Nordland
Encyclopedia
is a county
in Norway
in the North Norway region, bordering Troms
in the north, Nord-Trøndelag
in the south, Norrbottens län in Sweden
to the east, Västerbottens län to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean
(Norwegian Sea
) to the west. The county was formerly known as Nordlandene amt. The county administration is in Bodø
. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen
has been administered from Nordland since 1995.
In the southern part is Vega
, listed on the Unesco World Heritage list. The history of Nordland is a tale about the gifts from the sea: One of the most productive seas in the world providing food all year since ancient times, the same sea creates a climate more moderate than any other place in the arctic; even the bedrock itself enriched by sea living organisms millions of years ago in the geological past.
in the south (south of the Arctic Circle
), Salten
in the center, and Ofoten
in the northeast. In the northwest lie the archipelagoes of Lofoten
and Vesterålen
.
in North Norway. Due to the large distance to the densely populated parts of Europe, this is one of the least polluted
areas in Europe. Nordland extends about 500 km from Nord-Trøndelag
to Troms
. The distance by road from Bindal
in the far south of the county to Andenes
on the northern tip is roughly 800 km.
Nordland has a rugged coastline, with many fjord
s. From south to north, the main fjords are Bindalsfjord, Vefsnfjord
, Ranfjord
, Saltfjord-Skjerstadfjord, Folda
, Tysfjord
, Ofotfjord
(the longest) and Andfjord, which is shared with Troms county. The best-known is perhaps Vestfjord
, which is not really a fjord, but an open stretch of sea between the Lofoten
island group and the mainland. The Raftsundet strait
, with its famous branch Trollfjord
, is the shortest waterway connecting Lofoten and Vesterålen. The continental shelf
is very narrow west of Andenes, nowhere else in Norway is the deep ocean only a few miles from shore. Saltstraumen
whirlpool is just southeast of Bodø
, and Moskstraumen
is located in southern Lofoten.
Steep mountains near the sea and an almost flat lowland area in between the mountains and the sea (Strandflaten, coastal brim) is very typical for the long coastline in Nordland, and Strandflaten often continues out from the shore, the result is numerous islands (skerries), of which Helgeland have thousands; these islands are usually mountainous, but with smaller or larger strandflate areas. The southern part of Norways largest island (apart from Svalbard
), Hinnøya
is in Nordland, as is the third largest island, Langøya
. In the fjords, the coastal brim is much less developed: There might be a more gradual slope, with hills, towards the mountains, or no lowland at all. There are often valley
s at the head of fjords (the fjord is an extension of the valley), usually with a river at the centre of the valley.
Mo i Rana
, Mosjøen
(http://www.mosjoen.com/galleri.shtml) and Rognan
are situated in such valleys.
Norway's second largest glacier
, Svartisen
(http://www.eskilolsen.no/svartisen%20andre.htm), the second largest lake, Røssvatnet
, and the second deepest fjord, Tysfjord (897 m) are all located in Nordland. The largest river (waterflow) is Vefsna
which forms the Laksforsen waterfall (http://www.grane.net/galleri.htm).
The Saltfjellet
mountain range forms a natural border between Helgeland and Salten, and is where the Arctic circle
cuts through the county. The western part of this mountain range is dominated by steep mountains and fjord inlets, with glaciers stretching towards the sea, while the eastern part of the mountains is more gentle and rounded, with some forested valleys, and is well suited for hiking. The interior of Nordland, towards the border with Sweden
, is dominated by the Kjølen Mountains (Scandinavian Mountains
). The highest mountain in Nordland is Oksskolten
(1,915 m /6,300 ft) in Okstindan
range (), the second highest is Suliskongen (1,907 m) in Fauske, and the third is Storsteinfjellet (1,894 m) in Narvik. Stetind
in Tysfjord has been voted as Norway's national mountain.
There are many glaciers in the mountains, like Blåmannsisen
, Okstindbreen
, Sulitjelmaisen
and Frostisen
- 7 of the 15 largest glaciers in continental Norway are located in Nordland.
In the geological past, a collision with Greenland
pushed long slices of the seabed on top of the existing bedrock, today forming the bedrock from Dovrefjell
and Trollheimen
south of Trondheim
stretching north in Trøndelag and through Nordland to justh north of Tromsø
. This Cambrian
- Silurian
bedrock, much of it mica
schist
, is by far the largest area in Norway with soft bedrock rich in nutritions good for plant growth. It forms the bedrock in the fjord areas, while the islands off the coast and some of the easternmost areas along the border with Sweden is made up of hard bedrock (usually granite
). In some areas, as in Tysfjord and Sørfold
, the bedrock is a mix of soft bedrock and hard granite. Much of the Lofoten mountains are of precambrian
eruptive origin and 3.5 billion years old, among the oldest on earth. The youngest rock in Norway is on Andøya
, also known for its fossil
s of dinosaur
s and other life forms. As the land was depressed by the ice sheet
in the ice age, substantial areas in the lowest altitudes was beneath the surface of the sea for thousands of years acquiring marine deposits. Due to isostatic rebound this is now dry land, reaching 120 meter above sea level today in Saltdal, 100 m in Narvik and Brønnøysund, and 30 – 50 m in Lofoten and Vesterålen. Limestone
is very common in Nordland, with many cave
s (http://www.arctic-circle.no/caves_nordland.htm) throughout the county, such as Grønligrotta in Rana. There are more caves in Rana
than any other area in northern Europe. In August 2006 the Tjoarvekrajgge cave in Sørfold
was explored and verifed as the longest cave in Scandinavia
(22 km long); Raggejavreraige
in Tysfjord is the deepest in Scandinavia and Svarthamarhola in Fauske
has the largest cavity. There are more than 900 caves in Nordland, one of these have a 70 m high waterfall (DN.no). Marble
is found in several locations. Fauske is sometimes referred to as the marble capital, and has exported marble world wide (one customer being the UN building in New York City
).
. Some islands, like Myken, Træna
and Røst
, have average temperatures of ca 1 °C (33 °F) in their coldest month, 25 °C (45 °F) above average for the latitude. Nordland covers almost 5° latitude, but temperatures are moderated by proximity to the temperate sea; the annual mean only varies from 5.6 °C (42 °F) on the southern coast to 4 °C (39 °F) on the northern coast (1961–90). Summers are somewhat longer in the south. Winters are colder in the interior, fjords will moderate temperatures in nearby areas. Mountain areas are colder all year, with much longer winters - snow cover can persist all year at the higher mountains. Annual snow accumulation can exceed 5 m in the mountains - the main reason for the many glaciers in Nordland. Easterly winds give dry, sunny weather (the air must climb the Kjølen mountains), with warmth in summer and cold, clear air in winter. Southwesterly winds are common, bringing moist and mild air from the Atlantic ocean. Autumn and early winter is the wettest season along the coast of Nordland, while April - June on average is the driest. The strongest winds occur in late autumn and winter, as the Atlantic low pressure systems are strongest then. High pressure weather can occur in all seasons, and in summer this brings 24-hr sunshine north of the Arctic circle.
Lurøy
(115 m), west of Saltfjell, averages 2,935 mm precipitation annually; the wettest location in North Norway and in the world at such high latitude. Some of the wettest areas along the coast (a narrow band) north to Glomfjord
fulfills the climatic criteria for a temperate rainforest (). East of the mountains, Saltdal
has a mean annual precipitation of less than 300 mm. Narvik in the northern part of Nordland averages 830 mm. Temperatures will generally drop 0.7 °C (1 °F) as elevation increases by 100 m. With mountains in almost all areas, alpine tundra
is common in Nordland.
Recent years have tended to be warmer in Nordland than the fairly cold 1961 - 1990 base period. Glomfjord in Meløy
, approximately halfway up the coast of Nordland, has a long climate record and is situated in a rural area with little or no urban heat island
effect, and is used as an official climate reference station. Glomfjord here represents the current climate in coastal areas (summers usually slightly warmer, winters often significantly colder in the inland).
Research using sediment
in lakes near the Okstind Glacier has shown that the summer climate in Nordland was up to 2.5 °C warmer 9,000 to 6,000 years ago, and then slowly cooled - it was 0.5 °C warmer 2,000 years before present (see Holocene climatic optimum
.). This research also concluded that the eastern Okstind Glacier did not melt completely during this warm period, the first glacier in Norway known to have survived since the Ice age
.
Climate statistics provided by Norwegian Meteorological Institute; 1961–1990 base period unless otherwise stated. Data for Glomfjord last 10 years by Storm Weather Center.
in the north will have midnight sun from 22 May to 20 July, and the sun is below the horizon from 28 November to 16 January (Narvik daylight). In Bodø, the sun is above the horizon from 3 June to 8 July. Helgeland is situated south of the Arctic Circle: At winter solstice
the sun is above the horizon approximately 3 hours a day (Mosjøen daylight). There is not a true midnight sun in Helgeland, although the upper part of the sun disc will be above the horizon all night in June as far south as Mosjøen. With the transitional period with a short dusk included, there are three full months (from early May to early August) without darkness in Nordland.
fisheries in Lofoten has lasted for more than 1000 years. In addition to cod
, coalfish, haddock
, herring
, wolf fish and halibut
are all common along the coast and in the fjords. Nordland also features many lakes. The largest deep water coral reef (Lophelia pertusa
) in the world, the Røst reef, 40 km long, is located west of Røst, and protected from trawling
since 2003. The coast of Nordland has the highest density of sea eagles in Europe. There are millions of seabirds; the islands of Røst
has the largest colonies in Norway with about one-quarter of all seabirds in continental Norway, probably most famous for the Puffin
s and Cormorant
s. Lovund
also has a well-known colony of Puffins. Otter
s are very common along the coast and fjords, as is Harbour porpoise
, harbor seal
s; there are also seals
. The largest fish in the sea is the basking shark
, which were hunted in earlier days. The character birds along the coast, common in all areas including the fjords, are sea gulls, Eurasian Oystercatcher
and Arctic tern
s, and the Grey heron
has also become common. The Eagle-owl has a stronghold along the Helgeland coast; predator birds like Golden eagle
, Gyrfalcon
and Peregrine falcon
nest in some inaccessible areas. Orca
s are common along the coast and in the Vestfjord-area (even in the fjords) in winter, and the worlds largest predator, the Sperm Whale
, hunt for prey in the deep waters west of Andøya
. Tysfjord and Folda fjord is home to the worlds northernmost lobster
population.
Spruce
forest expansion have been blocked by Saltfjell and Kjølen mountains, thus spruce forest naturally grows only in Helgeland, but are commonly planted in the whole county for economic reasons, sparking some debate. Sitka spruce
is also commonly planted in Nordland, particularly in coastal areas. The coastal areas belong to the Scandinavian coastal conifer forests
ecoregion
; some small areas have been classified as rainforest using botanical criteria as well as precipitaiton data. Inland areas up to the conifer treeline belong to the Scandinavian and Russian taiga
ecoregion, while the highlands and mountains belong to the Scandinavian montane birch forest and grasslands
ecoregion.
Other common trees in Nordland are birch
, rowan
, willow
, grey alder
, bird cherry, aspen
and Scots pine
, more rarely seen is wych elm
and common hazel
(elm north to Beiarn
, hazel north to Steigen
, small-leaved lime north to Brønnøy, forest apple
north to Moskenes
). The Nordland Whitebeam
(Nordlandsasal) is one of very few endemic trees in Norway, and only grows in Bindal
in Nordland.
