The county is divided into traditional districts. These areHelgeland in the south (south of theArctic Circle),Salten in the centre, andOfoten in the north-east. In the north-west lie the archipelagoes ofLofoten andVesterålen.
Nordland is located along the northwestern coast of theScandinavian Peninsula inNorthern Norway. Due to the large distance to the densely populated parts of Europe, this is one of the leastpolluted areas in Europe. Nordland extends about 500 kilometres (310 mi) fromTrøndelag toTroms county. The distance by road fromBindal Municipality in the far south of the county toAndenes on the northern tip ofAndøy Municipality in the northern edge of Nordland is roughly 800 kilometres (500 mi).
Nordland has a rugged coastline, with manyfjords. From south to north, the main fjords are Bindalsfjord,Vefsnfjorden,Ranfjorden,Saltfjorden-Skjerstadfjorden,Folda,Tysfjorden,Ofotfjorden (the longest) andAndfjorden, which is shared with Troms county. The best-known is perhaps theVestfjorden, which is not really a fjord, but an open stretch of sea between theLofoten island group and the mainland. TheRaftsundetstrait, with its famous branchTrollfjorden, is the shortest waterway connecting Lofoten and Vesterålen. Thecontinental shelf is very narrow west of Andenes, nowhere else in Norway is the deep ocean only a few kilometres from shore.Saltstraumen whirlpool is just south-east ofBodø, andMoskenstraumen is located in southern Lofoten.
The majority of the population is located at theStrandflaten lowland. Berg inSømna Municipality.
Steep mountains near the sea and an almost flat lowland area in between the mountains and the sea (Strandflaten, coastal brim) is very typical for the long coastline in Nordland, andStrandflaten often continues out from the shore, the result is numerous islands (skerries), of which Helgeland have thousands; these islands are usually mountainous, but with smaller or largerstrandflate areas. The southern part of Norway's largest island (apart fromSvalbard),Hinnøya is in Nordland, as is the third-largest island,Langøya. In the fjords, the coastal brim is much less developed: There might be a more gradual slope, with hills, towards the mountains, or no lowland at all. There are oftenvalleys at the head of fjords (the fjord is an extension of the valley), usually with a river at the centre of the valley.Mo i Rana,Mosjøen,[4] andRognan are situated in such valleys.
Norway's second-largestglacier,Svartisen,[5] the second-largest lake,Røssvatnet, and the second-deepest fjord,Tysfjorden (897 m) are all located in Nordland. The largest river (waterflow) isVefsna which forms theLaksforsen waterfall.[6]
Stetinden towering over a branch of the Tysfjorden; voted Norway's national mountain.
TheSaltfjellet mountain range forms a natural border between Helgeland and Salten, and is where theArctic Circle cuts through the county. The western part of this mountain range is dominated by steep mountains and fjord inlets, with glaciers stretching towards the sea, while the eastern part of the mountains is more gentle and rounded, with some forested valleys, and is well suited for hiking. The interior of Nordland, towards the border withSweden, is dominated by theKjølen Mountains (Scandinavian Mountains). The highest mountain in Nordland isOksskolten 1,915 metres (6,283 ft) inOkstindan range, the second-highest isSuliskongen 1,907 metres (6,257 ft) inFauske Municipality, and the third isStorsteinfjellet 1,894 metres (6,214 ft) inNarvik Municipality.[7]Stetinden in Narvik has been voted as Norway's national mountain.
In the geological past, a collision withGreenland pushed long slices of the seabed on top of the existing bedrock, today forming the bedrock fromDovrefjell andTrollheimen south ofTrondheim stretching north in Trøndelag and through Nordland to just north ofTromsø. ThisCambrian—Silurian bedrock, much of itmicaschist, is by far the largest area in Norway with soft bedrock rich in nutritions good for plant growth. It forms the bedrock in the fjord areas, while the islands off the coast and some of the easternmost areas along the border with Sweden are made up of hard bedrock (usuallygranite). In some areas, as inHamarøy Municipality andSørfold Municipality, the bedrock is a mix of soft bedrock and hard granite.
