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  Vesterålen  Vesterålen | |
| Geography | |
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| Coordinates | 68°50′11″N14°32′29″E / 68.8364°N 14.5414°E /68.8364; 14.5414 |
| Archipelago | Vesterålen archipelago |
| Major islands | Langøya,Hinnøya,Andøya,Hadseløya |
| Area | 2,511 km2 (970 sq mi) |
| Administration | |
Norway | |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 30,419 |
Vesterålen (Norwegian,pronounced[ˈvɛ̂stəroːɫn̩],[1]English:/ˈvɛstərɔːlən/VEST-ər-aw-lən[2]) orViestterálas (Northern Sami)[3] is adistrict andarchipelago inNordland county,Norway. It is located just north ofLofoten and west ofHarstad. It is the northernmost part of Nordland county.Sortland is the largest town, situated near the center of the archipelago. Vesterålen includes the municipalities ofAndøy,Bø,Hadsel,Sortland, andØksnes.[4]
TheOld Norse forms of the name wereVestráll andVestrálar (plural). The first element isvestr which means "west" and the last element isáll which means "(deep and narrow) sound" or "strait". The name describes the seaway west of the island ofHinnøya. Similarly, the old name of the seaway east of Hinnøya (now calledTjeldsundet) might have beenAustráll (meaning "the eastern sound/strait").
Vesterålen consists of the municipalities ofAndøy,Bø,Hadsel,Sortland, andØksnes. According to some definitions,Lødingen Municipality is also included. Vesterålen is made up of several islands:Langøya,Andøya,Hadseløya, the western part ofHinnøya, the northern part ofAustvågøya and several smaller islands.
The landscape is mountainous, but the mountains have a more rounded shape compared to the mountains in Lofoten. The towns and villages are situated on thestrandflat (strandflaten) between the mountains and the fjords. There are also several lakes, such asAlsvågvatnet.Møysalen National Park is partly located in Vesterålen (website). The climate in Vesterålen ismaritime, with mild winters considering this archipelago is well north of theArctic Circle.Bø Municipality is the northernmost location in Norway with daily mean above 0 °C (32 °F) in all winter months.
Vesterålen is connected to the mainland andEvenes airport by bridges. It is connected to Lofoten by ferry, although since the opening of theLofast road in December 2007, Lofoten can also be reached by road.
The coastal steamerHurtigruten calls at the ports of Stokmarknes, Sortland, andRisøyhamn in Vesterålen. There are two regional airports:Stokmarknes Airport, Skagen for small aircraft, andAndenes Airport on Andøya.
The population in Vesterålen as of 1 January 2004 was 30,648 according toStatistisk Sentralbyrå) The largest town isSortland, but the regional hospital is in nearbyStokmarknes inHadsel Municipality. TheRoyal Norwegian Air Force has based all itsP-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft atAndøya Air Station, andAndøya Rocket Range is also located at Andøya. TheNorwegian Coast Guard has its northern base atSortland (Kystvaktskvadron Nord).
Fishing, in particularcod fisheries, has always been important in Vesterålen. There is alsofish farming, and someagriculture in Vesterålen.
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