The Nærøyfjord (or ''Nærøyfjorden'', ) is a

fjord In physical geography, a fjord (also spelled fiord in New Zealand English; ) is a long, narrow sea inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Antarctica, the Arctic, and surrounding landmasses of the n ...

Aurland Municipality Aurland () is a municipality in the county of Vestland, Norway. It is located on the south side of the Sognefjorden in the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center is the village of Aurlandsvangen. Other villages include Bakka, ...

Vestland Vestland is a Counties of Norway, county in Norway. The county is located in Western Norway, and its administrative centre is Bergen, where the executive and political leadership is based. The County governor (Norway), County Governor is based in ...

county,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

. The narrow fjord is a branch of the large

Sognefjord The Sognefjord or Sognefjorden (, ), nicknamed the King of the Fjords (), is the list of Norwegian fjords, longest and deepest fjord in Norway. Located in Vestland county in Western Norway, it stretches inland from the ocean to the small village ...

. The long fjord is only wide in some parts. The river Nærøydalselvi flows down the valley Nærøydalen into the fjord at the village of

Gudvangen Gudvangen is a village in Aurland Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is a popular tourist destination and is located at the end of the Nærøyfjord where the Nærøydalselvi river empties into the fjord. The European route E16 highway ...

, near the

European route E16 European route E16 is the designation of a main west–east road through Northern Ireland, Scotland, Norway and Sweden, from Derry to Gävle, via Belfast, Glasgow, Edinburgh, previously by ferry to Bergen, Voss, through the Gudvanga Tunnel and ...

highway. The village of Bakka and the

Bakka Church Bakka Church () is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Aurland Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Bakka, on the shores of the sparsely populated Nærøyfjorden. It is the church for the Nærøy parish ...

are both located on the west shore of the fjord. Since 2005, the Nærøyfjord has been listed as a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

. It has also been rated by the

National Geographic Society The National Geographic Society, headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, is one of the largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations in the world. Founded in 1888, its interests include geography, archaeology, natural sc ...

as the world's number one natural heritage site along with the Geirangerfjord. The West Norwegian Fjords, including Nærøyfjord, are primarily presented and recognized internationally as a 'nature/landscape heritage' site rather than as cultural heritage. It has also been rated by the National Geographic Society as the world's number one natural heritage site along with the Geirangerfjord. The fjord is a popular tourist destination, with significant international recognition. Research from 2020 indicated that the official social media accounts for the West Norwegian Fjords (including Nærøyfjord) had attracted over 68,000 followers and more than 860,000 likes on Instagram, demonstrating its global appeal and significance. Unlike some transboundary UNESCO Marine World Heritage sites, the West Norwegian Fjords are managed by Norway as a single-country property, which facilitates coordinated conservation and management approaches.

In popular culture

Nærøyfjord was also used as an inspiration for Arendelle in '' Frozen''.

Media gallery

File:Nærøyfjorden from Bakkanosi.jpg, Nærøyfjorden from Bakkanosi File:Fjord in Norway.jpg, Nærøyfjord with sightseeing boat File:Nærøyfjorden frå Gudvangen.jpg, View from Gudvangen File:P1000566Gudvangen.JPG, Gudvangen ferry Nærøyfjorden mot Gudvangen.jpg, Nærøyfjord File:Nærøyfjord (6-2007).jpg, Nærøyfjord File:Vesnorsk fjordlandskap Bakka.jpg, Plaquette at Bakka, signed by

Queen Sonja of Norway Sonja (born Sonja Haraldsen; 4 July 1937) is Queen of Norway as the wife of King Harald V. Sonja and the then Crown Prince Harald had dated for nine years prior to their marriage in 1968. They had kept their relationship a secret due to the ...

June 10, 2006.

References

External links

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Nærøyfjord WebsiteOfficial tourist information
Fjords of Vestland World Heritage Sites in Norway Aurland Sognefjord {{Vestland-geo-stub