Ranfjorden
[In English this means ''the Ran fjord''; the ''-en'' in the full name is a suffix meaning 'the' in Norwegian.] 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 the
Helgeland
Helgeland is the most southerly Districts of Norway, district in Northern Norway. Generally speaking, Helgeland refers to the part of Nordland county that is located south of the Arctic Circle. It is bordered in the north by the Saltfjellet moun ...
district of
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 largest part of the fjord is in
Rana Municipality, but the fjord also passes through the municipalities of
Hemnes,
Vefsn,
Leirfjord,
Nesna, and
Dønna.
The
Ranelva river meets the Ranfjord in at the town of
Mo i Rana at the innermost part of the fjord. It then flows to the west for about to where it meets the sea along the border of
Dønna Municipality and
Nesna Municipality.
The inner part of the fjord is lush, forested, and more heavily populated. The western parts of the fjord are narrow with steep sides and that area has few inhabitants. There is a narrow
strait that connects to the Sørfjorden and Elsfjorden at the village of
Hemnesberget. Two large rivers flow into the fjord:
Ranelva and
Røssåga. The
European route E6 highway follows the part of the southern coast of the fjord on its way to
Mo i Rana.
Gallery
File:Ranfjorden utløp.JPG, The mouth of Ranfjorden in Nesna Municipality
File:Beginning of Ranfjord B.JPG, Near Ytteren in Rana
File:Kvitbergan 08.JPG, Kvitbergan, with Ranfjorden in the background
File:Ranfjorden north 05.JPG, View between Båsmoen and Alteren in Rana
File:Ranfjorden.JPG, Eastward view into Ranfjorden
File:Moholmen 20070416 24.jpg, View from Ranfjorden of Moholmen, the oldest part of Mo i Rana.
References
Fjords of Nordland
Rana, Norway
Hemnes
Vefsn
Leirfjord
Nesna
Dønna
{{Nordland-geo-stub