Nordmarka is the mostly

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

ed region which makes up the northern part of

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

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 ...

. Nordmarka is the largest and most central part of

Oslomarka Marka is the name of the forested and hilly areas surrounding Oslo, Norway. It includes areas within the municipality of Oslo, but also large areas in Hole, Ringerike, Jevnaker, Lunner, Nittedal, Bærum, Asker, and other municipalities in Viken co ...

. The area called Nordmarka also extends into the municipalities of

Hole A hole is an opening in or through a particular medium, usually a solid body. Holes occur through natural and artificial processes, and may be useful for various purposes, or may represent a problem needing to be addressed in many fields of en ...

, Ringerike,

Lunner Lunner is a municipality in Viken county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Hadeland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Roa. Lunner was established when it was separated from the municipality of Jevnake ...

Jevnaker Jevnaker is a municipality in Viken county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Jevnaker with a population of 4,302. The parish of ''Jævnaker'' was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formann ...

and

Nittedal Nittedal is a municipality and city in Akershus in Viken county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Romerike. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Rotnes. The parish of ''Nitedal'' was established as a m ...

. It is the largest part of the Marka borough. The forests are popular sites for hiking, biking and skiing. Winter sport is mostly possible from December until March, in cold winters also until April or the beginning of May in some areas. Most of the forests are protected, and it is not possible to obtain building permits for cabins in the area. There are, however, many cabins already in Nordmarka with cafes and overnighting accommodation. There are several lakes in Nordmarka, which are used as a supply for

drinking water Drinking water is water that is used in drink or food preparation; potable water is water that is safe to be used as drinking water. The amount of drinking water required to maintain good health varies, and depends on physical activity level, a ...

, largest of these is the

Maridalsvannet Maridalsvannet ( en, Lake Maridal) is a lake in Maridalen, Oslo, Norway. It is the largest lake in the municipality of Oslo, and serves as the main drinking water supply for the city. The lake drains via the river Akerselva to the Oslofjord ...

. Svarttjernshøgda in Jevnaker is the highest point in Nordmarka, at a height of 717 m.

Name

The first element is ''nord'' '

north North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

', the last element is the finite form of ''mark'' f 'woodland,

'. The name is first mentioned on a map from 1760.

References

Geography of Oslo Geography of Akershus Forests and woodlands of Norway Marka, Oslo {{norway-geo-stub