Much of the Lofoten mountains are ofprecambrian eruptive origin and 3.5 billion years old, among the oldest on earth. The youngest rock in Norway is onAndøya, also known for itsfossils ofdinosaurs and other life forms. As the land was depressed by theice sheet in the ice age, substantial areas in the lowest altitudes was beneath the surface of the sea for thousands of years acquiring marine deposits. Due topost-glacial rebound, this is now dry land, reaching 120 metres (390 ft) above sea level today in Saltdal, 100 metres (330 ft) inNarvik andBrønnøysund, and 30 metres (98 ft) to 50 metres (160 ft) in Lofoten and Vesterålen.Limestone is very common in Nordland, with manycaves[8] throughout the county, such asGrønligrotta in Rana. There are more caves inRana Municipality than any other area in northern Europe. In August 2006 theTjoarvekrajgge cave inSørfold Municipality was explored and verified as the longest cave inScandinavia 22 kilometres (14 mi) long);Raggejavreraige in Tysfjord is the deepest in Scandinavia and Svarthamarhola inFauske Municipality has the largest cavity. There are more than 900 caves in Nordland, one of these have a 70 metres (230 ft) high waterfall.[9]Marble is found in several locations. Fauske is sometimes referred to as themarble capital, and has exported marble worldwide (one customer being the UN building inNew York City).
Midnight sun seen from Holm,Sortland Municipality.The Saltfjell mountains still snow-covered in May. Most areas except the outer seaboard have at least four months with snowfall; at least six months in the highlands, and all year in the highest mountains.
The largest area of Nordland, including fjord areas, inland areas and highlands below the treeline, the area is dominated by theboreal climate (Dfc), but an atypical oceanic variant with relatively mild winters, lack of permafrost, and often with autumn as wettest season. Towns with this climate includeMosjøen,Mo i Rana,Rognan,Fauske andNarvik. Along the coast and on islands (including Vega) along the southern and middle part of Nordland is a warmer, temperateoceanic climate (Cfb) with winter mean temperature above 0 °C (32 °F) and a four-month long summer. This includesBrønnøysund,Sandnessjøen and some islands north toSkrova. Just inland of this is a narrow area with coldest winter month mean temperature just below 0 °C (32 °F) but still a four-month long summer, this area has ahumid continental climate (Dfb), and includes the county seatBodø.
The strongest climate gradient in Nordland is seen in winter, as the interior inland away from the fjords, as well as mountains, have much colder winters than the coast. Large fjords bring with them significant oceanic moderation in winter temperatures to the surrounding land area, as seen inFauske Municipality andNarvik Municipality. Temperatures will generally drop 0.7 °C (1.3 °F) as elevation increases by 100 metres (330 ft). Snow cover can persist all year at altitudes above 1,100 metres (3,600 ft) to 1,500 metres (4,900 ft). Annual snow accumulation can exceed 5 metres (16 ft) in the mountains, this is the main reason for the many glaciers in Nordland. With mountains in almost all areas,alpine tundra is common in Nordland.
Easterly winds give dry, sunny weather (the air must climb the Kjølen mountains), with warmth in summer and cold, clear air in winter. Southwesterly winds are common, bringing moist and mild air from the Atlantic Ocean. Autumn and winter is the wettest season along the coast of Nordland, while April–June on average is the driest. The strongest winds occur in late autumn and winter, as the Atlantic low-pressure systems are strongest then. High-pressure weather can occur in all seasons, and in summer this brings 24-hour sunshine north of the Arctic Circle.
Lurøy Municipality 115 metres (377 ft), west of Saltfjell, averages 3,066 millimetres (120.7 in) precipitation annually; the wettest location in North Norway and in the world at such high latitude. Some of the wettest areas along the coast (a narrow band) north toGlomfjord fulfills the climatic criteria for atemperate rainforest.[10] East of the mountains, upper part ofSaltdal Municipality has an annual precipitation less than 300 millimetres (12 in).
