many of the fjords in Norway. In total, there are about 1,190 fjords in Norway and the Svalbard islands. The sortable list includes the lengths and locations of those fjords.
Fjords
See also
* List of gla ...
References
{{authority control
Fjords of Vestland
Kinn
Stad, Norway
Bremanger
Gloppen
Stryn