In the mountain areas in the interior, reindeer
can be seen (these have sami
owners), hunted by the indigenous wolverine. There are also a few brown bear
s in the interior. The arctic fox
is now in danger of extinction on the mainland, but a few are left in these mountain areas, particularly in Børgefjell
mountains. Red fox
es, moose
, hare
s, squirrel
s, small rodent
s, pine marten
(inland valleys) and stoat
s are all common in the forests. As of 2008, there were a minimum of 50 Lynx
in Nordland residing in the forests in all Nordland except Lofoten and Vesterålen. In lowland areas, roe deer
s now occur in most of Nordland, and red deer
s are seen in the southern part of Nordland. The Badger
and the Common viper has their most northerly habitat in southerly coastal areas of Nordland. Gray wolf
s have been observed in inland areas of Helgeland
. There are few species of amphibian
s, although the common frog
is common in all Nordland except mountain areas, and the smooth newt
has its most northerly habitat in the world in the river Vefsna
. There are 7 national parks in, or partly in, Nordland. From south to north, these are Børgefjell National Park
, Lomsdal-Visten National Park (May 9), Saltfjellet-Svartisen National Park
, Junkerdal National Park, Rago National Park
, Sjunkhatten National Park
and Møysalen National Park
. The national park centre for Nordland is situated in Saltdal.
of salmon
. Main export markets are Germany
, Scandinavia
, Britain
, Netherlands
, Italy
, Spain
, France
, Russia
and Japan
.
Tourism
is important, mainly in the summer season, although there are some winter visitors looking for good skiing
, especially from February to April. Tourists are attracted by the scenic coast (http://www.norwayonline.no/?cat=93), especially Lofoten, which is also visited by many cruise ships in the summer, while the rest of the county often is ignored by tourists. Mountain hiking is popular among natives and some tourists.
Whale watching
attracts tourists to Andøy
and the Tysfjord
/Lødingen
/Svolvær
area, and fishing is also popular along the coast and in the salmon
and trout
rivers; there is also Arctic char
in some rivers. Saltstraumen has the world record for coalfish using a fishing rod
, and Røst has the world record for halibut, 202 kg ().
Farming is another regional economy, and consists mainly of dairy farming
and livestock such as sheep, and domesticated reindeer graze the inland highlands. There is also some forestry, particularly in the Helgeland district, but also further north. In earlier days, grain was grown in Nordland (mostly barley
, some oats
). Nordlandshest
is the smallest of the three Norwegian horse breeds. Norwegian Lundehund
was breed to hunt puffin
s and only saved from extinction due to a few remaining dogs in Lofoten.
There is a long history of mining. Sulitjelma
has the largest copper
deposits in the county, as well as pyrite
, the latter is also found in several other locations, but the mining here has been discontinued for economical reasons. In earlier days, silver
was mined in Dunderlandsdal in Rana, and until 2002 nickel
and olivine
was mined in Ballangen
. There are several limestone, marble, and dolostone
quarries, dolomite
in Vefsn, Fauske, Sørfold and Ballangen. As of 2008, mining of gold
in Bindal
is in testing stages ().
The port of Narvik
has a direct rail connection to the well known and profitable Kiruna
-Gällivare
iron
-ore fields in Sweden
. There are many dams for hydroelectric power.
Nordland has an increasing diverse economy, with fledgling research and development in aerospace and space exploration at the Andøya Rocket Range
, which primarily is known for its satellite launches. This vast province, Norway's second largest, almost the size of Denmark
, traditionally was very important for NATO, and the Royal Norwegian Air Force
has two squadrons of F-16 fighters stationed at Bodø Airport
, and all its P-3 Orion
maritime surveillance aircraft stationed at Andøya Air Station
. The decommissioning of closing military bases has led to a regional shift towards a new knowledge based economy.
There are local hospitals in Mosjøen
, Sandnessjøen
, Mo i Rana
, Bodø
(the largest), Gravdal, Narvik and Stokmarknes
.
Bodø Airport
is the busiest airport, and a hub for many smaller airports in Nordland. Harstad/Narvik Airport, Evenes
in the north also has non-stop flights to Oslo
. The E6
runs along the entire length of Nordland. There are many tunnels and bridges; some of the largest are Helgeland Bridge
, Gimsøy Bridge, Raftsund Bridge
, Skjomen Bridge
, Rombak Bridge
, Hadsel Bridge
, Sortland Bridge
, Andøy Bridge
, Saltstraumen Bridge
, Kjellingstraumen Bridge
and Brønnøysund Bridge
. Even with improved communications, population numbers in Nordland has actually decreased slightly since 1990, as many young people move to larger cities in Norway. Bodø
is the only municipality in the county with a significant growth in population.
people lived near the coast, often on islands and typically along strait
s near the open sea, with a rich provision of marine resources. Such archeological evidence has been found on Vega
, in Leirfjord
and along Saltstraumen
. There are at least 15 locations with prehistoric rock carvings in Nordland, from Helgeland in the south to Narvik in the north (see Fosna-Hensbacka culture
).
Some of the oldest houses known in Norway was excavated on Langhågan on the island Sanna in Træna municipality (http://www.trana.kommune.no/nordland/trana/tranak.nsf/id/07AA0F0D3827E568C1256E37003591D5); the oldest house was oval, 6 x 4.5 m, and is dated to 4000 BC. From the house is still visible a 65 m long stone paved "trail
" down to a small harbor, today 23 m above sea level.
The 4,600 year old rock drawings at Rødøy
, which depict a man on skis holding a stick, is the oldest known reference of skis being used. The location is somewhat surprising, as this island has unreliable snow cover, and the Scandinavian climate was warmer in the Stone Age.
This rock drawing was used as a pictogram in the Lillehammer
Olympic Games
in 1994.
The first agricultural culture has been dated to the Bronze Age
. This culture left large burial cairns close to the sea, for instance in Steigen
and Vestvågøy
, and the northernmost location is around Harstad
in southern Troms. These locations have significant areas of lowland suited for agriculture, they are close to the sea and they have many natural harbors.
The oldest remains of a boat ever found in Norway was discovered in a bog
in Sømna
. Known as Haugvikbåten, the well preserved piece, kept in the Museum of Science (Vitenskapsmuseet) in Trondheim, has been dated to 800 - 400 BC - the Nordic Bronze Age
().
For many generations Hålogaland had been the northernmost area of Norse
settlement. The remnants of large longhouses near Borg (Vestvågøy) and in Steigen is dated to the Merovinger period (ca 600 AD). There are substantial archeological evidence of a Norse iron
-based culture along the coast from approximately 200 AD (http://www.isv.uit.no/seksjon/ark/ansatte/bertelsen/kystfolk.htm).
Nordland is regarded as part of Sapmi. The Sami
, which are not of Norse
origins, have lived in Nordland for at least 2000 years. Not just inland, but also along the fjords and, in the northern part of Nordland, even on the coast and larger islands, such as Hinnøya. There is a story in Heimskringla
about a Viking which became a contender for the throne, Sigurd Slembe
. He was on the run from the king, and was helped by Sami in what is probably Lødingen
municipality today. The sami even built him a boat, which the saga mention was made from pine wood
(viking ship
s was typically made from oak wood, but oak does not grow naturally this far north). Tysfjord today is a center for the Lule Sami
culture.
The current county of Nordland was part of the petty kingdom
of Hålogaland
in the Viking era
. This kingdom also included southern part of Troms
.
In January 1432, an Italian trade ship going from Crete
to Flandern was hit by a storm and taken far north where it was wrecked; some of the crew survived and came ashore on a small island near Røst
. They were taken care of by the people of Røst. The story, told by one of the men, Pietro Querini
, gives one of very few descriptions of life in Nordland in this time period (Querini - Norw txt). Querini sees the people of Røst (in all 120 people) as very trusting and good Catholic
s, the inner circle of paradise. He also mentions a German priest, which they could talk to in Latin
. People lived from fishing cod and halibut, which they traded for other goods (like grain) in Bergen
- the cod as stockfish
. Each family also had about 5 cows, and collected eggs from semi-domesticated duck
s. The shipwrecked men did not lack food during their winter stay, usually fish, but Querini also mention, milk, meat, butter and pancakes. The people of Røst lived in round, wooden houses, and mostly used clothes made by wool
.
By late May, sailing in 24-hr daylight, the Italians were taken south to Bergen.
The largest ship disaster ever in Norway took place in 1944 when Rigel transporting German prisoners was bombed by RAF near Sandnessjøen
(Alstahaug), with more than 2,500 casualties. The ship was grounded on Rosøya, where it remained, half sunk, until it was demolished in 1970.
Petter Dass
lived in Alstahaug
, and the Nobel laureate author Knut Hamsun
grew up in Hamarøy
after his family moved there when he was 3 years old.
Nordland county is identical with the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland
.
.
):
Counties of Norway
Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties . The counties form the primary first-level subdivisions of Norway and are further divided into 430 municipalities...
in 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...
in the North Norway region, bordering Troms
Troms
or Romsa is a county in North Norway, bordering Finnmark to the northeast and Nordland in the southwest. To the south is Norrbotten Län in Sweden and further southeast is a shorter border with Lapland Province in Finland. To the west is the Norwegian Sea...
in the north, Nord-Trøndelag
Nord-Trøndelag
is a county constituting the northern part of Trøndelag in Norway. As of 2010, the county had 131,555 inhabitants, making it the country's fourth-least populated county. The largest municipalities are Stjørdal, Steinkjer—the county seat, Levanger, Namsos and Verdal, all with between 21,000 and...
in the south, Norrbottens län in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
to the east, Västerbottens län to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
(Norwegian Sea
Norwegian Sea
The Norwegian Sea is a marginal sea in the North Atlantic Ocean, northwest of Norway. It is located between the North Sea and the Greenland Sea and adjoins the North Atlantic Ocean to the west and the Barents Sea to the northeast. In the southwest, it is separated from the Atlantic Ocean by a...
) to the west. The county was formerly known as Nordlandene amt. The county administration is in Bodø
Bodø
is a city and a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Salten region.The city of Bodø was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 . Bodin was merged with Bodø on 1 January 1968. Skjerstad was merged with Bodø on 1 January 2005...
. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen
Jan Mayen
Jan Mayen Island is a volcanic island in the Arctic Ocean and part of the Kingdom of Norway. It is long and 373 km2 in area, partly covered by glaciers . It has two parts: larger northeast Nord-Jan and smaller Sør-Jan, linked by an isthmus wide...
has been administered from Nordland since 1995.
In the southern part is Vega
Vega, Norway
Vega 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 Gladstad. Other villages include Holand and Ylvingen....
, listed on the Unesco World Heritage list. The history of Nordland is a tale about the gifts from the sea: One of the most productive seas in the world providing food all year since ancient times, the same sea creates a climate more moderate than any other place in the arctic; even the bedrock itself enriched by sea living organisms millions of years ago in the geological past.
Districts
The county is divided into traditional districts. These are HelgelandHelgeland
Helgeland is the most southerly district in Northern Norway. Generally speaking, Helgeland refers to the part of Nordland county that is located south of the Arctic Circle. The district covers an area of about , with nearly 79,000 inhabitants...
in the south (south of 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....
