The Trondheim Fjord or Trondheimsfjorden (), an inlet of the

Norwegian Sea The Norwegian Sea (; ; ) is a marginal sea, grouped with either the Atlantic Ocean or the Arctic Ocean, northwest of Norway between the North Sea and the Greenland Sea, adjoining the Barents Sea to the northeast. In the southwest, it is separate ...

, is

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 ...

's third-longest

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 ...

at long. It is located in the west-central part of the country in

Trøndelag Trøndelag (; or is a county and coextensive with the Trøndelag region (also known as ''Midt-Norge'' or ''Midt-Noreg,'' "Mid-Norway") in the central part of Norway. It was created in 1687, then named Trondhjem County (); in 1804 the county was ...

county, and it stretches from

Ørland Municipality Ørland is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Trøndelag Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Fosen Districts of Norway, region. Ørland is located at the southwestern tip of the Fosen peninsula at the northern ...

in the west to

Steinkjer Municipality or is a municipality in Trøndelag Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Innherad Districts of Norway, region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Steinkjer (town), town of Steinkjer which is located on the inne ...

in the north, passing the city of

Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; ), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros, and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2022, it had a population of 212,660. Trondheim is the third most populous municipality in Norway, and is ...

on its way. Its maximum depth is , in the channel between

Orkland Municipality Orkland is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Orkdalen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Orkang ...

and

Indre Fosen Municipality Indre Fosen is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Fosen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Årnset. Other villages in Indre Fosen include Askjem, Dalbygda, ...

. The largest islands in the fjord are

Ytterøya Ytterøya is an island in the Trondheimsfjord in Levanger Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The long island has an area of has about 600 residents (as of 2018). The highest point is the tall Sanstadkammen. The island has good agricul ...

and

Tautra Tautra is an island in Frosta Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located in the Trondheimsfjord, just north of the city of Trondheim. The island is connected to the rest of the municipality by a long causeway bridge. The island ...

; the small island of

Munkholmen Munkholmen () is an islet in Trondheim Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The island sits in the Trondheimsfjord about northwest of the island of Brattøra and the mouth of the river Nidelva in the center of the city of Trondheim. The ...

is located near the

harbor A harbor (American English), or harbour (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be moored. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is ...

of Trondheim; and there are several islands at the entrance of the

. The narrow ''Skarnsundet'' is crossed by the

Skarnsund Bridge The Skarnsund Bridge ( or ) is a long concrete cable-stayed bridge that crosses the Skarnsundet strait in Inderøy Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. When finished in 1991, it replaced the Vangshylla–Kjerringvik Ferry and it gives th ...

. The part of the fjord to the north of the

strait A strait is a water body connecting two seas or water basins. The surface water is, for the most part, at the same elevation on both sides and flows through the strait in both directions, even though the topography generally constricts the ...

is referred to as the ''

Beitstadfjorden Beitstadfjorden () is the innermost arm of the Trondheimsfjord in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located in Steinkjer Municipality, Inderøy Municipality, and a small part extends into Indre Fosen Municipality. The fjord has a length of from s ...

''. The main part of the Trondheimsfjord is

ice Ice is water that is frozen into a solid state, typically forming at or below temperatures of 0 ° C, 32 ° F, or 273.15 K. It occurs naturally on Earth, on other planets, in Oort cloud objects, and as interstellar ice. As a naturally oc ...

-free all year; only

Verrasundet Verrasundet is a fjord in Trøndelag county, Norway. The long fjord branches off of the northern part of the vast Trondheimsfjorden in Indre Fosen Municipality, Steinkjer Municipality, and Inderøy Municipality. It extends from Beitstadfjorden ...

, a long and narrow fjord branch in the northern part of the fjord, might be ice covered in winter. The

might also freeze over in winter, but only for a few weeks. The towns of

Stjørdalshalsen Stjørdalshalsen or Stjørdal (nickname: ''Halsen'') is a town and the administrative centre of Stjørdal Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located between the rivers Stjørdalselva and Gråelva to the south and north and by th ...

Levanger Levanger may refer to: Places * Levanger Municipality, a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway * Levanger (town), a town within Levanger Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway * Levanger landsogn, a former municipality (1856–1962) in Trø ...

, and

Steinkjer or is a municipality in Trøndelag Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Innherad Districts of Norway, region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Steinkjer (town), town of Steinkjer which is located on the inne ...

are found on the eastern and northeastern shores of the fjord. Aker Verdal in

Verdal Municipality Verdal is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Trøndelag Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Innherad Districts of Norway, region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the List of towns and cities in ...

produces large offshore installations for the

petroleum Petroleum, also known as crude oil or simply oil, is a naturally occurring, yellowish-black liquid chemical mixture found in geological formations, consisting mainly of hydrocarbons. The term ''petroleum'' refers both to naturally occurring un ...

sector. A yard in

completed the luxurious apartment ship ''

MS The World MS ''The World'' is a private residential cruise ship operated like a condominium complex, with large apartments that can be purchased. The residents, from many countries, can live onboard as it travels. Some choose to live onboard full-time whi ...

''.

Fiborgtangen Fiborgtangen is a peninsula and industrial site located along Trondheimsfjord in the northwest part of the village of Skogn in Levanger Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The site hosts the paper mill Norske Skog Skogn and the associated ...

is a peninsula along the eastern shore of the fjord where a large

paper mill A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags, and other ingredients. Prior to the invention and adoption of the Fourdrinier machine and other types of paper machine that use an endless belt ...

owned by

Norske Skog Norske Skog ASA, formerly Norske Skogindustrier ASA, which translates as ''Norwegian Forest Industries'', is a Norwegian pulp and paper company established in 1962. The company has long been one of the world's leading manufacturers of newsprint ...

is located. The Trondheimsfjord has rich

marine life Marine life, sea life or ocean life is the collective ecological communities that encompass all aquatic animals, aquatic plant, plants, algae, marine fungi, fungi, marine protists, protists, single-celled marine microorganisms, microorganisms ...

