Rauma is a river

River

A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...

 in the Møre og Romsdal

Møre og Romsdal

is a county in the northernmost part of Western Norway. It borders the counties of Sør-Trøndelag, Oppland and Sogn og Fjordane. The county administration is located in Molde, while Ålesund is the largest city.-The name:...

 and Oppland

Oppland

is a county in Norway, bordering Sør-Trøndelag, Møre og Romsdal, Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Akershus, Oslo and Hedmark. The county administration is in Lillehammer. Oppland is, together with Hedmark, one of the only two landlocked counties of Norway....

 counties 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...

. It runs for 68 kilometres (42.3 mi) from the lake Lesjaskogsvatnet

Lesjaskogsvatnet

Lesjaskogsvatnet is a lake which serves as the headwaters for Gudbrandsdalslågen . Gudbrandsdalslågen flows through the Gudbrandsdal valley bottom, ending in lake Mjøsa....

 in the municipality of Lesja

Lesja

Lesja is a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Lesja....

 to the town of Åndalsnes

Åndalsnes

is a town in the municipality of Rauma in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. Åndalsnes is the administrative center of Rauma. The town has a population of 2,207...

 in the municipality of Rauma

Rauma, Norway

Rauma is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Romsdal region. The administrative centre is the village of Åndalsnes. Other villages include Vågstranda, Voll, Innfjorden, Veblungsnes, Verma, Isfjorden, Eidsbygda, Rødven, Åfarnes, and Mittet...

. The river was once famous for its 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...

-fishing, but since an infection with Gyrodactylus salaris

Gyrodactylus salaris

Gyrodactylus salaris is a small monogenean ectoparasite which mainly lives on the skin of freshwater fish, especially Atlantic salmon. This species is a leech-like parasite that has been implicated in some diminution of Atlantic salmon populations in the Norwegian fjords. Its common name is Salmon...

, only 5-10% of the original stock survives. The salmon runs up to the "Slettafoss", a 16 metres (52.5 ft) high combination of waterfall

Waterfall

A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...

s and rapids more than 42 kilometres (26.1 mi) upriver from the estuary

Estuary

An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....

.

The Romsdalen

Romsdalen

Romsdalen is a valley running through the municipalities of Rauma in Møre og Romsdal County and Lesja in Oppland county Norway.-Location:The river Rauma follows the Romsdalen valley from lake Lesjaskogsvatnet to the town of Åndalsnes, where it empties into the Romsdalsfjord. The Rauma Line and...

 valley and Rauma are regarded as one of the most beautiful river valleys in Norway. The river runs very clear with a green tint and the mountains tower some 1500 to 1800 m (4,921.3 to 5,905.5 ) above the river in the lower and middle parts of the valley. The Reinheimen National Park

Reinheimen National Park

Reinheimen National Park was established in 2006. The park consists of a continuous protected mountain area. It is located in Møre og Romsdal and Oppland counties in Norway. The park includes parts of the municipalities of Lesja, Skjåk, Vågå, Lom, Norddal, and Rauma...

 and the Trollveggen cliff are both located along the southwestern shores of the river through Rauma municipality. The Romsdalsalpene

Romsdalsalpene

Romsdalsalpene is mountain range surrounding the Romsdalen valley in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. They are primarily located in the municipalities of Rauma, Nesset, and Norddal.Mountains in the range include:* Store Venjetind at...

 mountains surround the river and the valley, including the mountains Store Trolltind

Store Trolltind

Store Trolltind is the highest point along the Trolltindane ridge. It has the vertical Trollveggen cliff separating the peak from the Romsdalen valley below, a drop of about which makes it the highest vertical cliff in Europe. The Rauma River and the highway lie to the east in the valley...

, Store Venjetinden

Store Venjetinden

Store Venjetinden is a mountain in the municipality of Rauma in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located about northeast of the mountain Romsdalshornet, about east of the Rauma river and European Route E136, and about southeast of the town of Åndalsnes.The first ascent was via the...

, Trollryggen

Trollryggen

Trollryggen is a peak along the Trolltindene ridge along the Romsdalen valley. It is located in the municipality of Rauma in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The Rauma River and the highway lie just to the east of the ridge.....

, and Romsdalshornet

Romsdalshornet

Romsdalshornet is a mountain in the municipality of Rauma in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The mountain is located southeast of Åndalsnes, along the Rauma River and the highway...

. The Rauma Line railroad follows the river through the valley on its way north to Åndalsnes. The railroad crosses the river on the Kylling Bridge

Kylling Bridge

Kylling Bridge is a railway bridge that crosses the Rauma River near Verma in the Romsdalen valley in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is probably the best known and most photographed railway bridge in Norway. Kylling Bridge is long. The main span is , and side spans are and . The clearance to...

 in Verma

Verma, Møre og Romsdal

Verma is a village in the municipality of Rauma in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located along the highway deep in the Romsdal valley. The village lies along the Raumabanen railway, where the Kylling Bridge crosses the Rauma River....

.

Rauma was classified as a protected watercourse in 1992, and the only main tributary affected by hydroelectric power is the river Verma with the more than 300 metres (984.3 ft) tall Verma waterfall

Waterfall

A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...

s. The biggest tributaries are Ulvåa and Istra

Istra

Istra is a town and the administrative center of Istrinsky District of Moscow Oblast, Russia, located on the Istra River, west of Moscow, on the Moscow–Riga railway...

. Istra runs through the Ister valley, well known for the Trollstigen

Trollstigen

Trollstigen is a mountain road in Rauma, Norway, part of Norwegian National Road 63 connecting Åndalsnes in Rauma and Valldal in Norddal. It is a popular tourist attraction due to its steep incline of 9% and eleven hairpin bends up a steep mountain side...

road in its upper parts.

The meaning of the name Rauma is unknown (it is probably very old).