), Salten
Salten
Salten is a district in Nordland in North Norway, consisting of the municipalities Meløy, Gildeskål, Bodø, Beiarn, Saltdal, Fauske, Sørfold, Steigen and Hamarøy. The district borders Helgeland in the south , Ofoten in the north, Sweden in the east and Vestfjorden in the west...
in the center, and Ofoten
Ofoten
Ofoten is a district in North Norway, consisting of the municipalities Tysfjord, Ballangen, Evenes, Tjeldsund, Narvik and Lødingen. It is named after the main fjord Ofotfjord, which is at the center of this landscape...
in the northeast. In the northwest lie the archipelagoes of 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:...
and 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'...
.
Geography
Nordland is located along the northwestern coast of the Scandinavian peninsulaScandinavian Peninsula
The Scandinavian Peninsula is a peninsula in Northern Europe, which today covers Norway, Sweden, and most of northern Finland. Prior to the 17th and 18th centuries, large parts of the southern peninsula—including the core region of Scania from which the peninsula takes its name—were part of...
in North Norway. Due to the large distance to the densely populated parts of Europe, this is one of the least polluted
Pollution
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into a natural environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light...
areas in Europe. Nordland extends about 500 km from Nord-Trøndelag
Nord-Trøndelag
is a county constituting the northern part of Trøndelag in Norway. As of 2010, the county had 131,555 inhabitants, making it the country's fourth-least populated county. The largest municipalities are Stjørdal, Steinkjer—the county seat, Levanger, Namsos and Verdal, all with between 21,000 and...
to Troms
Troms
or Romsa is a county in North Norway, bordering Finnmark to the northeast and Nordland in the southwest. To the south is Norrbotten Län in Sweden and further southeast is a shorter border with Lapland Province in Finland. To the west is the Norwegian Sea...
. The distance by road from Bindal
Bindal
Bindal is a municipality in the Helgeland region in the extreme southwest part of Nordland county, Norway. The administrative centre is the village of Terråk...
in the far south of the county to Andenes
Andenes
is a town and former municipality in Vesterålen district in Nordland county, Norway.Andenes was separated from Dverberg January 1, 1924. It was merged with Dverberg and Bjørnskinn to create the new municipality of Andøy January 1, 1964....
on the northern tip is roughly 800 km.
Nordland has a rugged coastline, with many 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...
s. From south to north, the main fjords are Bindalsfjord, Vefsnfjord
Vefsnfjord
The Vefsnfjord is a fjord in the Helgeland traditional district of Nordland county, Norway. It is about long, reaching a maximum depth of about . The fjord flows through the municipalities of Alstahaug, Leirfjord, and Vefsn....
, Ranfjord
Ranfjord
The Ranfjord is a fjord in the Helgeland district. The largest part of the fjord is in Rana municipality, Nordland county, Norway. The Ranelva meets the Ranfjord in Mo i Rana at the head of the fjord....
, Saltfjord-Skjerstadfjord, Folda
Folda, Nordland
Folda is a fiord in Nordland county, Norway, within the Steigen and Sørfold municipalities. It empties into the Vestfjord about 25 miles northeast of Bodø. It splits into two inland branches, the Nordfolda and Sørfolda....
, Tysfjord
Tysfjord
Tysfjord or Divtasvuodna is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Ofoten traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Kjøpsvik...
, Ofotfjord
Ofotfjord
Ofotfjord or Narvik Fjord, an inlet of the Norwegian sea north of the Arctic circle, is Norway's 12th longest fjord, long, and the 18th deepest, with a maximum depth of . Along the shores of this fjord is the major town of Narvik...
(the longest) and Andfjord, which is shared with Troms county. The best-known is perhaps Vestfjord
Vestfjord
Vestfjord is a Norwegian fjord, which would be described as a firth or an open bight of sea between the Lofoten archipelago and mainland Norway, northwest of Bodø...
, which is not really a fjord, but an open stretch of sea between the 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:...
island group and the mainland. The Raftsundet strait
Strait
A strait or straits is a narrow, typically navigable channel of water that connects two larger, navigable bodies of water. It most commonly refers to a channel of water that lies between two land masses, but it may also refer to a navigable channel through a body of water that is otherwise not...
, with its famous branch Trollfjord
Trollfjord
The Trollfjord is a 2 km long sidearm of the Raftsund between the Norwegian archipelagos of Lofoten and Vesterålen. With its narrow entrance and steep-sided mountains, Trollfjord cuts westwards from the Raftsundet strait...
, is the shortest waterway connecting Lofoten and Vesterålen. The continental shelf
Continental shelf
The continental shelf is the extended perimeter of each continent and associated coastal plain. Much of the shelf was exposed during glacial periods, but is now submerged under relatively shallow seas and gulfs, and was similarly submerged during other interglacial periods. The continental margin,...
is very narrow west of Andenes, nowhere else in Norway is the deep ocean only a few miles from shore. Saltstraumen
Saltstraumen
Saltstraumen is a sound with a strong tidal current located in Nordland 30 km east of the city of Bodø, Norway. The narrow channel connects the outer Saltfjord with its extension, the large Skjerstadfjord. It is the strongest tidal current in the world...
whirlpool is just southeast of Bodø
Bodø
is a city and a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Salten region.The city of Bodø was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 . Bodin was merged with Bodø on 1 January 1968. Skjerstad was merged with Bodø on 1 January 2005...
, and Moskstraumen
Moskstraumen
The Moskenstraumen or Moskstraumen is a system of tidal eddies and whirlpools, one of the strongest in the world, that forms at the Lofoten archipelago, Norway, in the Norwegian Sea. It is located between the...
is located in southern Lofoten.
Steep mountains near the sea and an almost flat lowland area in between the mountains and the sea (Strandflaten, coastal brim) is very typical for the long coastline in Nordland, and Strandflaten often continues out from the shore, the result is numerous islands (skerries), of which Helgeland have thousands; these islands are usually mountainous, but with smaller or larger strandflate areas. The southern part of Norways largest island (apart from Svalbard
Svalbard
Svalbard is an archipelago in the Arctic, constituting the northernmost part of Norway. It is located north of mainland Europe, midway between mainland Norway and the North Pole. The group of islands range from 74° to 81° north latitude , and from 10° to 35° east longitude. Spitsbergen is the...
), Hinnøya
Hinnøya
-Geography and environment:Covering an area of , it is the fourth-largest island in the country, and the largest off the mainland. The western part of the island is in the Vesterålen district, while the southwestern part is in Lofoten. As of 2006, it had a population of 31,851, of which the only...
is in Nordland, as is the third largest island, Langøya
Langøya
Langøya is the third largest island of Norway , with an area of . The island is a part of Vesterålen, and is situated in Nordland county, just west of Hinnøya. The Sortlandssundet divides the two islands. It includes the municipality of Bø, and parts of the municipalities of Øksnes, Sortland and...
. In the fjords, the coastal brim is much less developed: There might be a more gradual slope, with hills, towards the mountains, or no lowland at all. There are often valley
Valley
In geology, a valley or dale is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge.The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys...
s at the head of fjords (the fjord is an extension of the valley), usually with a river at the centre of the valley.
Mo i Rana
Mo i Rana
Mo i Rana is a town in the municipality of Rana, Nordland, Norway, located just south of the Arctic Circle and in the region Helgeland. The town is called "Mo i Rana" to distinquish it from other places named Mo - most notably the town of Mosjøen, also in Helgeland - though locally the town is...
, Mosjøen
Mosjøen
-History:Mosjøen was founded in the 17th century as local farmers met here to trade, and has been growing since then. Sawmills were built here in 1866 by a British company, and Mosjøen got township rights in 1875. It is the oldest town in the Helgeland region and the second oldest town in Nordland...
(http://www.mosjoen.com/galleri.shtml) and Rognan
Rognan
Rognan is the centre of the municipality of Saltdal in Norway, with 2,532 inhabitants . The town is located innermost in the Salten fjord. Local industry includes the optical cable factory of Nexans Norway and Hepro...
are situated in such valleys.
Norway's second largest glacier
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
, 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...
(http://www.eskilolsen.no/svartisen%20andre.htm), the second largest lake, Røssvatnet
Røssvatnet
Røssvatnet is a lake and reservoir in the municipalities of Hattfjelldal and Hemnes in Nordland county, Norway. It has been the site of human occupation since the Stone Age. Its area of makes it the second largest lake in Norway by surface area. Without the dam which has regulated the lake...
, and the second deepest fjord, Tysfjord (897 m) are all located in Nordland. The largest river (waterflow) is Vefsna
Vefsna
The river Vefsna 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 municipalities of Hattfjelldal, Grane, and Vefsn. The southern parts of...
which forms the Laksforsen waterfall (http://www.grane.net/galleri.htm).
The Saltfjellet
Saltfjellet
Saltfjellet is a mountain area in Nordland, Norway that separates the two regions of Helgeland and Salten. It is also a cultural border between the Southern and Central parts of Sápmi.-Geography and environment:...
mountain range forms a natural border between Helgeland and Salten, and is where 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....
cuts through the county. The western part of this mountain range is dominated by steep mountains and fjord inlets, with glaciers stretching towards the sea, while the eastern part of the mountains is more gentle and rounded, with some forested valleys, and is well suited for hiking. The interior of Nordland, towards the border with Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, is dominated by the Kjølen Mountains (Scandinavian Mountains
Scandinavian Mountains
The Scandinavian Mountains or the Scandes, in Swedish Skanderna, Fjällen or Kölen , in Finnish Köli and in Norwegian Kjølen, with the three latter meaning The Keel, are a mountain range that runs through the Scandinavian Peninsula...
). The highest mountain in Nordland is Oksskolten
Oksskolten
Oksskolten is a mountain in Hemnes, Nordland, Norway. It is the highest point in Nordland, the highest in Nord-Norge, and has Norway's eight largest primary factor...
(1,915 m /6,300 ft) in Okstindan
Okstindan
Okstindan is a mountain range which lies in inner Helgeland, Hemnes municipality, Nordland. In the range are, among others, Oksskolten, which is the highest mountain in North Norway. Other mountains in the range are Okstinden, Okshornet, Vesttinden and Bessedørtinden...
range (), the second highest is Suliskongen (1,907 m) in Fauske, and the third is Storsteinfjellet (1,894 m) in Narvik. Stetind
Stetind
Stetind , is a mountain in Tysfjord, Nordland, Norway.In 2002, it was voted to be the National mountain of Norway....
in Tysfjord has been voted as Norway's national mountain.
There are many glaciers in the mountains, like Blåmannsisen
Blåmannsisen
Blåmannsisen is the fifth largest glacier in mainland Norway.Its highest point is above sea level and its lowest point is . Three outlet glaciers extend from the icecap. A small outlet spills over a subglacial ridge to the north damming an unnamed lake resulting in occasion outburst floods. To...
, Okstindbreen
Okstindbreen
Okstindbreen is the eighth largest glacier in mainland Norway, and lies in the mountain range Okstindan.Its highest point is above sea level and its lowest point is above sea level....
, Sulitjelmaisen
Sulitjelmaisen
Sulitjelmaisen ' is one of the largest glaciers in mainland Norway. Part of the glacier is in Sweden, where it is referred to as Salajekna. When the whole glacier is considered , is the largest glacier in Sweden. The glacier's highest point is above sea level and its lowest point is...
and Frostisen
Frostisen
The glacier Frostisen is one of the larger plateau glaciers in Norway. Frostisen covers an area of about , and is above sea level at its highest point and above sea level at its lowest point. It lies near Skjomen, a fjord branch of Ofotfjorden in the Ofoten district in northern Norway, located...