Many locations in Nordland have recorded what Norwegians know as "tropical nights" when the overnight low does not fall below 20 °C (68 °F). The warmest night ever recorded in Norway was July 29, 2019 at Sømna-Kvaløyfjellet 302 metres (991 ft) inSømna Municipality nearBrønnøysund with overnight low 26.1 °C (79.0 °F).[11]
The warmest temperature recorded in Nordland is 35 °C (95 °F) recorded July 27, 2019 atMosjøen Airport, this is also a tie with the national high for July.[12] On the same day, Laksfors south of Mosjøen recorded 35.6 °C (96.1 °F) but this recording was not approved due to too much vegetation and gravel near the weather station. Also on the same day, Saltdal Municipality recorded 34.6 °C (94.3 °F), this is the warmest temperature ever recorded in Norway north of the Arctic Circle.
The warmest month recorded in Nordland was July 2014 with mean 19.3 °C (66.7 °F) at Mosjøen airport and Mo i Rana airport, while the warmest average daily high was at Laksfors with 26.6 °C (79.9 °F) the same month. The coldest low ever recorded in Nordland is −44.5 °C (−48.1 °F) on December 30, 1978 in Svenningdal valley inGrane Municipality.
Climate data for Brønnøysund Airport 1991–2020 (9 m, precipitation 1961–90, extremes 1873-2020 includes earlier stations)
Research usingsediment in lakes near the Okstind Glacier has shown that the summer climate in Nordland was up to 2.5 °C (4.5 °F) warmer 9,000 to 6,000 years ago, and then slowly cooled—it was 0.5 °C (0.90 °F) warmer 2,000 years before present (seeHolocene climatic optimum). This research also concluded that the eastern Okstind Glacier did not melt completely during this warm period, the first glacier in Norway known to have survived since theIce age.[17]
TheAurora Borealis can be seen in much of the year, but not in summer. Andøy, October 2007.Bluish light in the mountains just before 15:00 in mid-January
The light conditions vary considerably from north to south;Andenes in the north will have midnight sun from 22 May to 20 July, and the sun is below the horizon from 28 November to 16 January (Narvik daylight). In Bodø, the sun is above the horizon from 3 June to 8 July. Helgeland is situated south of the Arctic Circle; at thewinter solstice the sun is above the horizon approximately 3 hours a day (Mosjøen daylight). There is not a true midnight sun in Helgeland, although the upper part of the sun disc will be above the horizon all night in June as far south as Mosjøen. With the transitional period with a short dusk included, there are three full months (from early May to early August) without darkness in Nordland.
Source: Almanakk for Norge; University of Oslo, 2010. Sunhours:Norwegian Meteorologicial Institute. Note: The very low sun is blocked by mountains in December and the first week of January. In mid-July, the sun sets after midnight due todaylight savings.
Just off the coast, the islands ofRøst Municipality have the largest colonies of seabirds in Norway. Røst offers a range ofhabitats and serves as a stop-over point for many birds that are migrating even further north. The municipality is home to one of the largestbird cliffs in theNorth Atlantic, where birdwatchers can findpuffin,shag,kittiwake, andcormorant colonies.
The long inland mountain range with alpine tundra and the subarctic forest is part of the core area forwolverine in western Europe.
Spruce forest expansion has been blocked by Saltfjell and Kjølen mountains, thus spruce forest naturally grows only in Helgeland, but are commonly planted in the whole county for economic reasons, sparking some debate.Sitka spruce is also commonly planted in Nordland, particularly in coastal areas. The coastal areas belong to theScandinavian coastal conifer forestsecoregion; some small areas have been classified as rainforests using botanical criteria as well as precipitation data. Inland areas up to the conifer treeline belong to theScandinavian and Russian taiga ecoregion, while the highlands and mountains belong to theScandinavian Montane Birch forest and grasslands ecoregion.
Tourism is important, mainly in the summer season, although there are some winter visitors looking for goodskiing or wanting to see the Northern Lights, especially from February to April. Tourists are attracted by the scenic coast,[27] especially Lofoten, which is also visited by many cruise ships in the summer, while the rest of the county often is ignored by tourists. Mountain hiking is popular among natives and some tourists.
