Fjords of Norway

A fjord is a long and deep inlet of the ocean. While fjords can be found in many countries, the fjords of Norway are particularly famous, numerous and easily accessible.

The fjord-dominated landscape runs like a strip all around Norway's coast. In Western and Northern Norway, where fjords cut deep into the land, this strip is more than 200 km wide. In large parts of Norway the fjords create a particular kind of landscape, a wide tangle of islands and peninsulas, lakes and valleys. Along the south coast (Agder and Telemark) fjords are short and the "fjord-land" is a mere 30 km wide. There are well over 1,000 named fjords. Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord are inscribed on UNESCO world heritage list.

All major cities sit on the shores of a fjord. While the most picturesque fjords are less populated, most are easily accessible by road. The fjords increase Norway's coastline from a modest 3000 km to 30,000 km, islands add another 70,000 km – in total creating the most complex coastline in the world. Norway's fjord regions covers an area 10–20 times wider than the New Zealand's Fiordland. The Sognefjord alone has a coastline of some 500 km, more than the French and Italian Riviera combined. Norwegian fjords have twice been rated the best destination in the world by National Geographic Traveller. The typical Norwegian fjord was created by the work of glaciers over thousands or millions of years.