Alsta is an island in

Alstahaug Municipality Alstahaug is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Helgeland region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Sandnessjøen. Some of the villages in Alstahaug include Søvika and Tjøtta. Most resi ...

and

Leirfjord Municipality Leirfjord is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Nordland Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Helgeland Districts of Norway, traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Lel ...

Nordland Nordland (; , , , ) is one of the three northernmost Counties of Norway, counties in Norway in the Northern Norway region, bordering Troms in the north, Trøndelag in the south, Norrbotten County in Sweden to the east, Västerbotten County to t ...

county,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

. The island is surrounded by the

Vefsnfjorden Vefsnfjorden is a fjord in the traditional district of Helgeland in Nordland county, Norway. It is about long, reaching a maximum depth of about below sea level. The fjord flows through Alstahaug Municipality, Leirfjord Municipality, and Ve ...

to the east, the

Leirfjorden Leirfjorden is a fjord in Leirfjord Municipality and Alstahaug Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The long fjord is located east of the town of Sandnessjøen, between the mainland and the island of Alsta. There is a short strait that co ...

to the north, and the Alstenfjorden to the south and west. The eastern part of the island is dominated by the Seven Sisters mountain range () which has five mountains that are more than tall, while the western part of the island is relatively flat and it is the location of the town of

Sandnessjøen Sandnessjøen is a town and the administrative centre of Alstahaug Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. Sandnessjøen was granted special trading privileges in the late 1600s, but it did not receive town status until 1999. Sandnessjøen is ...

and the village of

Søvika Søvika is a village in Alstahaug Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The village is located on the southwestern shore of the island of Alsta, about south of the town of Sandnessjøen. In 2001, there were 272 residents in the village. The ...

in the south. Historically, the island was known as ''Alsten'' or ''Alstein''. Alsten

The long island has an area of , and its highest point is the mountain Botnkrona, which reaches above sea level. In 2017, there were 6,969 residents on the island. The islands of Altra and

Skålværet Skålværet are a group of islands in Alstahaug Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The islands are located in the western part of Alstahaug, about northwest of the island of Tjøtta, just west of the southern tip of the island of Altra, ...

lie to the southwest, the islands of

Tjøtta Tjøtta is a village in Alstahaug Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is located on the southern tip of the island of Tjøtta, which is located south of the large island of Alsta. The village is located on an island, but it does have a m ...

, Offersøya,

Mindlandet Mindlandet is an island in Alstahaug Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The island lies at the mouth of the Vefsnfjorden, just south of the islands of Tjøtta (island), Tjøtta and Rødøya, Alstahaug, Rødøya. The island is fairly flat, ...

, and

Rødøya Rødøya is an island in Rødøy Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The island is located just west of the mouth of the Tjongsfjorden, north of the island of Gjerdøya, and west of the mainland. There are ferry connections from the v ...

lie to the south, surrounding the entrance to the

. The island is connected to the mainland by the

Helgeland Bridge The Helgeland Bridge () is a cable-stayed bridge that crosses the Leirfjorden between the mainland (in Leirfjord Municipality) and the island of Alsta (in Alstahaug Municipality) in Nordland county, Norway. The town of Sandnessjøen is located ju ...

Norwegian County Road 17 County Road 17 (), also known as the Coastal Highway (), is a Norwegian highway that runs from the town of Bodø in Nordland county (in the north) to the town of Steinkjer in Trøndelag county (in the south). It is long and includes six ferry ...

, which connects the northern part of the island to

on the mainland. This same highway 17 continues across the island from north to south where it then connects by bridge to the nearby islands of Offersøya and

. The eastern part of the island is often called the "backside" of the island since it is on the other side of the mountains from the more populous side. This "backside" lies inside Leirfjord Municipality and the

Sundøy Bridge The Sundøy Bridge () is a cantilever bridge in Leirfjord Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The concrete bridge connects the mainland to the village of Sundøya on the island of Alsta. The bridge has three spans, with the main span being ...

connects the

Sundøya Sundøya is a village in Leirfjord Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The village is located about south of the village of Leland. Sundøya has a population of about 120 people. It is located on the north side of the Vefsnfjorden on the n ...

village area on the backside of the island to the mainland.

References

{{authority control Alstahaug Leirfjord Islands of Nordland

See also

References