The Ranfjorden (or just ''Ranfjord'') 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, Germany, Greenland, the Faroe Islands, Ice ...

in the

Helgeland Helgeland is the most southerly district in Northern Norway. Generally speaking, Helgeland refers to the part of Nordland county that is located south of the Arctic Circle. It is bordered in the north by the Saltfjellet mountains and Svartise ...

district of

Nordland 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, N ...

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 largest part of the fjord is in the municipality of

Rana Rana may refer to: Astronomy * Rana (crater), a crater on Mars * Delta Eridani or Rana, a star People, groups and titles * Rana (name), a given name and surname (including a list of people and characters with the name) * Rana (title), a histori ...

, but the fjord also passes through the municipalities of

Hemnes Hemnes is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Helgeland traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Korgen. Other villages include Bjerka, Bleikvasslia, Hemnesberget, and Sund. ...

Vefsn Vefsn ( sma, Vaapste) is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Helgeland traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Mosjøen (population: 9,843). Some of the notable villages in Vefsn i ...

Leirfjord Leirfjord is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Helgeland traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Leland. Other villages in Leirfjord include Bardalssjøen and Sundøy. The l ...

Nesna Nesna is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Helgeland traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Nesna. Other villages in Nesna include Handnesneset, Husby, Saura, and Vi ...

, and

Dønna Dønna is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Nordland Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Helgeland Districts of Norway, region. The administrative centre of the island municipality is the village of Solfjellsj ...

. The

Ranelva Ranelva is a long river in the municipality of Rana, Norway, Rana in Nordland county, Norway. It is one of the longest rivers in Nordland county. The Drainage basin, catchment area of the river is . Before the power stations of ''Reinforsen'' ( ...

river meets the Ranfjord in at the town of

Mo i Rana Mo i Rana () is a List of towns and cities in Norway, city, and the administrative centre of the Municipalities of Norway, municipality of Rana, Norway, Rana, in Nordland county, Norway. It is located in the Helgeland region of Nordland, just sou ...

at the innermost part of the fjord. It then flows to the west for about to where it meets the sea along the border of

and

municipalities. The inner part of the fjord is lush, forested, and more heavily populated. The western parts of the fjord are narrow with steep sides and that area has few inhabitants. There is a narrow

strait A strait is an oceanic landform connecting two seas or two other large areas of water. The surface water generally flows at the same elevation on both sides and through the strait in either direction. Most commonly, it is a narrow ocean channe ...

that connects to the Sørfjorden and Elsfjorden at the village of

Hemnesberget Hemnesberget is a village in the municipality of Hemnes in Nordland county, Norway. It is located on the Hemnes peninsula which lies on the south side of the Ranfjorden. Hemnes Church is located in this village. The village has a population ( ...

. Two large rivers flow into the fjord:

and Røssåga. The

European route E6 European route E6 ( no, Europavei 6, sv, Europaväg 6, or simply E6) is the main north-south thoroughfare through Norway as well as the west coast of Sweden. It is long and runs from the southern tip of Sweden at Trelleborg, into Norway and t ...

highway follows the part of the southern coast of the fjord on its way to

Gallery

File:Ranfjorden utløp.JPG, The mouth of Ranfjord near

File:Beginning of Ranfjord B.JPG, Near Ytteren in Rana File:Kvitbergan 08.JPG, Kvitbergan, Ranfjorden in the background File:Ranfjorden north 05.JPG, View between Båsmoen and Alteren in Rana File:Ranfjorden.JPG, View towards east into Ranfjord File:Moholmen 20070416 24.jpg, View towards the old part of the city sentre

References

Fjords of Nordland Rana, Norway Hemnes Vefsn Leirfjord Nesna Dønna {{Nordland-geo-stub