- 7 of the 15 largest glaciers in continental Norway are located in Nordland.
Geology
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
pushed long slices of the seabed on top of the existing bedrock, today forming the bedrock from Dovrefjell
Dovrefjell
Dovrefjell is a mountain range in central Norway that forms a natural barrier between Eastern Norway and Trøndelag, the area around Trondheim. As a result, it has been heavily trafficked during and probably preceding historical times...
and Trollheimen
Trollheimen
Trollheimen is a mountain range in Møre og Romsdal and Sør-Trøndelag counties in central Norway. The mountain range is part of the Scandinavian Mountains.- Etymology :...
south of Trondheim
Trondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
stretching north in Trøndelag and through Nordland to justh north of Tromsø
Tromsø
Tromsø is a city and municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tromsø.Tromsø city is the ninth largest urban area in Norway by population, and the seventh largest city in Norway by population...
. This Cambrian
Cambrian
The Cambrian is the first geological period of the Paleozoic Era, lasting from Mya ; it is succeeded by the Ordovician. Its subdivisions, and indeed its base, are somewhat in flux. The period was established by Adam Sedgwick, who named it after Cambria, the Latin name for Wales, where Britain's...
- Silurian
Silur
Silur is the second full-length release by Tarwater, an electronic music group from Berlin, Germany. The album debuted on September 28, 1998. The album combines spartan spoken-word narration with ambient, electronic music. The music mainly consists of looped samples layered with live instruments....
bedrock, much of it mica
Mica
The mica group of sheet silicate minerals includes several closely related materials having highly perfect basal cleavage. All are monoclinic, with a tendency towards pseudohexagonal crystals, and are similar in chemical composition...
schist
Schist
The schists constitute a group of medium-grade metamorphic rocks, chiefly notable for the preponderance of lamellar minerals such as micas, chlorite, talc, hornblende, graphite, and others. Quartz often occurs in drawn-out grains to such an extent that a particular form called quartz schist is...
, is by far the largest area in Norway with soft bedrock rich in nutritions good for plant growth. It forms the bedrock in the fjord areas, while the islands off the coast and some of the easternmost areas along the border with Sweden is made up of hard bedrock (usually granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
). In some areas, as in Tysfjord and Sørfold
Sørfold
Sørfold 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 Straumen. The old municipality of Folden was divided into Sørfold and Nordfold-Kjerringøy on 1 January 1887.-General...
, the bedrock is a mix of soft bedrock and hard granite. Much of the Lofoten mountains are of precambrian
Precambrian
The Precambrian is the name which describes the large span of time in Earth's history before the current Phanerozoic Eon, and is a Supereon divided into several eons of the geologic time scale...
eruptive origin and 3.5 billion years old, among the oldest on earth. The youngest rock in Norway is on Andøya
Andøya
Andøya is the northernmost island in the archipelago of Vesterålen. Andøya is located in the Andøy municipality in Nordland county, Norway.The island has an area of 489 km², making it the tenth largest island in Norway. The island is connected to the neighboring island of Hinnøya using the...
, also known for its fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
s of dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
s and other life forms. As the land was depressed by the ice sheet
Ice sheet
An ice sheet is a mass of glacier ice that covers surrounding terrain and is greater than 50,000 km² , thus also known as continental glacier...
in the ice age, substantial areas in the lowest altitudes was beneath the surface of the sea for thousands of years acquiring marine deposits. Due to isostatic rebound this is now dry land, reaching 120 meter above sea level today in Saltdal, 100 m in Narvik and Brønnøysund, and 30 – 50 m in Lofoten and Vesterålen. Limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
is very common in Nordland, with many cave
Cave
A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...
s (http://www.arctic-circle.no/caves_nordland.htm) throughout the county, such as Grønligrotta in Rana. There are more caves in Rana
Rana, Norway
Rana is the second largest municipality in Nordland county – and the third largest in North Norway – by population. By area, Rana is largest in Norway south of Finnmark , taking in large areas of mountains and forested valleys. It is part of the Helgeland traditional region...
than any other area in northern Europe. In August 2006 the Tjoarvekrajgge cave in Sørfold
Sørfold
Sørfold 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 Straumen. The old municipality of Folden was divided into Sørfold and Nordfold-Kjerringøy on 1 January 1887.-General...
was explored and verifed as the longest cave in Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
(22 km long); Raggejavreraige
Raggejavreraige
Raggejavreraige is a cave located above the Hellemofjord in northern Norway. It is the deepest cave in Scandinavia and the only known deep cave north of the Arctic Circle.-Regional Setting:...
in Tysfjord is the deepest in Scandinavia and Svarthamarhola in Fauske
Fauske
is a town and municipality located in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Salten region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Fauske with approximately 6,000 inhabitants....
has the largest cavity. There are more than 900 caves in Nordland, one of these have a 70 m high waterfall (DN.no). Marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
is found in several locations. Fauske is sometimes referred to as the marble capital, and has exported marble world wide (one customer being the UN building in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
).
Climate
Nordland has a very mild climate for the high latitudeLatitude
In geography, the latitude of a location on the Earth is the angular distance of that location south or north of the Equator. The latitude is an angle, and is usually measured in degrees . The equator has a latitude of 0°, the North pole has a latitude of 90° north , and the South pole has a...
. Some islands, like Myken, Træna
Træna
Træna 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 Husøya. Træna was separated from the municipality of Lurøy in 1872....
and Røst
Røst
Røst is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Lofoten traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Røst. Røst was separated from the municipality of Værøy on 1 July 1928.- Environment :...
, have average temperatures of ca 1 °C (33 °F) in their coldest month, 25 °C (45 °F) above average for the latitude. Nordland covers almost 5° latitude, but temperatures are moderated by proximity to the temperate sea; the annual mean only varies from 5.6 °C (42 °F) on the southern coast to 4 °C (39 °F) on the northern coast (1961–90). Summers are somewhat longer in the south. Winters are colder in the interior, fjords will moderate temperatures in nearby areas. Mountain areas are colder all year, with much longer winters - snow cover can persist all year at the higher mountains. Annual snow accumulation can exceed 5 m in the mountains - the main reason for the many glaciers in Nordland. Easterly winds give dry, sunny weather (the air must climb the Kjølen mountains), with warmth in summer and cold, clear air in winter. Southwesterly winds are common, bringing moist and mild air from the Atlantic ocean. Autumn and early winter is the wettest season along the coast of Nordland, while April - June on average is the driest. The strongest winds occur in late autumn and winter, as the Atlantic low pressure systems are strongest then. High pressure weather can occur in all seasons, and in summer this brings 24-hr sunshine north of the Arctic circle.
Lurøy
Lurøy
Lurøy 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 Lurøy. Lurøy was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838...
(115 m), west of Saltfjell, averages 2,935 mm precipitation annually; the wettest location in North Norway and in the world at such high latitude. Some of the wettest areas along the coast (a narrow band) north to Glomfjord
Glomfjord
Glomfjord is an industrial community at the head of a small fjord of the same name in Meløy municipality, northern Norway, above the Arctic Circle. The population is 1,204.-Heavy industry:...
fulfills the climatic criteria for a temperate rainforest (). East of the mountains, Saltdal
Saltdal
-Transportation:European route E6 passes through the entire length of Saltdal, with the Nordlandsbanen railway running alongside it. A road running east through the Junkerdalen valley leads to Sweden. The nearest main airport is in Bodø, a nearly two hour drive from Rognan.- Economy :Saltdal has a...
has a mean annual precipitation of less than 300 mm. Narvik in the northern part of Nordland averages 830 mm. Temperatures will generally drop 0.7 °C (1 °F) as elevation increases by 100 m. With mountains in almost all areas, alpine tundra
Alpine tundra
Alpine tundra is a natural region that does not contain trees because it is at high altitude. Alpine tundra is distinguished from arctic tundra, because alpine soils are generally better drained than arctic soils...
is common in Nordland.
Recent years have tended to be warmer in Nordland than the fairly cold 1961 - 1990 base period. Glomfjord 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...
, approximately halfway up the coast of Nordland, has a long climate record and is situated in a rural area with little or no urban heat island
Urban heat island
An urban heat island is a metropolitan area which is significantly warmer than its surrounding rural areas. The phenomenon was first investigated and described by Luke Howard in the 1810s, although he was not the one to name the phenomenon. The temperature difference usually is larger at night...
effect, and is used as an official climate reference station. Glomfjord here represents the current climate in coastal areas (summers usually slightly warmer, winters often significantly colder in the inland).
Research using sediment
Sediment
Sediment is naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of fluids such as wind, water, or ice, and/or by the force of gravity acting on the particle itself....
in lakes near the Okstind Glacier has shown that the summer climate in Nordland was up to 2.5 °C warmer 9,000 to 6,000 years ago, and then slowly cooled - it was 0.5 °C warmer 2,000 years before present (see Holocene climatic optimum
Holocene climatic optimum
The Holocene Climate Optimum was a warm period during roughly the interval 9,000 to 5,000 years B.P.. This event has also been known by many other names, including: Hypsithermal, Altithermal, Climatic Optimum, Holocene Optimum, Holocene Thermal Maximum, and Holocene Megathermal.This warm period...
.). This research also concluded that the eastern Okstind Glacier did not melt completely during this warm period, the first glacier in Norway known to have survived since the Ice age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
.
Climate statistics provided by Norwegian Meteorological Institute; 1961–1990 base period unless otherwise stated. Data for Glomfjord last 10 years by Storm Weather Center.
Light
The light conditions vary considerably from north to south; AndenesAndenes
is a town and former municipality in Vesterålen district in Nordland county, Norway.Andenes was separated from Dverberg January 1, 1924. It was merged with Dverberg and Bjørnskinn to create the new municipality of Andøy January 1, 1964....
in the north will have midnight sun from 22 May to 20 July, and the sun is below the horizon from 28 November to 16 January (Narvik daylight). In Bodø, the sun is above the horizon from 3 June to 8 July. Helgeland is situated south of the Arctic Circle: At winter solstice
Winter solstice
Winter solstice may refer to:* Winter solstice, astronomical event* Winter Solstice , former band* Winter Solstice: North , seasonal songs* Winter Solstice , 2005 American film...
the sun is above the horizon approximately 3 hours a day (Mosjøen daylight). There is not a true midnight sun in Helgeland, although the upper part of the sun disc will be above the horizon all night in June as far south as Mosjøen. With the transitional period with a short dusk included, there are three full months (from early May to early August) without darkness in Nordland.
