Litløya
Encyclopedia
Litløya is an island overlooking Lofoten
Lofoten
Lofoten is an archipelago and a traditional district in the county of Nordland, Norway. Though lying within the Arctic Circle, the archipelago experiences one of the world's largest elevated temperature anomalies relative to its high latitude.-Etymology:...

 in Bø municipality
Bø, Nordland
Bø is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Vesterålen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Straume...

, in Vesterålen
Vesterålen
Vesterålen is a district and archipelago in Nordland, Norway, just north of Lofoten.-The name:The Norse forms of the name were Vestráll and Vestrálar . The first element is vestr n west, the last element is áll m ' sound, strait'...

, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

. The 0.67 km2 island is best known for its lighthouse. Its highest point is «Litløytinden» measuring 103 meters above sea level.

From the middle-ages until the 20th century the island, together with its neighbour Gaukværøya, was a busy sea port and centre for local fishermen. There were 71 inhabitants registered on Litløya in 1865. Fishing was their main commerce and when the cod arrived in springtime many regional neighbours came flocking to take part. In 1895 there were 875 fishermen registered at Litløya and Gaukværøya, in 1890 there were 880 registered. These numbers probably includes fishermen from other municipalities.

Once inhabitants on the mainland got electricity, water and phone connections and boats became motorised, many inhabitants left the islands for a more comfortable life. Those who stayed were offered government support to move to the mainland in the 1950s. Only remains of the houses exist today.

Currently, the island's only inhabitant is the lighthouse owner. The lighthouse offers overnight accommodation.

The county archaeologist visited Litløya and Gaukværøya in the spring 2010. Several sites from the stone, iron and middle ages were identified, including two farms and a grave possibly containing a boat.

A coastal path is currently being established in order to share the current knowledge of the island with visitors

There is also a cave at Litløya, called «Trollhola». This means «Cave of the troll». The cave is 40 meters deep and can be explored with a torch. Access to the cave is slightly cumbersome. The cave was formed whilst this part of the island was under water, possibly 100.000 years ago, according to NGU, Norsk Geologisk Undersøkelse.
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