Folgefonna is a collective term for three plateau
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 over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such a ...
s in the
Hardanger
Hardanger is a traditional district in the western part of Norway, dominated by the Hardangerfjord and its inner branches of the Sørfjorden and the Eid Fjord. It consists of the municipalities of Ullensvang, Eidfjord, Ulvik and Kvam, and is ...
region of
Vestland
Vestland is a Counties of Norway, 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 cit ...
county,
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, 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 ...
. They are located on the Folgefonna peninsula in the municipalities of
Ullensvang
Ullensvang is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Hardanger. The administrative centre is the town of Odda. Some of the notable villages in the municipality include Lofthus, Utne, Vikebygd ...
,
Kvinnherad, and
Etne
Etne is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sunnhordland, although it is also sometimes considered to be part of the district of Haugaland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the ...
. The three glaciers are:
*
Nordre (northern) Folgefonna, with an area of
*
Midtre (central) Folgefonna, with an area of
*
Søndre (southern) Folgefonna, with an area of , making it the third largest glacier in the mainland of Norway.
In total, Folgefonna covers about (measured in 2006). On 14 May 2005,
Folgefonna National Park was established, protecting the glaciers and the surrounding areas.
The glacier is home to a summer skiing resort, located on its northern region. The largest outflow glaciers from Folgefonna are Blomstølskardbreen,
Bondhusbreen, and
Buarbreen. Since around 1960, Blomstølskardbreen on the southern end of Folgefonna has changed very little. Bondhusbreen and Buerbreen further north were growing in the 1990s, but have been retreating since the year 2000. The glacier is a famous tourist attraction. Most people who visit the 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 ...
usually take the walk to
Buarbreen (a part of Folgafonna).
The melt-water from this glacier is bottled at source to form the product
Isklar. The melt-water also goes down the river from
Buarbreen down into the lake
Sandvinvatnet.
File:Bondhusglacier.jpg, Bondhusbreen - an offshoot of Folgefonna
File:Looking down from Folgefonna Glacier.jpg, Looking down from the glacier
File:Folgefonna south.JPG, Aerial view of the glaciers
File:Hardanger Folgefonna-Gletscher 10.JPG, A closer view of the glacier
Name
The first element is ''folge'' meaning 'thin layer of snow' and the last element is the finite form of ''fonn'' meaning 'mass of snow, glacier made of snow'.
See also
*
*
List of mountains in Norway by prominence
References
Glaciers of Vestland
Ullensvang
Etne
Kvinnherad
{{Vestland-geo-stub