Helgeland | |
|---|---|
 The light blue, yellow and green area in South of the map is the Helgeland district | |
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| Coordinates:66°12′N13°44′E / 66.2°N 13.73°E /66.2; 13.73 | |
| Country | Norway |
| Region | Northern Norway |
| County | Nordland |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
Helgeland is the most southerlydistrict inNorthern Norway. Generally speaking, Helgeland refers to the part ofNordland county that is located south of theArctic Circle. It is bordered in the north by theSaltfjellet mountains andSvartisen glacier, which form a natural border with theSalten district. In the south, Helgeland bordersTrøndelag county.
The district covers an area of about 18,832 square kilometres (7,271 sq mi), with nearly 79,000 inhabitants. There are four towns in the district: from south to north these areBrønnøysund,Mosjøen,Sandnessjøen, andMo i Rana.[1]
TheOld Norse form of the name wasHálogaland (seeHålogaland).[1]
Helgeland is commonly divided into three or four sections:
Helgeland is characterized by pointed mountains andStrandflaten, a shallow lowland area, sometimes just above the sea surface, and sometimes just below the surface. People living on the coast have settled on this lowland (while inland towns, such as Mo and Mosjøen, are situated in valleys). A consequence of theStrandflaten is thousands of islands, and shallow waters going far into the sea. This has provided some shelter from stormy weather, which might occur in winter. Some islands are fairly large, often with unique mountains, such asTorghatten,De syv søstre (The Seven Sisters),Hestmannen,Rødøyløva (inRødøy Municipality),Dønnamannen (picture), and several small islands inTræna Municipality. There are several sea bird colonies, such asLovund (pictureArchived 2007-09-29 at theWayback Machine) with thousands ofpuffins.The Solvær Islands (Solværøyene) inLurøy Municipality consists of about 300 small and flat islands and has the highest densities of Eurasian eagle-owls in Europe.
The highest mountains, are located inland, whereOksskolten is the highest mountain in Northern Norway. There are many valleys inland, such as theDunderlandsdalen, Vefsndalen, andHattfjelldalen.Røssvatnet is the second largest lake in Norway. There are three large national parks in Helgeland:Saltfjellet–Svartisen National Park (partly),Børgefjell National Park (partly), andLomsdal–Visten National Park (created in May 2009).
Helgeland is the scene forHenrik Ibsen's 1857 historical play "The Vikings at Helgeland" (Hærmændene paa Helgeland), whose plot takes place at this region during the time ofErik Blood-axe (c. 930–934).
Helgeland Kammerkor, a mixed choir with members from all parts of Helgeland, have recorded analbum offolk music from Helgeland (Folketoner fra Helgeland, 2005). The album contains 27 folk tunes from Helgeland, recorded in collaboration with folk musicians from the area. The album was recorded inAlstahaug Church, a 900-year-old stone church located nearSandnessjøen.
