Nordland Musikkfestuke

Nordland (; smj, Nordlánnda, sma, Nordlaante, sme, Nordlánda, en, Northland) is a county in Norway in the Northern Norway region, the least populous of all 11 counties, bordering Troms og Finnmark in the north, Trøndelag in the south, Norrbotten County in Sweden to the east, Västerbotten County to the south-east, and the Atlantic Ocean ( Norwegian Sea) to the west. The county was formerly known as ''Nordlandene amt''. The county administration is in the town of Bodø. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen has been administered from Nordland since 1995. In the southern part of the county is Vega, listed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list.

Districts

The county is divided into traditional districts. These are Helgeland in the south (south of the Arctic Circle), Salten in the centre, and Ofoten in the north-east. In the north-west lie the archipelagoes of Lofoten and Vesterålen.

Geography

Nordland is located along the northwestern coast of the Scandinavian peninsula in Northern Norway. Due to the large distance to the densely populated parts of Europe, this is one of the least polluted areas in Europe. Nordland extends about 500 km from Trøndelag to Troms. The distance by road from Bindal in the far south of the county to Andenes on the northern tip is roughly 800 km.
Nordland has a rugged coastline, with many fjords. From south to north, the main fjords are Bindalsfjord, Vefsnfjord, Ranfjord, Saltfjord-Skjerstadfjord, Folda, Tysfjord, Ofotfjord (the longest) and Andfjord, which is shared with Troms county. The best-known is perhaps the Vestfjorden, which is not really a fjord, but an open stretch of sea between the Lofoten island group and the mainland. The Raftsundet strait, with its famous branch Trollfjord, is the shortest waterway connecting Lofoten and Vesterålen. The continental shelf is very narrow west of Andenes, nowhere else in Norway is the deep ocean only a few kilometres from shore. Saltstraumen whirlpool is just sout-heast of Bodø, and Moskenstraumen is located in southern Lofoten.

Steep mountains near the sea and an almost flat lowland area in between the mountains and the sea (''Strandflaten'', coastal brim) is very typical for the long coastline in Nordland, and ''Strandflaten'' often continues out from the shore, the result is numerous islands (skerries), of which Helgeland have thousands; these islands are usually mountainous, but with smaller or larger ''strandflate'' areas. The southern part of Norway's largest island (apart from Svalbard), Hinnøya is in Nordland, as is the third-largest island, Langøya. In the fjords, the coastal brim is much less developed: There might be a more gradual slope, with hills, towards the mountains, or no lowland at all. There are often valleys at the head of fjords (the fjord is an extension of the valley), usually with a river at the centre of the valley.
Mo i Rana, Mosjøen and Rognan are situated in such valleys.
Norway's second-largest glacier, Svartisen, the second-largest lake, Røssvatnet, and the second-deepest fjord, Tysfjord (897 m) are all located in Nordland. The largest river (waterflow) is Vefsna which forms the Laksforsen waterfall.

The Saltfjellet mountain range forms a natural border between Helgeland and Salten, and is where the Arctic Circle cuts through the county. The western part of this mountain range is dominated by steep mountains and fjord inlets, with glaciers stretching towards the sea, while the eastern part of the mountains is more gentle and rounded, with some forested valleys, and is well suited for hiking. The interior of Nordland, towards the border with Sweden, is dominated by the Kjølen Mountains (Scandinavian Mountains). The highest mountain in Nordland is Oksskolten (1,915 m /6,300 ft) in Okstindan range

, the second-highest is Suliskongen (1,907 m) in Fauske, and the third is Storsteinfjellet (1,894 m) in Narvik. Stetind in Tysfjord has been voted as Norway's national mountain.

There are many glaciers in the mountains, like Blåmannsisen, Okstindbreen, the Sulitjelma Glacier, and Frostisen—7 of the 15 largest glaciers in continental Norway are located in Nordland.

