Fjords

Few places in the world can offer such striking scenery and untouched nature! The Geirangerfjord is included on the prestigious UNESCO World Heritage List of cultural and natural Heritage sites, and the nearby Hjørundfjord is for many still an undiscovered treasure. Ålesund is named Norway's most beautiful town, and located at the very entrance to the fjords. The combination is unbeatable!

The Geirangerfjord
The fjord is 15 km long and is on UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites list since 2005. It attracts travellers to its pristine beauty. Along the fjord you will see farms situated far up in the mountains, where it is hard to believe that anyone could live. Today they are abandoned, but accessible by trail and boat. The Geirangerfjord is one of the most visited tourist destinations in Western Norway.

At the head of the fjord, you find Geiranger. Midway through, you will find "The seven sisters" - a waterfall with an approximate fall height of 300 meters. The name arose because the falls, at a distance, resemble the hair of seven women. On the opposite side of the fjord is the waterfall "Friaren" (suitor). With its bottle-shaped appearance, apparently an unfortunate suitor, (and therefore addicted to the bottle), as he waited for a response to his proposal to the sisters. 

The Hjørundfjord
33 km long. Considered by many as one of the most beautiful fjords in the world, because of the sharp-pointed peaks on both sides. These are the core area of the Sunnmøre Alps. Furthest north the fjord is 2.5 kilometers wide, and narrows down towards the bottom of the fjord. At its deepest the Hjørundfjord is 441 meters. The name might come from "sword" (hjorr), since the fjord's shape can be compared with a sword. Around the fjord there are about 70 small lakes. One of these is Tusse Lake, which has given name to the power company Tussa.

What is a Fjord?

Fjord Norway has its name from the many beautiful fjords. But what exactly is a fjord? And how were they created?

A fjord is a deep, narrow and elongated sea or lakedrain, with steep land on three sides. The opening toward the sea is called the mouth of the fjord, and is often shallow. The fjord's inner part is called the sea bottom. If the geological formation is wider than it is long, it is not a fjord. Then it is a bay or cove. The fjords were formed by the giant glacier tongues that through several ice ages have shaped the landscape. A fjord is thus a U-shaped undersea valley, and on the west coast, this valley is often surrounded by dramatic mountain scenery.

In front of the glacier arm, there was deposited a moraine of gravel and sand that formed an underwater barrier, often called "sea thresholds" or "ra". Places where the fjord is shallow. This shallow threshold in the mouth of the fjord, is the reason that fjords often are quieter than the open sea. Thus fjords are often natural harbors. 

Fjord is one of the few Norwegian words that have become international, especially in English where it is used directly. Fjord comes from the Norse fjǫrðr. This stems, in turn, from the prehistoric Indo-European word * prtús, derived from * por* or * per, meaning "go", "pass" or "to put over on the other side." Fjord in its basic meaning "where one fares through", then has the same origin that the word "fare" (travel). The verb "fare" and the noun "ferry", has the same origin.

The longest fjord in the world is Scoresby Sund in Greenland (350 km), but the Western Norway region (Fjord Norway) boasts the next two spots on the list, with the Sognefjord (203 km), and the Hardanger Fjord (179 km).

What unfolds as you travel Fjord Norway, is a fantastic story of water, with many chapters. The fjords were carved by a massive sheet of ice up to three kilometres thick that covered Northern Europe in a succession of ice ages. As you peer up at the towering mountains surrounding the Nærøyfjord, the narrowest fjord in the world, you can appreciate the immense power of those forces of nature. 

Don't miss: Well-known fjords in Western Norway.