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Geomorphological Landscapes of the World pp 223–234Cite as

Fjords of Norway: Complex Origin of a Scenic Landscape

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Abstract

Norway has been called the ‘Land of fjords’. This is easily envisaged when studying a map or satellite image of Scandinavia. Norway is characterised by a rugged, highly dissected coast with numerous islands, skerries, sounds, and fjords. Along the Norwegian coast there are some 200 principal fjords. Norway has a passive-margin coast and the coastline of Norway spans 13° of latitude (58–71°N) and 26° of longitude (4.5–31°E). Geirangerfjorden and Nærøyfjorden in western Norway were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2005. These fjords are some of the longest, deepest, narrowest, and most beautiful fjords and they are therefore considered to be the prime symbol of Norway, and among the most spectacular fjord landscapes anywhere in the world.

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Acknowledgments

I thank Eivind Sønstegaard for providing marine-limit data along Sognefjorden and Jane Ellingsen for preparing the figures. This is publication no. A 200 from the Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway

    Atle Nesje

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  1. Atle Nesje
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. Geography, University of Wroclaw, Pl. Uniwersytecki 1, Wroclaw, 50-137, Poland

    Piotr Migon

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Nesje, A. (2009). Fjords of Norway: Complex Origin of a Scenic Landscape. In: Migon, P. (eds) Geomorphological Landscapes of the World. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3055-9_23

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