The Vefsnfjord or Vefsnfjorden 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, Förden and East Jutland Fjorde, Germany, ...

in the Helgeland traditional district of Nordland 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 the ...

. It is about long, reaching a maximum depth of about below sea level. The fjord flows through the municipalities of Alstahaug,

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 ...

, and

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 ...

. The fjord begins at Tjøtta, south of the island of

Alsten Alsta (historically, ''Alsten'' or ''Alstein'') is an island in the municipalities of Alstahaug and Leirfjord in Nordland county, Norway. The island is surrounded by the Vefsnfjorden to the east, the Leirfjorden to the north, and the Alsten ...

and meets the

at the island of Sundøy before turning to the south as it proceeds inland to the town of

Mosjøen Mosjøen (; sma, Mussere) is a town in Vefsn Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. Mosjøen is the oldest town in the Helgeland region, with only the town of Bodø being older within Nordland county. The town is also the administrative centre ...

. The outer part of the fjord is also called ''Sørfjord''. Several large rivers run into the Vefsnfjord, including the

Vefsna , also known as or , is the largest river in Nordland county, Norway. It is long and drains a watershed of . Its headwaters lie in the mountains of Børgefjell National Park at the lake Simskardvatnet. The river runs through the municipaliti ...

Fusta The fusta or fuste (also called foist) was a narrow, light and fast ship with shallow draft, powered by both oars and sail—in essence a small galley. It typically had 12 to 18 two-man rowing benches on each side, a single mast with a lateen ( ...

, and Drevja. All three of the rivers are traditionally excellent

salmon Salmon () is the common name for several commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the family Salmonidae, which are native to tributaries of the North Atlantic (genus ''Salmo'') and North Pacific (genus '' Oncorhy ...

fishing rivers, although they now have been infected with the salmon parasite

Gyrodactylus salaris ''Gyrodactylus salaris'', commonly known as salmon fluke, is a tiny monogenean ectoparasite which lives on the body surface of freshwater fish. This leech-like parasite has been implicated in the reduction of Atlantic salmon populations in the No ...

. A German prisoner ship was sunk here by British Aircraft during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

with major loss of life. A memorial is located on a nearby island. A powerline crosses Vefsnfjord near Overtroan with a long span.

Media gallery

Vefsnfjorden.jpg Fiordo Mosjøen.JPG Mosjoen vinter 2005.JPG Vefsn IMG 4761 mosjöen.JPG Alstadhaug Vefsn IMG 4768 sju söstre mts vefsnfjorden dönna island.JPG

References

Fjords of Nordland Alstahaug Leirfjord Vefsn {{Nordland-geo-stub

Media gallery

See also

References