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. Don't miss: Well-known fjords in Western Norway. 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. The verb "fare" and the noun "ferry", has the same origin. The longest fjord in the world is Scoresby Sund in Greenland km , but the Western Norway region Fjord Norway boasts the next two spots on the list, with the Sognefjord km , and the Hardanger Fjord 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. Norway's longest fjord is kilometres long and is home to both rich culture and breathtaking scenery.
The landscape of Sognefjord is the perfect setting for tranquil fjord cruises, memorable hikes, skiing, fishing and glacier tours. This is mindfulness at its finest. Sognefjord is also the world's longest ice-free fjord. It extends so far into mainland Norway that it is ends just a few kilometres from Jotunheimen, a mountainous area where you will find most of Norway's highest peaks.
Sognefjord is also one of Norway's deepest fjords, being no less than 1, metres deep at its deepest point. No fewer than 30 fjord arms branch off as the glacier wends its way into the mountains of Western Norway. Some of the valleys which carry on where the fjord ends have a glacier at the end. The fjords that receive the meltwater from the glaciers have a distinctive emerald green colour.
This becomes clearly visible when meltwater from the glaciers colours the fjords green. The largest glacier on the European mainland is the Jostedalsbreen glacier. This glacier is the result of the Little Ice Age and is probably no more than 2, years old. Jostedalsbreen has many glacier arms, three of which extend towards Sognefjord's many fjords.
This is logical enough, because when humans originally settled in Norway after the last ice age, travelling on the water was the only way to get around. Around many of the fjords are relics of both the Bronze Age and the Viking Age. The fjords along the west coast of Norway were largely ice-free due to the warm water transported there by the Gulf Stream. It made travel by boat possible all year round.
The mild climate also made farming possible, there was a plentiful supply of fish along the coast along with excellent opportunities to transport goods to and from the settlements in the fjords and along the Norwegian coast. The hunting was good too, with elk and deer in the forests, and reindeer on the mountains. You also did not have to travel very far when it was time to set off on another Viking voyage of discovery. The Viking Age lasted from around to In this relatively short period of time, the Vikings managed to leave their mark not only on Norwegian culture, but in Europe too.
Thanks to their highly efficient vessels and a large helping of courage, not to mention an adventurous spirit, the Vikings actually got as far as Byzantium modern day Istanbul, Turkey and traded with the Baghdad caliphate. Many of them also settled in France, Scotland and Ireland. Others emigrated to Iceland, and Leiv Eiriksson established a settlement on a previously unknown continent when he discovered America around the year The Vikings brought back not only riches and slaves with them to Norway, but also Christianity.
After the conversion of Norway to Christianity, which began around the year , a number of beautiful and intricate stave churches were built from timber. Some of these are still standing, and three stave churches can be found along Sognefjord: Urnes, Kaupanger and Hopperstad. The most famous of these is Urnes Stave Church, which is situated at Ornes farm on the shore of Lustrafjord. Along the fjords, you will find evidence of trade and settlements.
The place names which originate from the Old Norse language, such as Kaupanger, Solvorn and Gudvangen, reveal that the Vikings had their roots here. Viking festivals, Viking days and Viking markets take place in many towns and villages across Norway. Here , you can read more about the Viking village in Gudvangen and how to get there. If you have yet to see the Norwegian fjords in real life, you might have already seen them in the movies without even realising it.
Norwegian fjords have been used as a backdrop to some major film productions. Folk costumes, buildings, superstitions, trolls, mountains and fjords are all instantly recognisable if you know where to look. It is almost as if the fjords were made for action. At the end of the fjord lies the Kjerag mountain, a popular hiking destination with even more spectacular drops.
The Laguna San Rafael National Park, reachable only by boat or plane, is one of its most popular tourist destinations in the area. The park comprises some of the higher mountains of Patagonia. The Ilulissat Icefjord is located close to Ilulissat town, on the west coast of Greenland, km north of the Arctic Circle.
The fjord runs 40 km 25 miles from the Greenland ice sheet to Disko Bay. Best known for its wilderness and wildlife, Doubtful Sound is the second largest of the 14 fjords in Fiordland National Park and it is 3 times longer and 10 times larger than the more famous and accessible Milford Sound.
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