Farming is another regional economy and consists mainly ofdairy farming and livestock such assheep, and domesticated reindeer graze the inland highlands. There is also some forestry, particularly in the Helgeland district, but also further north. In earlier days, grain was grown in Nordland (mostlybarley, someoats).Nordlandshest is the smallest of the three Norwegian horse breeds. TheNorwegian Lundehund was bred to huntpuffins and was only saved from extinction due to a few remaining dogs in Lofoten.
There is a long history of mining.Sulitjelma has the largestcopper deposits in the county, as well aspyrite, the latter is also found in several other locations, but the mining here has been discontinued for economic reasons. In earlier days,silver was mined in theDunderland Valley in Rana, and until 2002nickel andolivine was mined inBallangen. There are several limestone, marble, anddolomite rock quarries,dolomite in Vefsn, Fauske, Sørfold, and Ballangen. As of 2008, mining ofgold in [[Bindal Municipality[]] is in testing stages ([2]).
The port ofNarvik has a direct rail connection to the well-known and profitableKiruna-Gällivareiron-ore fields inSweden. There are many dams for hydroelectric power.
Nordland has an increasingly diverse economy, with fledgling research and development in aerospace and space exploration at theAndøya Rocket Range, which primarily is known for its satellite launches. This vast province, Norway's second largest, almost the size ofDenmark, traditionally was very important for NATO, and theRoyal Norwegian Air Force has two squadrons ofF-16 fighters stationed atBodø Airport and all itsP-3 Orion maritime surveillance aircraft stationed atAndøya Air Station. The decommissioning of closing military bases has led to a regional shift towards a new knowledge-based economy.
Bodø has anairport, railway station and a harbour within walking distance, and numerous hotels.Glomfjord hydroelectric powerplant inMeløy Municipality. Nordland has the largest hydroelectric potential among Norway's counties, and some power-intensive factories.Helgeland Bridge connectingAlsten island to the mainland. With many deepfjords,islands andstraits, Nordland is a county of bridges.
There is evidence of human settlement in Nordland as far back as 10,500 years ago, about as early as in southern Norway. TheseStone Age people lived near the coast, often on islands and typically alongstraits near the open sea, with a rich provision of marine resources. Such archeological evidence has been found onVega, in theLeirfjorden, and along theSaltstraumen. There are at least 15 locations with prehistoricrock carvings in Nordland, from Helgeland in the south toNarvik in the north (seeFosna-Hensbacka culture).
Some of the oldest houses known in Norway were excavated on Langhågan on the islandSanna inTræna Municipality;[28] the oldest house was oval, 6 metres (20 ft) by 4.5 metres (15 ft), and is dated to 4000 BC. A 65 metres (213 ft) long stone paved "trail" from the house down to a small harbour, today 23 metres (75 ft) above sea level, is still visible.
The 4,600-year-oldrock drawings atRødøy Municipality, which depict a man on skis holding a stick, is the oldest known reference of skis being used. The location is somewhat surprising, as this island has unreliable snow cover, and the Scandinavian climate was warmer in the Stone Age.This rock drawing was used as a pictogram in theLillehammerOlympic Games in 1994.
The first agricultural culture has been dated to theBronze Age. This culture left large burial cairns close to the sea, for instance inSteigen Municipality andVestvågøy Municipality, and the northernmost location is aroundHarstad Municipality in southern Troms. These locations have significant areas of lowland suited for agriculture, they are close to the sea and they have many natural harbours.
Marble phallus on the island ofDønna, estimated to have been built between the 4th and 6th centuries
The oldest remains of a boat ever found in Norway were discovered in abog inSømna Municipality. Known asHaugvikbåten, the well-preserved piece, kept in the Museum of Science (Vitenskapsmuseet) in Trondheim, has been dated to 800–400 BC—theNordic Bronze Age ([3]).
