Glomfjord is an industrial community at the head of a small fjord

Fjord

Geologically, a fjord is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created in a valley carved by glacial activity.-Formation:A fjord is formed when a glacier cuts a U-shaped valley by abrasion of the surrounding bedrock. Glacial melting is accompanied by rebound of Earth's crust as the ice...

 of the same name in Meløy

Meløy

Meløy is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Salten traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Ørnes, while Glomfjord is only slightly smaller. Meløy was separated from the municipality of Rødøy on 1 January 1884.The municipality...

 municipality, northern Norway, above the Arctic Circle

Arctic Circle

The Arctic Circle is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. For Epoch 2011, it is the parallel of latitude that runs north of the Equator....

. The population is 1,204.

Heavy industry

The community is based on electric power generating in Glomfjord hydroelectric power plant

Glomfjord power plant

Glomfjord power plant is a 6*20 MW hydroelectric power plant in Glomfjord, Norway. It gets its water from Nedre Navervatn lake which is located about 465 meters above the sea level, but there are plans to start taking water also from Fykanvatn lake....

, which was the target of the 1942 commando raid entitled Operation Musketoon

Operation Musketoon

Operation Musketoon was the codeword for an Anglo-Norwegian raid in the Second World War. The operation was mounted against the German-held Glomfjord power plant in Norway between 11–21 September 1942....

. Norsk Hydro

Norsk Hydro

Norsk Hydro ASA is a Norwegian aluminium and renewable energy company, headquartered in Oslo. Hydro is the fourth largest integrated aluminium company worldwide. It has operations in some 40 countries around the world and is active on all continents. The Norwegian state holds a 43.8 percent...

, Norway's greatest industry, established fertilizer

Fertilizer

Fertilizer is any organic or inorganic material of natural or synthetic origin that is added to a soil to supply one or more plant nutrients essential to the growth of plants. A recent assessment found that about 40 to 60% of crop yields are attributable to commercial fertilizer use...

 production here in 1912

1912 in Norway

-Incumbents:*King of Norway - Haakon VII of Norway*Prime Minister of Norway - Jens Bratlie-Events:*7 March - Roald Amundsen announces his success in reaching the South Pole*Norsk Hydro establishes artificial fertilizer production at Glomfjord in Nordland...

. The facilities were bought by the state in 1918

1918 in Norway

-Events:* Norsk Hydro's artificial fertilizer production at Glomfjord is bought by the Norwegian government. In 1947 it is leased back to Hydro. This activity is Yara International.* The 1918 Parliamentary election takes place.-Sport:...

, but leased to Hydro in 1947

1947 in Norway

-Incumbents:* Monarch - Haakon VII of Norway* Prime Minister - Einar Gerhardsen -Events:* 7 August - Thor Heyerdahl's balsa wood raft, the Kon-Tiki, smashes into the reef at Raroia in the Tuamotu Islands after a 101 day, 4,300 mile journey across the Pacific Ocean, proving that pre-historic peoples...

 (now the fertilizer division is known as Yara International

Yara International

Yara International ASA is a Norwegian-based chemical company. Its largest business area is the production of nitrogen fertilizer, however it also encompasses the production of dry ice, nitrates, ammonia, urea and other nitrogen-based chemicals....

). Today a conglomerate of industries are found in Glomfjord Industry Park.

Climate

Although located north of the Arctic Circle and not far from Norway's second largest glacier Svartisen

Svartisen

Svartisen is a collective term for two glaciers located in northern Norway. The system consists of two separate glaciers,* Vestre Svartisen , which is the second largest glacier on the Norwegian mainland after Jostedalsbreen* Østre Svartisen , which...

, the climate is well suited for living due to the Gulf Stream

Gulf Stream

The Gulf Stream, together with its northern extension towards Europe, the North Atlantic Drift, is a powerful, warm, and swift Atlantic ocean current that originates at the tip of Florida, and follows the eastern coastlines of the United States and Newfoundland before crossing the Atlantic Ocean...

, albeit rather wet. Average annual rainfall in Glomfjord is 2,069 mm, with mean annual temperature 5°C. The temperature is seldom below -10 degrees Celsius during winter time. During summer time the sun does not set. The midnight sun

Midnight sun

The midnight sun is a natural phenomenon occurring in summer months at latitudes north and nearby to the south of the Arctic Circle, and south and nearby to the north of the Antarctic Circle where the sun remains visible at the local midnight. Given fair weather, the sun is visible for a continuous...

 makes plants grow faster.

Tourism

Glomfjord has a hotel, a bistro, a WaterLand, with two slides and two pools, and some beautiful mountains for skiing

Skiing

Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....

 and snowboard

Snowboard

Snowboards are boards, usually with a width the length of one's foot, with the ability to glide on snow. Snowboards are differentiated from monoskis by the stance of the user...

ing in the winter and touring with fishing, climbing and other relaxing activities in the mountains during summer. Svartisen is a target for tours as well.