, also known as or , is the largest river in

Nordland Nordland (; smj, Nordlánnda, sma, Nordlaante, sme, Nordlánda, en, Northland) is a county in Norway in the Northern Norway region, the least populous of all 11 counties, bordering Troms og Finnmark in the north, Trøndelag in the south, ...

county,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. It is long and drains a watershed of . Its headwaters lie in the mountains of

Børgefjell National Park Børgefjell National Park ( no, Børgefjell nasjonalpark, sma, Byrkije vaarjelimmiedajve) is an undeveloped national park in Norway, straddling the border between Trøndelag and Nordland counties, along the border with Sweden. The park is undev ...

at the lake

Simskardvatnet or is a lake in the municipality of Hattfjelldal in Nordland county, Norway. It is the headwaters of the river Vefsna. The lake lies within Børgefjell National Park, just east of the municipal border with Grane. See also * List of lakes i ...

. The river runs through the municipalities of

Hattfjelldal Hattfjelldal ( sma, Aarborte) is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Helgeland traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Hattfjelldal. Other villages include Grubben, Svenskvo ...

, Grane, and

Vefsn Vefsn ( sma, Vaapste) is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Helgeland traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Mosjøen (population: 9,843). Some of the notable villages in Vefsn i ...

. The southern parts of the river are sometimes called the river ''Susna''. The river flows north, not far from the Swedish border, and some of the minor tributaries come from Sweden. At the town of

Mosjøen Mosjøen (; sma, Mussere) is a town in Vefsn Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. Mosjøen is the oldest town in the Helgeland region, with only the town of Bodø being older within Nordland county. The town is also the administrative centre ...

, the river discharges into the Vefsnfjord. The Laksforsen waterfall lies along its course.Photo of the falls at flood
/ref> Historically, it was an important

salmon Salmon () is the common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of ...

fishery, but it has now been infected with the salmon parasite

Gyrodactylus salaris ''Gyrodactylus salaris'', commonly known as salmon fluke, is a tiny monogenean ectoparasite which lives on the body surface of freshwater fish. This leech-like parasite has been implicated in the reduction of Atlantic salmon populations in the ...

Media gallery

Nordlandsbåtar.JPG, Nordlandsbåter on the Vefsna Fiordo Mosjøen (2).JPG Laksforsen.jpg Mosjoeen Olderskog.jpg Mosjoeen Sjoegata fra Oyfjellsida.jpg Mosjoen-2012-08-17-14-30 35.png Nedre Vapstsjon.jpg Vefsn IMG 4761 mosjöen.JPG Vapstalven nedstroms Virisen.jpg

References

Rivers of Nordland Hattfjelldal Vefsn Grane, Nordland Rivers of Norway {{Norway-river-stub