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bodø sunrise & sunset, 15. of the month | 10:18 - 14:05 | 08:16 - 16:18 | 06:24 - 18:02 | 05:16 - 20:51 | 03:06 - 22:56 | Midnight sun | 01:40 - 00:30 | 04:27 - 21:43 | 06:20 - 19:34 | 08:02 - 17:33 | 09:04 - 14:29 | 11:18 - 12:37 | |
| Average sunhours in Bodø | 8 | 43 | 114 | 159 | 219 | 221 | 172 | 167 | 98 | 54 | 16 | 0.4 | |
| Source: Almanakk for Norge; University of Oslo, 2010. Sunhours:Norwegian Meteorologicial Institute. Note: The very low sun is blocked by mountains in December and the first week of January. In mid-July, the sun sets after midnight due to daylight savings. | |||||||||||||
Nature
The sea along the coast has a rich marine life, and the codCod
Cod is the common name for genus Gadus, belonging to the family Gadidae, and is also used in the common name for various other fishes. Cod is a popular food with a mild flavor, low fat content and a dense, flaky white flesh. Cod livers are processed to make cod liver oil, an important source of...
fisheries in Lofoten has lasted for more than 1000 years. In addition to cod
Cod
Cod is the common name for genus Gadus, belonging to the family Gadidae, and is also used in the common name for various other fishes. Cod is a popular food with a mild flavor, low fat content and a dense, flaky white flesh. Cod livers are processed to make cod liver oil, an important source of...
, coalfish, haddock
Haddock
The haddock , also known as the offshore hake, is a marine fish distributed on both sides of the North Atlantic. Haddock is a popular food fish and is widely fished commercially....
, herring
Herring
Herring is an oily fish of the genus Clupea, found in the shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and the North Atlantic oceans, including the Baltic Sea. Three species of Clupea are recognized. The main taxa, the Atlantic herring and the Pacific herring may each be divided into subspecies...
, wolf fish and halibut
Halibut
Halibut is a flatfish, genus Hippoglossus, from the family of the right-eye flounders . Other flatfish are also called halibut. The name is derived from haly and butt , for its popularity on Catholic holy days...
are all common along the coast and in the fjords. Nordland also features many lakes. The largest deep water coral reef (Lophelia pertusa
Lophelia pertusa
Lophelia pertusa is a species of cold-water coral which grows in the deep waters throughout the North Atlantic ocean, as well as parts of the Caribbean Sea and Alboran Sea. L...
) in the world, the Røst reef, 40 km long, is located west of Røst, and protected from trawling
Trawling
Trawling is a method of fishing that involves pulling a fishing net through the water behind one or more boats. The net that is used for trawling is called a trawl....
since 2003. The coast of Nordland has the highest density of sea eagles in Europe. There are millions of seabirds; the islands of Røst
Røst
Røst is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Lofoten traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Røst. Røst was separated from the municipality of Værøy on 1 July 1928.- Environment :...
has the largest colonies in Norway with about one-quarter of all seabirds in continental Norway, probably most famous for the Puffin
Puffin
Puffins are any of three small species of auk in the bird genus Fratercula with a brightly coloured beak during the breeding season. These are pelagic seabirds that feed primarily by diving in the water. They breed in large colonies on coastal cliffs or offshore islands, nesting in crevices among...
s and Cormorant
Cormorant
The bird family Phalacrocoracidae is represented by some 40 species of cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed recently, and the number of genera is disputed.- Names :...
s. Lovund
Lovund
Lovund is a village in Lurøy municipality, Norway, located on the island Lovund west of Solvær. Its population is approximately 450.Lovund is notable for the large Puffin breeding colony located on the rocky North slope of the island.-The name:...
also has a well-known colony of Puffins. Otter
Otter
The Otters are twelve species of semi-aquatic mammals which feed on fish and shellfish, and also other invertebrates, amphibians, birds and small mammals....
s are very common along the coast and fjords, as is Harbour porpoise
Harbour Porpoise
The harbour porpoise is one of six species of porpoise. It is one of the smallest marine mammals. As its name implies, it stays close to coastal areas or river estuaries, and as such, is the most familiar porpoise to whale watchers. This porpoise often ventures up rivers, and has been seen...
, harbor seal
Harbor Seal
The harbor seal , also known as the common seal, is a true seal found along temperate and Arctic marine coastlines of the Northern Hemisphere...
s; there are also seals
Pinniped
Pinnipeds or fin-footed mammals are a widely distributed and diverse group of semiaquatic marine mammals comprising the families Odobenidae , Otariidae , and Phocidae .-Overview: Pinnipeds are typically sleek-bodied and barrel-shaped...
. The largest fish in the sea is the basking shark
Basking shark
The basking shark is the second largest living fish, after the whale shark. It is a cosmopolitan migratory species, found in all the world's temperate oceans. It is a slow moving and generally harmless filter feeder and has anatomical adaptations to filter feeding, such as a greatly enlarged...
, which were hunted in earlier days. The character birds along the coast, common in all areas including the fjords, are sea gulls, Eurasian Oystercatcher
Eurasian Oystercatcher
The Eurasian Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus, also known as the Common Pied Oystercatcher, or just Oystercatcher, is a wader in the oystercatcher bird family Haematopodidae. It is the most widespread of the oystercatchers, with three races breeding in western Europe, central Eurasia,...
and Arctic tern
Arctic Tern
The Arctic Tern is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae. This bird has a circumpolar breeding distribution covering the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions of Europe, Asia, and North America...
s, and the Grey heron
Grey Heron
The Grey Heron , is a wading bird of the heron family Ardeidae, native throughout temperate Europe and Asia and also parts of Africa. It is resident in the milder south and west, but many birds retreat in winter from the ice in colder regions...
has also become common. The Eagle-owl has a stronghold along the Helgeland coast; predator birds like Golden eagle
Golden Eagle
The Golden Eagle is one of the best known birds of prey in the Northern Hemisphere. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. Once widespread across the Holarctic, it has disappeared from many of the more heavily populated areas...
, Gyrfalcon
Gyrfalcon
The Gyrfalcon — Falco rusticolus — is the largest of the falcon species. The Gyrfalcon breeds on Arctic coasts and the islands of North America, Europe, and Asia. It is mainly resident there also, but some Gyrfalcons disperse more widely after the breeding season, or in winter.Individual vagrancy...
and Peregrine falcon
Peregrine Falcon
The Peregrine Falcon , also known as the Peregrine, and historically as the Duck Hawk in North America, is a widespread bird of prey in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-gray back, barred white underparts, and a black head and "moustache"...
nest in some inaccessible areas. Orca
Orca
The killer whale , commonly referred to as the orca, and less commonly as the blackfish, is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family. Killer whales are found in all oceans, from the frigid Arctic and Antarctic regions to tropical seas...
s are common along the coast and in the Vestfjord-area (even in the fjords) in winter, and the worlds largest predator, the Sperm Whale
Sperm Whale
The sperm whale, Physeter macrocephalus, is a marine mammal species, order Cetacea, a toothed whale having the largest brain of any animal. The name comes from the milky-white waxy substance, spermaceti, found in the animal's head. The sperm whale is the only living member of genus Physeter...
, hunt for prey in the deep waters west of Andøya
Andøya
Andøya is the northernmost island in the archipelago of Vesterålen. Andøya is located in the Andøy municipality in Nordland county, Norway.The island has an area of 489 km², making it the tenth largest island in Norway. The island is connected to the neighboring island of Hinnøya using the...
. Tysfjord and Folda fjord is home to the worlds northernmost lobster
European lobster
Homarus gammarus, known as the European lobster or common lobster, is a species of clawed lobster from the eastern Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea and parts of the Black Sea. It is closely related to the American lobster, H. americanus. It may grow to a length of and a mass of , and bears a...
population.
Spruce
Norway Spruce
Norway Spruce is a species of spruce native to Europe. It is also commonly referred to as the European Spruce.- Description :...
forest expansion have been blocked by Saltfjell and Kjølen mountains, thus spruce forest naturally grows only in Helgeland, but are commonly planted in the whole county for economic reasons, sparking some debate. Sitka spruce
Sitka Spruce
Picea sitchensis, the Sitka Spruce, is a large coniferous evergreen tree growing to 50–70 m tall, exceptionally to 95 m tall, and with a trunk diameter of up to 5 m, exceptionally to 6–7 m diameter...
is also commonly planted in Nordland, particularly in coastal areas. The coastal areas belong to the Scandinavian coastal conifer forests
Scandinavian coastal conifer forests
The Scandinavian coastal conifer forest ecoregion, a Palearctic ecoregion in the Temperate coniferous forests Biome, is located in along the coast of Norway...
ecoregion
Ecoregion
An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...
; some small areas have been classified as rainforest using botanical criteria as well as precipitaiton data. Inland areas up to the conifer treeline belong to the Scandinavian and Russian taiga
Scandinavian and Russian taiga
The Scandinavian and Russian taiga is an ecoregion within the Taiga and Boreal forests Biome as defined by the WWF classification...
ecoregion, while the highlands and mountains belong to the Scandinavian montane birch forest and grasslands
Scandinavian Montane Birch forest and grasslands
The Scandinavian Montane Birch forests and grasslands ecoregion, a Palearctic ecoregion of the Alpine tundra and Boreal forest Biomes, located in Norway, Sweden, and Finland. It is one of the terrestrial ecoregions determined and defined by the World Wildlife Fund...
ecoregion.
Other common trees in Nordland are birch
Birch
Birch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...
, rowan
Rowan
The rowans or mountain-ashes are shrubs or small trees in genus Sorbus of family Rosaceae. They are native throughout the cool temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with the highest species diversity in the mountains of western China and the Himalaya, where numerous apomictic microspecies...
, willow
Willow
Willows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...
, grey alder
Grey Alder
Alnus incana is a species of alder with a wide range across the cooler parts of the Northern Hemisphere....
, bird cherry, aspen
Aspen
Populus section Populus, of the Populus genus, includes the aspen trees and the white poplar Populus alba. The five typical aspens are all native to cold regions with cool summers, in the north of the Northern Hemisphere, extending south at high altitudes in the mountains. The White Poplar, by...
and Scots pine
Scots Pine
Pinus sylvestris, commonly known as the Scots Pine, is a species of pine native to Europe and Asia, ranging from Scotland, Ireland and Portugal in the west, east to eastern Siberia, south to the Caucasus Mountains, and as far north as well inside the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia...
, more rarely seen is wych elm
Wych Elm
Ulmus glabra, the Wych elm or Scots elm, has the widest range of the European elm species, from Ireland eastwards to the Urals, and from the Arctic Circle south to the mountains of the Peloponnese in Greece; it is also found in Iran...
and common hazel
Common Hazel
Corylus avellana, the Common Hazel, is a species of hazel native to Europe and western Asia, from the British Isles south to Iberia, Greece, Turkey and Cyprus, north to central Scandinavia, and east to the central Ural Mountains, the Caucasus, and northwestern Iran. It is an important component of...
(elm north to Beiarn
Beiarn
Beiarn is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Salten region and the Bodø Region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Moldjord...
, hazel north to Steigen
Steigen
Steigen 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 Leinesfjord....
, small-leaved lime north to Brønnøy, forest apple
Malus sylvestris
Malus sylvestris, the European wild apple, is a species of Malus , native to Europe from as far south as Spain, Italy and Greece to as far north as Scandinavia and Russia. Its scientific name means "forest apple", and the truly wild tree has thorns.In the past, M. sylvestris was thought to be an...
north to Moskenes
Moskenes
Moskenes is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The area of the municipality comprises the southern part of Moskenesøya. It is part of the Lofoten traditional region...
). The Nordland Whitebeam
Whitebeam
The whitebeams are members of the Rosaceae family, comprising subgenus Aria of genus Sorbus, and hybrids involving species of this subgenus and members of subgenera Sorbus, Torminaria and Chamaemespilus. They are deciduous trees with simple or lobed leaves, arranged alternately...