Geology

In the geological past, a collision with Greenland pushed long slices of the seabed on top of the existing bedrock, today forming the bedrock from Dovrefjell and Trollheimen south of Trondheim stretching north in Trøndelag and through Nordland to justh north of Tromsø. This Cambrian—Silurian bedrock, much of it mica schist, is by far the largest area in Norway with soft bedrock rich in nutritions good for plant growth. It forms the bedrock in the fjord areas, while the islands off the coast and some of the easternmost areas along the border with Sweden are made up of hard bedrock (usually granite). In some areas, as in Tysfjord and Sørfold, the bedrock is a mix of soft bedrock and hard granite. Much of the Lofoten mountains are of precambrian eruptive origin and 3.5 billion years old, among the oldest on earth. The youngest rock in Norway is on Andøya, also known for its fossils of dinosaurs and other life forms. As the land was depressed by the ice sheet in the ice age, substantial areas in the lowest altitudes was beneath the surface of the sea for thousands of years acquiring marine deposits. Due to post-glacial rebound, this is now dry land, reaching 120 metres above sea level today in Saltdal, 100 m in Narvik and Brønnøysund, and 30–50 m in Lofoten and Vesterålen. Limestone is very common in Nordland, with many caves throughout the county, such as Grønligrotta in Rana. There are more caves in Rana than any other area in northern Europe. In August 2006 the Tjoarvekrajgge cave in Sørfold was explored and verified as the longest cave in Scandinavia (22 km long); Raggejavreraige in Tysfjord is the deepest in Scandinavia and Svarthamarhola in Fauske has the largest cavity. There are more than 900 caves in Nordland, one of these have a 70-metre-high waterfall
DN.no
. Marble is found in several locations. Fauske is sometimes referred to as the ''marble capital'', and has exported marble worldwide (one customer being the UN building in New York City).

Climate

The largest area of Nordland, including fjord areas, inland areas and highlands below the treeline, are dominated by the boreal climate (Dfc), but an atypical oceanic variant with relatively mild winters, lack of permafrost, and often with autumn as wettest season. Towns with this climate include Mosjøen, Mo i Rana, Rognan, Fauske and Narvik. Along the coast and on islands (including Vega) along the southern and middle part of Nordland is a warmer, temperate oceanic climate ( Cfb) with winter mean temperature above 0 °C and a four month long summer. This includes Brønnøysund, Sandnessjøen and some islands north to Skrova. Just inland of this is a narrow area with coldest winter month mean temperature just below 0 °C but still a four month long summer, this area has a humid continental climate (Dfb), and includes the county seat Bodø.
On the outer islands from Myken in Rødøy in the south and north including most of Lofoten and Vesterålen, the summers become slightly shorter; winter months are still relatively mild (above -3 °C; some islands above 0 °C like Værøy and Bø), making this an area with subpolar oceanic climate (Cfc). Towns within this area includes Leknes, Stokmarknes, Sortland and Andenes.
The strongest climate gradient in Nordland is seen in winter, as the interior inland away from the fjords, as well as mountains, have much colder winters than the coast. Large fjords bring with them significant oceanic moderation in winter temperatures to the surrounding land area, as seen in Fauske and Narvik. Temperatures will generally drop 0.7 °C (1 °F) as elevation increases by 100 m. Snow cover can persist all year at altitudes above 1100-1500 meter. Annual snow accumulation can exceed 5 m in the mountains, this is the main reason for the many glaciers in Nordland. With mountains in almost all areas, alpine tundra is common in Nordland.

Easterly winds give dry, sunny weather (the air must climb the Kjølen mountains), with warmth in summer and cold, clear air in winter. Southwesterly winds are common, bringing moist and mild air from the Atlantic Ocean. Autumn and winter is the wettest season along the coast of Nordland, while April–June on average is the driest. The strongest winds occur in late autumn and winter, as the Atlantic low-pressure systems are strongest then. High-pressure weather can occur in all seasons, and in summer this brings 24-hour sunshine north of the Arctic Circle.

Lurøy (115 m), west of Saltfjell, averages 3,066 mm precipitation annually; the wettest location in North Norway and in the world at such high latitude. Some of the wettest areas along the coast (a narrow band) north to Glomfjord fulfills the climatic criteria for a temperate rainforest

. East of the mountains, upper part of Saltdal has an annual precipitation less than 300 mm.