For many generations, Hålogaland had been the northernmost area ofNorse settlement. The remnants of large longhouses near Borg (Vestvågøy) and in Steigen are dated to the Merovinger period (ca 600 AD). There is substantialarcheological evidence of a Norseiron-based culture along the coast from approximately 200 AD.[29]
Nordland is regarded as part ofSápmi. TheSami (or Sámi), which are not ofNorse origins, have lived in Nordland for at least 2,000 years. Not just inland, but also along the fjords and, in the northern part of Nordland, even on the coast and larger islands, such asHinnøya. There is a story inHeimskringla about a Viking who became a contender for the throne,Sigurd Slembe. He was on the run from the king and was helped by Sami in what is probablyLødingen Municipality today. The Sami even built him a boat, which the saga mention was made from pinewood (viking ships were typically made from oak wood, but the oak does not grow naturally this far north).Tysfjord today is a centre for theLule Sami culture.
In January 1432, an Italian trade ship going fromCrete toFlanders was hit by a storm and taken far north where it was wrecked; some of the crew survived and came ashore on a small island inRøst Municipality. They were taken care of by the people of Røst. The story, told by one of the men,Pietro Querini, gives one of the very few descriptions of life in Nordland in this time period (Querini - Norw txt). Querini sees the people of Røst (in all 120 people) as very trusting and goodCatholics,the inner circle of paradise. He also mentions a German priest, which they could talk to inLatin. People lived from fishing cod and halibut, which they traded for other goods (like grain) inBergen—the cod asstockfish. Each family also had about 5cows and collected eggs from semi-domesticatedducks. The shipwrecked men did not lack food during their winter stay, usually fish, but Querini also mentions milk, meat, butter, and pancakes. The people of Røst lived in round, wooden houses, and mostly used clothes made ofwool. By late May, sailing in 24-hour daylight, the Italians were taken south to Bergen.
TheBattle of Narvik saw the hardest fighting in Norway inWorld War II; about 7,500 Norwegian soldiers took part in the battle, along with British, French and Polish troops. The recapture ofNarvik was the first time the Nazi German war machine had to withdraw from a captured town.The reconstructed chieftain house,Lofotr Viking Museum, Borg inVestvågøy Municipality.
The largest ship disaster ever in Norway took place in 1944 whenRigel transporting German prisoners was bombed by British Fleet Air Arm aircraft nearSandnessjøen (Alstahaug Municipality), with more than 2,500 casualties. The ship was grounded on Rosøya, where it remained, half sunk until it was demolished in 1970.
A county(fylke) is the chief local administrative area inNorway. The whole country is divided into 15 counties (from 2024). A county is also an election area, with popular votes taking place every 4 years. In Nordland, the government of the county is theNordland County Municipality. It includes 45 members who are elected to form acounty council(Fylkesting). Heading theFylkesting is the county mayor(fylkesordførar). Since October 2023, theNordland County Municipality has been led by Eivind Holst, the county mayor. The County Municipality elects a County Cabinet, which is the executive body of Nordland County Council. Since October 2023 Svein Øien Eggesvik is head of the County Cabinet.
Thecoat of arms was granted on 15 January 1965. The officialblazon is"Or, a boat with mastsable" (Norwegian:På gull bunn en svart båt med mast og råseil). This means the arms have afield (background) has atincture ofOr which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. Thecharge is a blacknordlandsbåt (Nordland boat). The boat is the traditional boat of Nordland which was widely used for fishing in the region in old times, now they are still used for recreation. The black colour symbolizes the tar that was used on the boats. The golden background refers to the sun. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.[30][31]
Tollefsrud, J.; Tjørve, E.; Hermansen, P. (1991).Perler i Norsk Natur - En Veiviser (in Norwegian). Aschehoug.ISBN82-03-16663-6.
Moen, A. (1998).Nasjonalatlas for Norge: Vegetasjon (in Norwegian). Hønefoss: Statens Kartverk.ISBN82-90408-26-9.
Østmo, E., ed. (2004).Før Norge ble Norge: Fra istid til jernalder (in Norwegian). Oslo: Schibsted Forlagene AS.ISBN82-516-2015-5.
Haugan, Trygve B, ed. (1940).Det Nordlige Norge Fra Trondheim Til Midnattssolens Land (in Norwegian). Trondheim: Reisetrafikkforeningen for Trondheim Og Trøndelag.
_10_kallerna.jpg)