(Nordlandsasal) is one of very few endemic trees in Norway, and only grows in Bindal
Bindal
Bindal is a municipality in the Helgeland region in the extreme southwest part of Nordland county, Norway. The administrative centre is the village of Terråk...
in Nordland.
In the mountain areas in the interior, reindeer
Reindeer
The reindeer , also known as the caribou in North America, is a deer from the Arctic and Subarctic, including both resident and migratory populations. While overall widespread and numerous, some of its subspecies are rare and one has already gone extinct.Reindeer vary considerably in color and size...
can be seen (these have sami
Sami people
The Sami people, also spelled Sámi, or Saami, are the arctic indigenous people inhabiting Sápmi, which today encompasses parts of far northern Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Kola Peninsula of Russia, and the border area between south and middle Sweden and Norway. The Sámi are Europe’s northernmost...
owners), hunted by the indigenous wolverine. There are also a few brown bear
Brown Bear
The brown bear is a large bear distributed across much of northern Eurasia and North America. It can weigh from and its largest subspecies, the Kodiak Bear, rivals the polar bear as the largest member of the bear family and as the largest land-based predator.There are several recognized...
s in the interior. The arctic fox
Arctic fox
The arctic fox , also known as the white fox, polar fox or snow fox, is a small fox native to Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere and is common throughout the Arctic tundra biome. The Greek word alopex, means a fox and Vulpes is the Latin version...
is now in danger of extinction on the mainland, but a few are left in these mountain areas, particularly in Børgefjell
Børgefjell National Park
Børgefjell National Park is an inaccessible and undeveloped national park in Norway, straddling the border between Nord-Trøndelag and Nordland county, with a border to Sweden. The park is for the most part a reservation, with few trails or other facilities for visitors. Visitors can hike for...
mountains. Red fox
Red Fox
The red fox is the largest of the true foxes, as well as being the most geographically spread member of the Carnivora, being distributed across the entire northern hemisphere from the Arctic Circle to North Africa, Central America, and the steppes of Asia...
es, moose
Moose
The moose or Eurasian elk is the largest extant species in the deer family. Moose are distinguished by the palmate antlers of the males; other members of the family have antlers with a dendritic configuration...
, hare
Hare
Hares and jackrabbits are leporids belonging to the genus Lepus. Hares less than one year old are called leverets. Four species commonly known as types of hare are classified outside of Lepus: the hispid hare , and three species known as red rock hares .Hares are very fast-moving...
s, squirrel
Squirrel
Squirrels belong to a large family of small or medium-sized rodents called the Sciuridae. The family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels, chipmunks, marmots , flying squirrels, and prairie dogs. Squirrels are indigenous to the Americas, Eurasia, and Africa and have been introduced to Australia...
s, small rodent
Rodent
Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....
s, pine marten
Pine Marten
The European Pine Marten , known most commonly as the pine marten in Anglophone Europe, and less commonly also known as Pineten, baum marten, or sweet marten, is an animal native to Northern Europe belonging to the mustelid family, which also includes mink, otter, badger, wolverine and weasel. It...
(inland valleys) and stoat
Stoat
The stoat , also known as the ermine or short-tailed weasel, is a species of Mustelid native to Eurasia and North America, distinguished from the least weasel by its larger size and longer tail with a prominent black tip...
s are all common in the forests. As of 2008, there were a minimum of 50 Lynx
Lynx
A lynx is any of the four Lynx genus species of medium-sized wildcats. The name "lynx" originated in Middle English via Latin from Greek word "λύγξ", derived from the Indo-European root "*leuk-", meaning "light, brightness", in reference to the luminescence of its reflective eyes...
in Nordland residing in the forests in all Nordland except Lofoten and Vesterålen. In lowland areas, roe deer
Roe Deer
The European Roe Deer , also known as the Western Roe Deer, chevreuil or just Roe Deer, is a Eurasian species of deer. It is relatively small, reddish and grey-brown, and well-adapted to cold environments. Roe Deer are widespread in Western Europe, from the Mediterranean to Scandinavia, and from...
s now occur in most of Nordland, and red deer
Red Deer
The red deer is one of the largest deer species. Depending on taxonomy, the red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Asia Minor, parts of western Asia, and central Asia. It also inhabits the Atlas Mountains region between Morocco and Tunisia in northwestern Africa, being...
s are seen in the southern part of Nordland. The Badger
Eurasian Badger
The European Badger is a species of badger of the genus Meles, native to almost all of Europe. It is classed as Least Concern for extinction by the IUCN, due to its wide distribution and large population....
and the Common viper has their most northerly habitat in southerly coastal areas of Nordland. Gray wolf
Gray Wolf
The gray wolf , also known as the wolf, is the largest extant wild member of the Canidae family...
s have been observed in inland areas of Helgeland
Helgeland
Helgeland is the most southerly district in Northern Norway. Generally speaking, Helgeland refers to the part of Nordland county that is located south of the Arctic Circle. The district covers an area of about , with nearly 79,000 inhabitants...
. There are few species of amphibian
Amphibian
Amphibians , are a class of vertebrate animals including animals such as toads, frogs, caecilians, and salamanders. They are characterized as non-amniote ectothermic tetrapods...
s, although the common frog
Common Frog
The Common Frog, Rana temporaria also known as the European Common Frog or European Common Brown Frog is found throughout much of Europe as far north as well north of the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia and as far east as the Urals, except for most of Iberia, southern Italy, and the southern Balkans...
is common in all Nordland except mountain areas, and the smooth newt
Smooth Newt
The Smooth Newt, also known as the Common Newt, Lissotriton vulgaris is the most common newt species of the Lissotriton genus of amphibians. L...
has its most northerly habitat in the world in the river Vefsna
Vefsna
The river Vefsna 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 municipalities of Hattfjelldal, Grane, and Vefsn. The southern parts of...
. There are 7 national parks in, or partly in, Nordland. From south to north, these are Børgefjell National Park
Børgefjell National Park
Børgefjell National Park is an inaccessible and undeveloped national park in Norway, straddling the border between Nord-Trøndelag and Nordland county, with a border to Sweden. The park is for the most part a reservation, with few trails or other facilities for visitors. Visitors can hike for...
, Lomsdal-Visten National Park (May 9), Saltfjellet-Svartisen National Park
Saltfjellet-Svartisen National Park
Saltfjellet–Svartisen National Park is a national park in the county of Nordland in Norway. It is located within the municipalities of Beiarn, Meløy, Rana, Rødøy, Saltdal and Bodø...
, Junkerdal National Park, Rago National Park
Rago National Park
Rago National Park is a national park in Sørfold municipality in the county of Nordland, Norway. Rago borders Sweden's Padjelanta National Park. When its 167 km² in area is combined with adjacent protected areas for a total area of 5700 km², they create the largest protected area in Europe.The...
, Sjunkhatten National Park
Sjunkhatten National Park
Sjunkhatten National Park was established in 2010. The park consists of a continuous protected area, including sea area. It is located in the county Nordland in Norway, and covers parts of the municipalities Bodø, Fauske and Sørfold. The park includes glacier formed landscape, caves and water...
and Møysalen National Park
Møysalen National Park
Møysalen National Park is a national park located on Hinnøya in North Norway that preserves undisturbed coastal alpine landscape. The scenery is characterized by peaks jutting out of the ocean and fjords, the highest point is Møysalen . The park is largely undisturbed...
. The national park centre for Nordland is situated in Saltdal.
Economy
The key industries are fisheries and offshore petroleum exploration. Nordland is well known for the fishing of codfish and fish farmingFish farming
Fish farming is the principal form of aquaculture, while other methods may fall under mariculture. Fish farming involves raising fish commercially in tanks or enclosures, usually for food. A facility that releases young fish into the wild for recreational fishing or to supplement a species'...
of salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
. Main export markets are Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
, Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
is important, mainly in the summer season, although there are some winter visitors looking for good 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....
, especially from February to April. Tourists are attracted by the scenic coast (http://www.norwayonline.no/?cat=93), especially Lofoten, which is also visited by many cruise ships in the summer, while the rest of the county often is ignored by tourists. Mountain hiking is popular among natives and some tourists.
Whale watching
Whale watching
Whale watching is the practice of observing whales and other cetaceans in their natural habitat. Whales are watched most commonly for recreation but the activity can also serve scientific or educational purposes. A 2009 study, prepared for IFAW, estimated that 13 million people went whale watching...
attracts tourists to Andøy
Andøy
Andøy is the northernmost municipality in Nordland county, Norway, and it belongs to the Vesterålen archipelago. The largest island in the municipality is Andøya. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Andenes....
and the Tysfjord
Tysfjord
Tysfjord or Divtasvuodna is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Ofoten traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Kjøpsvik...
/Lødingen
Lødingen
Lødingen is a village and municipality in Nordland in Northern Norway. Lødingen is located on the southeastern corner of the island Hinnøya, and is part of the Ofoten traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Lødingen.Lødingen was established as a...
/Svolvær
Svolvær
-Communications:Parts of the town is built on small islands connected by bridges. There is a regional airport near the town, Svolvær Airport, Helle, and Svolvær is a port of call for Hurtigruten. There is a ferry connection Svolvær to Skutvik in Hamarøy, and express boat connections to Bodø...
area, and fishing is also popular along the coast and in the salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
and trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
rivers; there is also Arctic char
Arctic char
Arctic char or Arctic charr is both a freshwater and saltwater fish in the Salmonidae family, native to Arctic, sub-Arctic and alpine lakes and coastal waters. No other freshwater fish is found as far north. It is the only species of fish in Lake Hazen, on Ellesmere Island in the Canadian Arctic...
in some rivers. Saltstraumen has the world record for coalfish using a fishing rod
Fishing rod
A fishing rod or a fishing pole is a tool used to catch fish, usually in conjunction with the pastime of angling, and can also be used in competition casting. . A length of fishing line is attached to a long, flexible rod or pole: one end terminates in a hook for catching the fish...
, and Røst has the world record for halibut, 202 kg ().
Dairy farming
Dairy farming is a class of agricultural, or an animal husbandry, enterprise, for long-term production of milk, usually from dairy cows but also from goats and sheep, which may be either processed on-site or transported to a dairy factory for processing and eventual retail sale.Most dairy farms...
and livestock such as sheep, and domesticated reindeer graze the inland highlands. There is also some forestry, particularly in the Helgeland district, but also further north. In earlier days, grain was grown in Nordland (mostly barley
Barley
Barley is a major cereal grain, a member of the grass family. It serves as a major animal fodder, as a base malt for beer and certain distilled beverages, and as a component of various health foods...
, some oats
OATS
OATS - Open Source Assistive Technology Software - is a source code repository or "forge" for assistive technology software. It was launched in 2006 with the goal to provide a one-stop “shop” for end users, clinicians and open-source developers to promote and develop open source assistive...
). Nordlandshest
Nordlandshest/Lyngshest
Nordlandshest/Lyngshest also known as the "Northlands horse" or "Northlands pony", is the smallest of the three Norwegian national horse breeds. Translated to English, the name could be interpreted to be "horse from Nordland/Lyngen". The breed known today originated in Lyngen, but was given the...
is the smallest of the three Norwegian horse breeds. Norwegian Lundehund
Norwegian Lundehund
The Norwegian Lundehund is a small dog breed of the Spitz type that originates from Norway. Its name is composed of the prefix Lunde, from the Norwegian lundefugl , and the suffix hund, meaning dog...
was breed to hunt puffin
Puffin
Puffins are any of three small species of auk in the bird genus Fratercula with a brightly coloured beak during the breeding season. These are pelagic seabirds that feed primarily by diving in the water. They breed in large colonies on coastal cliffs or offshore islands, nesting in crevices among...
s and only saved from extinction due to a few remaining dogs in Lofoten.