Many locations in Nordland have recorded what Norwegians know as "tropical nights" when the overnight low does not fall below . The warmest night ever recorded in Norway was July 29, 2019 at Sømna-Kvaløyfjellet (302 m) in Sømna near Brønnøysund with overnight low .
The warmest temperature recorded in Nordland is recorded July 27, 2019 at Mosjøen airport, this is also a tie with the national high for July. On the same day, Laksfors south of Mosjøen recorded but this recording was not approved due to too much vegetation and gravel near the weather station. Also on the same day, Saltdal recorded , this is the warmest temperature ever recorded in Norway north of the Arctic Circle.
The warmest month recorded in Nordland was July 2014 with mean at Mosjøen airport and Mo i Rana airport, while the warmest average daily high was at Laksfors with the same month. The coldest low ever recorded in Nordland is on December 30, 1978 in Svenningdal valley in Grane.

Brønnøysund on the coast in the south of Nordland

Evenes in the north of Nordland and more inland than Brønnøysund

Research using sediment in lakes near the Okstind Glacier has shown that the summer climate in Nordland was up to 2.5 °C warmer 9,000 to 6,000 years ago, and then slowly cooled—it was 0.5 °C warmer 2,000 years before present (see Holocene climatic optimum). This research also concluded that the eastern Okstind Glacier did not melt completely during this warm period, the first glacier in Norway known to have survived since the Ice age.

''Climate statistics provided by Norwegian Meteorological Institute; 1991-2020 base period.''

Light

The light conditions vary considerably from north to south; Andenes in the north will have midnight sun from 22 May to 20 July, and the sun is below the horizon from 28 November to 16 January
Narvik daylight
. In Bodø, the sun is above the horizon from 3 June to 8 July. Helgeland is situated south of the Arctic Circle; at the winter solstice the sun is above the horizon approximately 3 hours a day
Mosjøen daylight
. There is not a true midnight sun in Helgeland, although the upper part of the sun disc will be above the horizon all night in June as far south as Mosjøen. With the transitional period with a short dusk included, there are three full months (from early May to early August) without darkness in Nordland.

In Laukvik is the polarlightcenter, with lots of information about the Aurora Borealis ( polarlight).

Wildlife

The sea along the coast has a rich marine life, and the cod fisheries in Lofoten has lasted for more than 1,000 years. In addition to cod, coalfish, haddock, herring, wolf fish and halibut are all common along the coast and in the fjords. Nordland also features many lakes. The largest deep water coral reef (Lophelia pertusa) in the world, the Røst Reef, 40 km long, is located west of Røst, and protected from trawling since 2003. The coast of Nordland has the highest density of white-tailed eagles in Europe.

Just off the coast, the islands of Røst have the largest colonies of seabirds in Norway. Røst offers a range of habitats and serves as a stop-over point for many birds that are migrating even further north. The municipality is home to one of the largest bird cliffs in the North Atlantic, where birdwatchers can find puffin, shag, kittiwake, and cormorant colonies.

Lovund also has a well-known colony of puffins.

Otters are very common along the coast and fjords, as are harbour porpoises, grey seals and harbour seals. The largest fish in the sea is the basking shark, which used to be hunted. The most frequent birds along the coast, common in all areas including the fjords, are gulls, Eurasian oystercatcher and Arctic terns, and the grey heron has also become common. The Eurasian eagle-owl has a stronghold along the Helgeland coast, whilst predatory birds like golden eagle, gyrfalcon and peregrine falcon nest in some inaccessible areas. Orcas are common along the coast and in the Vestfjord area (even in the fjords) in winter, and the world's largest predator, the sperm whale, hunts for prey in the deep waters west of Andøya. Tysfjord and Folda fjord is home to the world's northernmost lobster population.

Spruce forest expansion have been blocked by Saltfjell and Kjølen mountains, thus spruce forest naturally grows only in Helgeland, but are commonly planted in the whole county for economic reasons, sparking some debate. Sitka spruce is also commonly planted in Nordland, particularly in coastal areas. The coastal areas belong to the Scandinavian coastal conifer forests ecoregion; some small areas have been classified as rainforest using botanical criteria as well as precipitation data. Inland areas up to the conifer treeline belong to the Scandinavian and Russian taiga ecoregion, while the highlands and mountains belong to the Scandinavian Montane Birch forest and grasslands ecoregion.

