Sunnfjord is a traditional district

Districts of Norway

The country Norway is historically divided into a number of districts. Many districts have deep historical roots, and only partially coincide with today's administrative units of counties and municipalities. The districts are defined by geographical features, often valleys, mountain ranges, fjords,...

 in Western Norway located in Sogn og Fjordane

Sogn og Fjordane

is a county in Norway, bordering Møre og Romsdal, Oppland, Buskerud, and Hordaland. The county administration is in the town of Hermansverk in Leikanger municipality while the largest town is Førde....

 county

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...

. It includes the municipalities of Askvoll

Askvoll

is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sunnfjord. The administrative centre is the village of Askvoll....

, Fjaler

Fjaler

Fjaler is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sunnfjord. The administrative centre is the village of Dale. Other places in Fjaler include Flekke and Espedal....

, Flora

Flora, Norway

Flora is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sunnfjord. The administrative centre is the village of Florø, which was founded in 1860, has 8,448 inhabitants . The Eikefjord area, which is the second largest place in Flora, has about...

, Førde

Førde

Førde is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sunnfjord. The administrative center is the town of Førde which in 2010 had 12,035 inhabitants. The historic village of Bruland is located just east of the town of Førde...

, Gaular

Gaular

Gaular is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sunnfjord. The administrative centre is the village of Sande...

, Jølster

Jølster

Jølster is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sunnfjord. The administrative centre is the village of Skei...

, Naustdal

Naustdal

Naustdal is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sunnfjord. The administrative centre is the village of Naustdal, which has 1,072 inhabitants . Other villages in Naustdal include Vevring and Helle.Tourists come from all over the...

, and the southernmost parts of Bremanger

Bremanger

Bremanger is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. Bremanger is the only municipality in Sogn og Fjordane, which is located in two districts. The north-eastern parts comprising Oldeide, Berle, Rugsund, Davik, Isane and Ålfoten is located in Nordfjord, while Bremanger, Kalvåg,...

. It covers an area of about 4476 square kilometres (1,728.2 sq mi) and has a population (2006) of 41,156–about 32% of the population of Sogn og Fjordane county.

The central geographical characteristic of the Sunnfjord region are the 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 Dalsfjorden

Dalsfjorden (Sunnfjord)

Dalsfjorden is a fjord in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. It is located between the municipalities of Askvoll, Fjaler, and Gaular. The fjord is about long and it is generally about wide....

 and Førdefjorden

Førdefjorden

Førde Fjord is a fjord in Sogn og Fjordane county in the traditional district of Sunnfjord. It passes through the municipalities of Førde, Naustdal, Askvoll, and Flora. The fjord begins at the town of Førde, at the estuary of Jølstra river, which comes from the lake Jølstravatn...

. It is a popular tourist region, with spectacular waterfalls, fishing, white-water rafting, glaciers, hiking, and beautiful scenery–including Jostedalsbreen National Park

Jostedalsbreen National Park

Jostedalsbreen National Park is a national park in Norway that encompasses the largest glacier on the European mainland, Jostedalsbreen. The park was established by royal decree on 25 October 1991, and then in 1998, it was enlarged to the northwest...

.

The area was the site of the largest air battle over Norway

Black Friday (1945)

On 9 February 1945 a force of Allied Bristol Beaufighter aircraft suffered heavy casualties during an unsuccessful attack on German destroyer Z33 and escorting vessels; the operation was labelled "Black Friday" by the surviving Allied aircrew...

 during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, and a museum is dedicated to the event in Naustdal. There are two airports in Sunnfjord: Førde Airport, Bringeland

Førde Airport, Bringeland

Førde Airport, Bringeland is located in the municipality of Gaular in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. The airport is at Bringelandsåsen, about east of the end of the Dalsfjorden at an elevation of above sea level....

, just outside the city of Førde, and Florø Airport

Florø Airport

Florø airport is an airport serving the town of Florø in Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located south of the town centre, on an area of land called Florelandet...

, just outside the city of Florø

Florø

is a town and the administrative centre of Flora municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is also a former municipality that existed for just over 100 years. The town was founded on the Florelandet island between the Botnafjorden and Solheimsfjorden by royal decree in 1860. In...

. The highway E39

European route E39

E 39 is the designation of a 1330 km long north-south road in Norway and Denmark, running from Klett just south of Trondheim to Aalborg, via Orkanger, Vinjeøra, Halsa ... Straumsnes, Krifast, Batnfjordsøra, Molde ... Vestnes, Skodje, Ålesund ... Volda ... Nordfjordeid ... Sandane, Førde,...

passes through the region, going north and south.