There is a long history of mining. Sulitjelma
Sulitjelma
Sulitjelma is a village in Fauske municipality in Nordland, Norway. The village has 481 residents . Sulitjelma is situated in a lush inland valley only 140 meters amsl along the shore of the Langvatnet lake. There are many old mines in the area. Sultitjelma are virtually sourrounded by mountains...
has the largest copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
deposits in the county, as well as pyrite
Pyrite
The mineral pyrite, or iron pyrite, is an iron sulfide with the formula FeS2. This mineral's metallic luster and pale-to-normal, brass-yellow hue have earned it the nickname fool's gold because of its resemblance to gold...
, the latter is also found in several other locations, but the mining here has been discontinued for economical reasons. In earlier days, silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
was mined in Dunderlandsdal in Rana, and until 2002 nickel
Nickel
Nickel is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel belongs to the transition metals and is hard and ductile...
and olivine
Olivine
The mineral olivine is a magnesium iron silicate with the formula 2SiO4. It is a common mineral in the Earth's subsurface but weathers quickly on the surface....
was mined in Ballangen
Ballangen
Ballangen is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Ofoten region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Ballangen. Ballangen was separated from Evenes on 1 July 1925...
. There are several limestone, marble, and dolostone
Dolostone
Dolostone or dolomite rock is a sedimentary carbonate rock that contains a high percentage of the mineral dolomite. In old U.S.G.S. publications it was referred to as magnesian limestone. Most dolostone formed as a magnesium replacement of limestone or lime mud prior to lithification. It is...
quarries, dolomite
Dolomite
Dolomite is a carbonate mineral composed of calcium magnesium carbonate CaMg2. The term is also used to describe the sedimentary carbonate rock dolostone....
in Vefsn, Fauske, Sørfold and Ballangen. As of 2008, mining of gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
in Bindal
Bindal
Bindal is a municipality in the Helgeland region in the extreme southwest part of Nordland county, Norway. The administrative centre is the village of Terråk...
is in testing stages ().
The port of Narvik
Narvik
is the third largest city and municipality in Nordland county, Norway by population. Narvik is located on the shores of the Narvik Fjord . The municipality is part of the Ofoten traditional region of North Norway, inside the arctic circle...
has a direct rail connection to the well known and profitable Kiruna
Kiruna
Kiruna is the northernmost city in Sweden, situated in Lapland province, with 18,154 inhabitants in 2005. It is the seat of Kiruna Municipality Kiruna (Northern Sami: Giron, Finnish: Kiiruna) is the northernmost city in Sweden, situated in Lapland province, with 18,154 inhabitants in 2005. It is...
-Gällivare
Gällivare
Gällivare is a locality and the seat of Gällivare Municipality in Norrbotten County, Sweden with 8,480 inhabitants in 2005. The town was founded in the 17th century...
iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
-ore fields in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. There are many dams for hydroelectric power.
Nordland has an increasing diverse economy, with fledgling research and development in aerospace and space exploration at the Andøya Rocket Range
Andøya Rocket Range
Andøya Rocket Range is a rocket launch site and rocket range on Andøya island in Andøy municipality in northern Norway...
, which primarily is known for its satellite launches. This vast province, Norway's second largest, almost the size of Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, traditionally was very important for NATO, and the Royal Norwegian Air Force
Royal Norwegian Air Force
The Royal Norwegian Air Force is the air force of Norway. It was established as a separate arm of the Norwegian armed forces on 10 November 1944. The RNoAF's peace force is approximately 1,430 employees . 600 personnel also serve their draft period in the RNoAF...
has two squadrons of F-16 fighters stationed at Bodø Airport
Bodø Airport
Bodø Airport is civil airport in Bodø, Norway. Located just south of the city centre, on the westernmost tip of the peninsula Bodø lies on, it shares facilities with the military air force base Bodø Main Air Station. The airport has a single concrete, runway which runs in a roughly east-west...
, and all its P-3 Orion
P-3 Orion
The Lockheed P-3 Orion is a four-engine turboprop anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft developed for the United States Navy and introduced in the 1960s. Lockheed based it on the L-188 Electra commercial airliner. The aircraft is easily recognizable by its distinctive tail stinger or...
maritime surveillance aircraft stationed at Andøya Air Station
Andøya Air Station
Andøya Air Station is situated in the north of Norway, in the municipality of Andøy. At Andøya, the 333 Squadron is based with P-3C Orions. The squadron is Norway's only surveillance squadron and stands as the airborne defence of northern Norway...
. The decommissioning of closing military bases has led to a regional shift towards a new knowledge based economy.
There are local hospitals in Mosjøen
Mosjøen
-History:Mosjøen was founded in the 17th century as local farmers met here to trade, and has been growing since then. Sawmills were built here in 1866 by a British company, and Mosjøen got township rights in 1875. It is the oldest town in the Helgeland region and the second oldest town in Nordland...
, Sandnessjøen
Sandnessjøen
Sandnessjøen is the centre of the municipality of Alstahaug in the county of Nordland, Norway, with a population of over 9,000. It was made a township in 1788....
, Mo i Rana
Mo i Rana
Mo i Rana is a town in the municipality of Rana, Nordland, Norway, located just south of the Arctic Circle and in the region Helgeland. The town is called "Mo i Rana" to distinquish it from other places named Mo - most notably the town of Mosjøen, also in Helgeland - though locally the town is...
, Bodø
Bodø
is a city and a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Salten region.The city of Bodø was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 . Bodin was merged with Bodø on 1 January 1968. Skjerstad was merged with Bodø on 1 January 2005...
(the largest), Gravdal, Narvik and Stokmarknes
Stokmarknes
is a small town on the island of Hadsel in Nordland, Norway. It is the municipality centre of the Hadsel municipality. Township was declared in 2000. It is home to Hurtigruten. The local hospital for the Vesterålen region is situated in Stokmarknes....
.
Bodø Airport
Bodø Airport
Bodø Airport is civil airport in Bodø, Norway. Located just south of the city centre, on the westernmost tip of the peninsula Bodø lies on, it shares facilities with the military air force base Bodø Main Air Station. The airport has a single concrete, runway which runs in a roughly east-west...
is the busiest airport, and a hub for many smaller airports in Nordland. Harstad/Narvik Airport, Evenes
Harstad/Narvik Airport, Evenes
Harstad/Narvik Airport, Evenes is located in the Evenes municipality, in Nordland county in northern Norway. Some of the runway lighting at the north end of the runway crosses the county border into the Skånland municipality in Troms...
in the north also has non-stop flights to Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
. The E6
European route E6
European route E 6 is the designation for the main north-south road in Norway, and the west coast of Sweden, running from the southern tip of Sweden, at Trelleborg, into Norway and through almost all of the country north to Finnmark. The route ends close to the Norwegian border with Russia...
runs along the entire length of Nordland. There are many tunnels and bridges; some of the largest are Helgeland Bridge
Helgeland Bridge
Helgeland Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge that crosses Leirfjorden between the mainland and Alsten in Nordland county in Norway. It connects the town of Sandnessjøen to the mainland. The bridge is 1065 metres long, The main span is 425 metres, and the maximum clearance to the sea is 45 metres. The...
, Gimsøy Bridge, Raftsund Bridge
Raftsund Bridge
Raftsund Bridge is a cantilever road bridge that crosses Raftsundet between Austvågøya and Hinnøya in Nordland county, Norway. The bridge is 711 metres long, the main span is 298 metres, and the maximum clearance to the sea is 45 metres...
, Skjomen Bridge
Skjomen Bridge
Skjomen Bridge is a suspension bridge that crosses the fjord Skjomen near the town of Narvik in Nordland county, Norway. The bridge is 711 metres long, the main span is 525 metres, and the maximum clearance to the sea is 35 metres. The bridge has nine spans....
, Rombak Bridge
Rombak Bridge
Rombak Bridge is a suspension bridge, opened in 1964, that crosses the fjord Rombaken near the town of Narvik in Nordland county in Norway. The bridge is 765 metres long, the main span is 325 metres, and the maximum clearance to the sea is 41 metres.The bridge has a weight limit of 90 tons...
, Hadsel Bridge
Hadsel Bridge
Hadsel Bridge is a cantilever road bridge that crosses Langøysundet between Langøya and Børøya in Nordland county in Norway. Together with Børøy Bridge it connects Hadseløya and the town of Stokmarknes to Langøya. Hadsel Bridge is 1011 metres long, the main span is 150 metres, and the maximum...
, Sortland Bridge
Sortland Bridge
Sortland Bridge is a cantilever road bridge that crosses Sortlandssundet between Strand on Hinnøya and the town of Sortland on Langøya in Nordland county, Norway. The bridge is 948 metres long, the main span is 150 metres, and the maximum clearance to the sea is 30 metres. The bridge has 21...
, Andøy Bridge
Andøy Bridge
Andøy Bridge is a cantilever road bridge that crosses Risøysundet between Andøya and Hinnøya in Nordland county in Norway. The bridge is 750 metres long, the main span is 110 metres, and the maximum clearing to the sea is 30 metres. The bridge has 21 spans.Andøy Bridge was opened in 1974...
, Saltstraumen Bridge
Saltstraumen Bridge
Saltstraumen Bridge is a cantilever bridge that crosses Saltstraumen between Knaplundøya and Straumøya in Nordland county in Norway. The bridge is 768 metres long, the longest span is 160 metres, and the maximum clearance to the sea is 41 metres. The bridge has 10 spans.Saltstraumen Bridge was...
, Kjellingstraumen Bridge
Kjellingstraumen Bridge
Kjellingstraumen Bridge is a suspension bridge that crosses Kjellingstraumen in Nordland county in Norway. The bridge is 662 metres long, and the longest span is 260 metres.Kjellingstraumen Bridge was opened in 1975.-External links:*...
and Brønnøysund Bridge
Brønnøysund Bridge
Brønnøysund Bridge is a cantilevered road bridge near the town of Brønnøysund in Brønnøy municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The bridge was constructed in 1979 and it connects the small island of Torget with the mainland just south of Brønnøysund. The long bridge has a maximum clearance to...
. Even with improved communications, population numbers in Nordland has actually decreased slightly since 1990, as many young people move to larger cities in Norway. Bodø
Bodø
is a city and a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Salten region.The city of Bodø was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 . Bodin was merged with Bodø on 1 January 1968. Skjerstad was merged with Bodø on 1 January 2005...
is the only municipality in the county with a significant growth in population.
History
There is evidence of human settlement in Nordland as far back as 10,500 years ago, about as early as in southern Norway. These Stone ageStone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
people lived near the coast, often on islands and typically along strait
Strait
A strait or straits is a narrow, typically navigable channel of water that connects two larger, navigable bodies of water. It most commonly refers to a channel of water that lies between two land masses, but it may also refer to a navigable channel through a body of water that is otherwise not...
s near the open sea, with a rich provision of marine resources. Such archeological evidence has been found on Vega
Vega, Norway
Vega 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 Gladstad. Other villages include Holand and Ylvingen....