Other common trees in Nordland are birch, rowan, willow, grey alder, bird cherry, aspen and Scots pine, more rarely seen is wych elm and common hazel (elm north to Beiarn, hazel north to Steigen, small-leaved lime north to Brønnøy, forest apple north to Moskenes). The Nordland whitebeam (''Nordlandsasal'') is one of very few endemic trees in Norway, and only grows in Bindal in Nordland.

In the mountain areas in the interior, reindeer can be seen (these have Sami owners), hunted by the indigenous wolverine. There are also a few brown bears in the interior. The Arctic fox is now in danger of extinction on the mainland, but a few are left in these mountain areas, particularly in Børgefjell mountains. Red foxes, moose, hares, red squirrels, small rodents, pine marten (inland valleys) and stoats are all common in the forests. As of 2008, there were a minimum of 50 European lynx in Nordland residing in the forests in all Nordland except Lofoten and Vesterålen. In lowland areas, roe deers now occur in most of Nordland, and red deers are seen in the southern part of Nordland. The badger and the common viper has their most northerly habitat in southerly coastal areas of Nordland. Grey wolves have been observed in inland areas of Helgeland. There are few species of amphibians, although the common frog is common in all Nordland except mountain areas, and the smooth newt has its most northerly habitat in the world in the river Vefsna. There are seven national parks in, or partly in, Nordland. From south to north, these are Børgefjell National Park, Lomsdal–Visten National Park, Saltfjellet–Svartisen National Park, Junkerdal National Park, Rago National Park, Sjunkhatten National Park and Møysalen National Park. The national park centre for Nordland is situated in Saltdal.

Economy

The key industries are fisheries and offshore petroleum exploration. Nordland is well known for the fishing of codfish and fish farming of salmon. Main export markets are Germany, Scandinavia, Britain, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, France, Russia and Japan.

Tourism is important, mainly in the summer season, although there are some winter visitors looking for good skiing or wanting to see the Northern Lights, especially from February to April. Tourists are attracted by the scenic coast, especially Lofoten, which is also visited by many cruise ships in the summer, while the rest of the county often is ignored by tourists. Mountain hiking is popular among natives and some tourists.

Whale watching attracts tourists to Andøy and the Tysfjord / Lødingen / Svolvær area, and fishing is also popular along the coast and in the salmon and trout rivers; there is also Arctic char in some rivers. Saltstraumen has the world record for coalfish using a fishing rod, and Røst has the world record for halibut, 202 kg

.

Farming is another regional economy, and consists mainly of dairy farming and livestock such as sheep, and domesticated reindeer graze the inland highlands. There is also some forestry, particularly in the Helgeland district, but also further north. In earlier days, grain was grown in Nordland (mostly barley, some oats). Nordlandshest is the smallest of the three Norwegian horse breeds. The Norwegian Lundehund was bred to hunt puffins and only saved from extinction due to a few remaining dogs in Lofoten.

There is a long history of mining. Sulitjelma has the largest copper deposits in the county, as well as pyrite, the latter is also found in several other locations, but the mining here has been discontinued for economical reasons. In earlier days, silver was mined in the Dunderland Valley in Rana, and until 2002 nickel and olivine was mined in Ballangen. There are several limestone, marble, and dolomite rock quarries, dolomite in Vefsn, Fauske, Sørfold and Ballangen. As of 2008, mining of gold in Bindal is in testing stages

.
The port of Narvik has a direct rail connection to the well known and profitable Kiruna- Gällivare iron-ore fields in Sweden. There are many dams for hydroelectric power.
Nordland has an increasing diverse economy, with fledgling research and development in aerospace and space exploration at the Andøya Rocket Range, which primarily is known for its satellite launches. This vast province, Norway's second largest, almost the size of Denmark, traditionally was very important for NATO, and the Royal Norwegian Air Force has two squadrons of F-16 fighters stationed at Bodø Airport, and all its P-3 Orion

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