, with both southern and northern species; at least 90 species of fish have been observed, and the fjord has the largest biological production among Norway's fjords. In recent years,

deep water coral The habitat of deep-water corals, also known as cold-water corals, extends to deeper, darker parts of the oceans than tropical corals, ranging from near the surface to the abyss, beyond where water temperatures may be as cold as . Deep-water co ...

s ('' Lophelia pertusa'') were discovered in the fjord, not far from the city of

. Several of the best

salmon Salmon (; : salmon) are any of several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the genera ''Salmo'' and ''Oncorhynchus'' of the family (biology), family Salmonidae, native ...

rivers in Norway empty into the fjord. Among these are the rivers Gaula (on the border of

Melhus Municipality Melhus is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Trøndelag Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Gauldalen Districts of Norway, region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Melhus (village), village o ...

and

Trondheim Municipality Trondheim ( , , ; ), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros, and Trondhjem (), is a city and List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2022, it had a population of 212,660. Trondheim is the third most populou ...

), Orklaelva (in

Stjørdalselva Stjørdalselva () is a long river that reaches from near the Norwegian– Swedish border down the Stjørdalen valley through Meråker Municipality and Stjørdal Municipality before entering the Trondheimsfjord. The mouth is located on the sout ...

(in

Stjørdal Municipality () is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Trøndelag Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Stjørdalen Districts of Norway, region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the List of towns and cities in ...

), and

Verdalselva Verdalselva () is a long river in Verdal Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The river begins at Holmen in the village of Vuku at the confluence of the rivers Inna and Helgåa. The river Inna drains the lake Innsvatnet near the Swedish ...

(in

). The lowland east and south of the fjord represents one of Norway's best

agricultural Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created f ...

areas. The more rugged and mountainous

Fosen Fosen is a traditional district in coastal Trøndelag county, Norway. The district consists of the municipalities Osen, Åfjord, Ørland, Indre Fosen, Orkland, Heim, Hitra, and Frøya. In colloquial speech, Fosen also refers to the Fosen ...

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 ...

lies to the west and northwest, giving some shelter from the

wind Wind is the natural movement of atmosphere of Earth, air or other gases relative to a planetary surface, planet's surface. Winds occur on a range of scales, from thunderstorm flows lasting tens of minutes, to local breezes generated by heatin ...

common to coastal areas. The Trondheimsfjord was an important

waterway A waterway is any Navigability, navigable body of water. Broad distinctions are useful to avoid ambiguity, and disambiguation will be of varying importance depending on the nuance of the equivalent word in other ways. A first distinction is ...

in the

Viking Age The Viking Age (about ) was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonising, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. The Viking Age applies not only to their ...

, as it is still today. In 1888, an undersea

mudslide A mudflow, also known as mudslide or mud flow, is a form of mass wasting involving fast-moving flow of debris and dirt that has become liquified by the addition of water. Such flows can move at speeds ranging from 3 meters/minute to 5 meters/ ...

caused a

tsunami A tsunami ( ; from , ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and underwater explosions (including detonations, ...

that killed one person in Trondheim and ruptured three

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

lines. Four

giant squid The giant squid (''Architeuthis dux'') is a species of deep-ocean dwelling squid A squid (: squid) is a mollusc with an elongated soft body, large eyes, eight cephalopod limb, arms, and two tentacles in the orders Myopsida, Oegopsida, ...

have been found in the fjord, which is among the highest concentrations in the world.

Name

The fjord is named after the city of

, but originally the name of the fjord might have been just ''*Þrónd'' or ''*Þróund'' in

Old Norse Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants ...

. A name like that would be related to the verb ''þróast'', which means to 'thrive' or 'flourish' and the name ''Þrór'', which means 'likeable' or 'stoutish' (and was one of

Odin Odin (; from ) is a widely revered god in Norse mythology and Germanic paganism. Most surviving information on Odin comes from Norse mythology, but he figures prominently in the recorded history of Northern Europe. This includes the Roman Em ...

's nicknames). If this is the case, then the people living around the fjord (the ''þrœndir''; see

) named themselves after the fjord. (Compare ''sygnir'', which means 'the people living around the fjord

Sogn Sogn is a traditional district in Western Norway (''Vestlandet''). It is located in the county of Vestland, surrounding the Sognefjord, the largest/longest fjord in Norway. The district of Sogn consists of the municipalities of Aurland, Balestra ...

'.)

Media gallery

Korsvika2 110606.jpg, Korsvika, eastern Trondheim, view towards north Munkholmen og et fyr.jpg, Lighthouse and the island

Aasenfiord.JPG, Åsenfjord, near Stjørdal. The

Tirpitz Tirpitz may refer to: People * Alfred von Tirpitz (1849–1930), German admiral ** Tirpitz Plan, a plan for Germany to achieve world power status through naval power Ships * German battleship ''Tirpitz'', a World War II-era Bismarck-class ...

was moored nearby during parts of World War II. 03 Trondheim fjord a (5669409042).jpg, Coastal farm area along the fjord. Skarnsundbrua-2016.jpg,

, the only road crossing on the fjord. Nyhavna and Brattora, Trondheim 02.jpg, Harbour of Trondheim

References

External links

Norwegian Journal of Geology:The deglaciation of Trondheimsfjord

The rich bird life of the inner Trondheimsfjord wetland system
{{authority control Fjords of Trøndelag Geography of Trondheim Indre Fosen Ørland Orkland Skaun Malvik Stjørdal Frosta Levanger Verdal Steinkjer

Name

Media gallery

See also

References

External links