, in Leirfjord
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....
and along Saltstraumen
Saltstraumen
Saltstraumen is a sound with a strong tidal current located in Nordland 30 km east of the city of Bodø, Norway. The narrow channel connects the outer Saltfjord with its extension, the large Skjerstadfjord. It is the strongest tidal current in the world...
. There are at least 15 locations with prehistoric rock carvings in Nordland, from Helgeland in the south to Narvik in the north (see Fosna-Hensbacka culture
Fosna-Hensbacka culture
The Fosna/Hensbacka ,or , were two very similar Late Palaeolithic/early Mesolithic cultures in Scandinavia, and are often subsumed under the name Fosna-Hensbacka culture. This complex includes the Komsa culture that, notwithstanding different types of tools, is also considered to be a part of the...
).
Some of the oldest houses known in Norway was excavated on Langhågan on the island Sanna in Træna municipality (http://www.trana.kommune.no/nordland/trana/tranak.nsf/id/07AA0F0D3827E568C1256E37003591D5); the oldest house was oval, 6 x 4.5 m, and is dated to 4000 BC. From the house is still visible a 65 m long stone paved "trail
Trail
A trail is a path with a rough beaten or dirt/stone surface used for travel. Trails may be for use only by walkers and in some places are the main access route to remote settlements...
" down to a small harbor, today 23 m above sea level.
The 4,600 year old rock drawings at Rødøy
Rødøy
Rødøy 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 Vågaholmen. The municipality consists of islands outside Norway's second biggest glacier, Svartisen.Rødøy was established as a...
, which depict a man on skis holding a stick, is the oldest known reference of skis being used. The location is somewhat surprising, as this island has unreliable snow cover, and the Scandinavian climate was warmer in the Stone Age.
Lillehammer
is a town and municipality in Oppland county, Norway, globally known for hosting the 1994 Winter Olympics. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Lillehammer. As of May 2011, the population of the town of Lillehammer was...
Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
in 1994.
The first agricultural culture has been dated to the Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
. This culture left large burial cairns close to the sea, for instance in Steigen
Steigen
Steigen 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 Leinesfjord....
and Vestvågøy
Vestvågøy
Vestvågøy is an island and a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Lofoten traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Leknes....
, and the northernmost location is around Harstad
Harstad
is the second largest city and municipality by population, in Troms county, Norway – the city is also the third largest in North Norway. Thus Harstad is the natural centre for its district. Situated approximately north of the Arctic Circle, the city celebrated its 100th anniversary in...
in southern Troms. These locations have significant areas of lowland suited for agriculture, they are close to the sea and they have many natural harbors.
The oldest remains of a boat ever found in Norway was discovered in a bog
Bog
A bog, quagmire or mire is a wetland that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material—often mosses or, in Arctic climates, lichens....
in Sømna
Sømna
Sømna is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Helgeland traditional region. The administrative center of Sømna is the village of Vik i Helgeland...
. Known as Haugvikbåten, the well preserved piece, kept in the Museum of Science (Vitenskapsmuseet) in Trondheim, has been dated to 800 - 400 BC - the Nordic Bronze Age
Nordic Bronze Age
The Nordic Bronze Age is the name given by Oscar Montelius to a period and a Bronze Age culture in Scandinavian pre-history, c. 1700-500 BC, with sites that reached as far east as Estonia. Succeeding the Late Neolithic culture, its ethnic and linguistic affinities are unknown in the absence of...
().
For many generations Hålogaland had been the northernmost area of Norse
Norsemen
Norsemen is used to refer to the group of people as a whole who spoke what is now called the Old Norse language belonging to the North Germanic branch of Indo-European languages, especially Norwegian, Icelandic, Faroese, Swedish and Danish in their earlier forms.The meaning of Norseman was "people...
settlement. The remnants of large longhouses near Borg (Vestvågøy) and in Steigen is dated to the Merovinger period (ca 600 AD). There are substantial archeological evidence of a Norse iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
-based culture along the coast from approximately 200 AD (http://www.isv.uit.no/seksjon/ark/ansatte/bertelsen/kystfolk.htm).
Sami people
The Sami people, also spelled Sámi, or Saami, are the arctic indigenous people inhabiting Sápmi, which today encompasses parts of far northern Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Kola Peninsula of Russia, and the border area between south and middle Sweden and Norway. The Sámi are Europe’s northernmost...
, which are not of Norse
Norsemen
Norsemen is used to refer to the group of people as a whole who spoke what is now called the Old Norse language belonging to the North Germanic branch of Indo-European languages, especially Norwegian, Icelandic, Faroese, Swedish and Danish in their earlier forms.The meaning of Norseman was "people...
origins, have lived in Nordland for at least 2000 years. Not just inland, but also along the fjords and, in the northern part of Nordland, even on the coast and larger islands, such as Hinnøya. There is a story in Heimskringla
Heimskringla
Heimskringla is the best known of the Old Norse kings' sagas. It was written in Old Norse in Iceland by the poet and historian Snorri Sturluson ca. 1230...
about a Viking which became a contender for the throne, Sigurd Slembe
Sigurd Slembe
Sigurd Magnusson Slembe was a Norwegian pretender to the throne. He was the subject of Sigurd Slembe, the historical drama written by the Norwegian playwright Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson in 1863...
. He was on the run from the king, and was helped by Sami in what is probably Lødingen
Lødingen
Lødingen is a village and municipality in Nordland in Northern Norway. Lødingen is located on the southeastern corner of the island Hinnøya, and is part of the Ofoten traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Lødingen.Lødingen was established as a...
municipality today. The sami even built him a boat, which the saga mention was made from pine wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
(viking ship
Viking ship
Viking ships were vessels used during the Viking Age in Northern Europe. Scandinavian tradition of shipbuilding during the Viking Age was characterized by slender and flexible boats, with symmetrical ends with true keel. They were clinker built, which is the overlapping of planks riveted together...
s was typically made from oak wood, but oak does not grow naturally this far north). Tysfjord today is a center for the Lule Sami
Lule Sami
Lule Sami is a Uralic, Sami language spoken in Lule Lappmark, i.e., around Luleå, Sweden and in the northern parts of Nordland county in Norway, especially Tysfjord municipality, where Lule Sami is an official language...
culture.
The current county of Nordland was part of the petty kingdom
Petty kingdom
A petty kingdom is one of a number of small kingdoms, described as minor or "petty" by contrast to an empire or unified kingdom that either preceded or succeeded it...
of Hålogaland
Hålogaland
Hålogaland was the northernmost of the Norwegian provinces in the mediaeval Norse sagas. In the early Viking Age, before Harald Fairhair, Hålogaland was a petty kingdom extending between Namdalen in Nord-Trøndelag and Lyngen in Troms.-Etymology:...
in the Viking era
Viking Age
Viking Age is the term for the period in European history, especially Northern European and Scandinavian history, spanning the late 8th to 11th centuries. Scandinavian Vikings explored Europe by its oceans and rivers through trade and warfare. The Vikings also reached Iceland, Greenland,...
. This kingdom also included southern part of Troms
Troms
or Romsa is a county in North Norway, bordering Finnmark to the northeast and Nordland in the southwest. To the south is Norrbotten Län in Sweden and further southeast is a shorter border with Lapland Province in Finland. To the west is the Norwegian Sea...
.
In January 1432, an Italian trade ship going from Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
to Flandern was hit by a storm and taken far north where it was wrecked; some of the crew survived and came ashore on a small island near Røst
Røst
Røst is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Lofoten traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Røst. Røst was separated from the municipality of Værøy on 1 July 1928.- Environment :...
. They were taken care of by the people of Røst. The story, told by one of the men, Pietro Querini
Pietro Querini
Pietro Querini was a 15th century sailing captain from the Republic of Venice.He is known for being shipwrecked in Røst, in northern Norway, in the winter of 1432, and subsequently returning to Venice, where he wrote a report of his travels for the senate...
, gives one of very few descriptions of life in Nordland in this time period (Querini - Norw txt). Querini sees the people of Røst (in all 120 people) as very trusting and good Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
s, the inner circle of paradise. He also mentions a German priest, which they could talk to in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
. People lived from fishing cod and halibut, which they traded for other goods (like grain) in Bergen
Bergen
Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....
- the cod as stockfish
Stockfish
Stockfish is unsalted fish, especially cod, dried by cold air and wind on wooden racks on the foreshore, called "hjell". The drying of food is the world's oldest known preservation method, and dried fish has a storage life of several years...
. Each family also had about 5 cows, and collected eggs from semi-domesticated duck
Duck
Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
s. The shipwrecked men did not lack food during their winter stay, usually fish, but Querini also mention, milk, meat, butter and pancakes. The people of Røst lived in round, wooden houses, and mostly used clothes made by wool
Wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
.
The largest ship disaster ever in Norway took place in 1944 when Rigel transporting German prisoners was bombed by RAF near Sandnessjøen
Sandnessjøen
Sandnessjøen is the centre of the municipality of Alstahaug in the county of Nordland, Norway, with a population of over 9,000. It was made a township in 1788....
(Alstahaug), with more than 2,500 casualties. The ship was grounded on Rosøya, where it remained, half sunk, until it was demolished in 1970.
Petter Dass
Petter Dass
Petter Dass was a Lutheran clergyman and the foremost Norwegian poet of his generation, writing both baroque hymns and topographical poetry. -Biography:He was born at Northern Herøy , Nordland, Norway...
lived in Alstahaug
Alstahaug
Alstahaug is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Helgeland region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Sandnessjøen....
, and the Nobel laureate author Knut Hamsun
Knut Hamsun
Knut Hamsun was a Norwegian author, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1920. He was praised by King Haakon VII of Norway as Norway's soul....
grew up in Hamarøy
Hamarøy
Hamarøy 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 Oppeid...
after his family moved there when he was 3 years old.
Nordland county is identical with the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland
Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland
Sør-Hålogaland is a diocese in the Church of Norway. The Diocese covers the Lutheran Church of Norway churches located within Nordland county in Norway...
.
Coat-of-arms
The coat-of-arms is from modern times (1965). It shows the traditional boat of Nordland - the nordlandsbåtNordland (boat)
The Nordland boat , is a type of fishing boat that has been used for centuries in northern counties of Nordland, Troms and Finmark of Norway and derives its name from Nordland county where it has a long history...
.
Municipalities
Nordland County has a total of 44 municipalities (excluding Jan MayenJan Mayen
Jan Mayen Island is a volcanic island in the Arctic Ocean and part of the Kingdom of Norway. It is long and 373 km2 in area, partly covered by glaciers . It has two parts: larger northeast Nord-Jan and smaller Sør-Jan, linked by an isthmus wide...
):
|
|
External links
- Norwegian Meteorological Institute
- Satellite picture by NASA showing northern part of Nordland and most of Troms
- Artscape Nordland
- 10,500-year old human settlement in Leirfjord (Norwegian)
- Deep water corals
- Vega - new Unesco World Heritage Site (pdf)
- Saltfjellet-Svartisen National Park - fjords, mountains, glaciers, valleys - one of the most varied in Norway
- Børgefjell National Park - a preserved mountain ecosystem in southernmost Nordland
- Lomsdal-Visten National Park - 1100 sq km from fjord to forests and mountains in Helgeland May 2009
- Norwegian Mountain Touring Association (DNT)
- Official travel guide for Nordland