Hellfjorden is a
fjord
In physical geography, a fjord (also spelled fiord in New Zealand English; ) is a long, narrow sea inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Antarctica, the Arctic, and surrounding landmasses of the n ...
in
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 long fjord is an arm off of the main
Eidsfjorden and the border between
Sortland Municipality
or is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Nordland Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Districts of Norway, traditional region of Vesterålen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Sortland (town ...
and
Bø Municipality runs right down the middle of the fjord.The narrow fjord cuts into the large island of
Langøya
Langøya is the third largest island of Norway (outside of Svalbard), with an area of . The island is a part of the Vesterålen archipelago in Nordland county, Norway. The island includes Bø Municipality and Øksnes Municipality as well as pa ...
in the
Vesterålen
Vesterålen ( , ; ) is a district and archipelago in Nordland county, Norway. It is located just north of Lofoten and west of Harstad. It is the northernmost part of Nordland county. Sortland is the largest town, situated near the center of the a ...
archipelago
An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands. An archipelago may be in an ocean, a sea, or a smaller body of water. Example archipelagos include the Aegean Islands (the o ...
. The fjord lies in a very rugged, sparsely populated area.
The bay has an inlet between the Oksneset
headland
A headland, also known as a head, is a coastal landform, a point of land usually high and often with a sheer drop, that extends into a body of water. It is a type of promontory. A headland of considerable size often is called a cape.Whittow, Jo ...
, just east of the village of
Guvåg
Guvåg is a village in Bø Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The village is located on the shore of Eidsfjord between the mouth of Jørnfjorden to the east and Hellfjorden to the west. Many skerries lie in the sea near Guvåg. Ørntuva ...
on the west side of the fjord and the Hellfjordklubben
peninsula
A peninsula is a landform that extends from a mainland and is only connected to land on one side. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula.
Etymology
The word ''peninsula'' derives , . T ...
on the east side of the fjord. There are many islands in the outer part of the fjord including Storøya, Ramnøya, Torskøya, and Slåttøya. Further into the fjord lie the islands of Reinøya and Teistøya. Vestpolløya is a small peninsula near the head of the fjord. There are no major settlements along the fjord and no road connections to the fjord, so it is only accessible by boat or by hiking. The now-abandoned farm named Hellfjorden is located on the east side of the bay in
Sortland Municipality
or is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Nordland Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Districts of Norway, traditional region of Vesterålen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Sortland (town ...
.
See also
*
List of Norwegian fjords
This list of Norwegian fjords shows many of the fjords in Norway. In total, there are about 1,190 fjords in Norway and the Svalbard islands. The sortable list includes the lengths and locations of those fjords.
Fjords
See also
* List of gla ...
References
Vesterålen
Fjords of Nordland
Sortland
Bø, Nordland
{{Norway-fjord-stub