| Orkdalen | |
|---|---|
 View of the Orkdalen valley | |
 Interactive map of the valley | |
| Length | 100 kilometres (62 mi) N-S |
| Geology | |
| Type | River valley |
| Geography | |
| Location | Trøndelag,Norway |
| Population centers | Orkanger,Meldal,Berkåk |
| Coordinates | 63°03′20″N9°37′09″E / 63.0555°N 09.6191°E /63.0555; 09.6191 |
| Rivers | Orkla |
Orkdalen[1] (English:the Orkla Valley[2][3]) is avalley and atraditional Norwegian district inTrøndelag county,Norway. In the earlyViking Age, before KingHarald Fairhair, the Orkla Valley was also apetty kingdom.
The valley begins in the highDovrefjell mountains and creates a deep, narrow valley. As the river progresses, the valley widens and flattens out. From Rennebu northwards, the valley is fairly heavily populated with good farmland. At the mouth of the river (the north end of the valley) is the town ofOrkanger, the largest population centre in the valley.[4]
The district encompassesRennebu Municipality andOrkland Municipality, both of which surround theOrkla River in the valley.Oppdal Municipality andSkaun Municipality are often traditionally counted as a parts of the district also even though they lie outside the actual valley of the riverOrkla. The river itself actually begins inOppdal Municipality and then winds its way north to theTrondheimsfjord.[4]
