Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Fjords
Norway's signature landscape, the fjords rank among the most astonishing natural land-
forms anywhere in the world. The Norwegian coast is cut deeply with these inlets distin-
guished by plunging cliffs, isolated farms high on forested ledges and an abundance of ice-
blue water extending deep into the Norwegian interior.
Norway's fjords are a relatively recent phenomenon in geological terms. Although Nor-
wegian geological history stretches back 1.8 billion years, the fjords were not carved out
until much later. During the glacial periods over this time, the elevated highland plateaus
that ranged across central Norway subsided at least 700m due to an ice sheet up to 2km
thick. The movement of this ice, driven by gravity down former river courses, gouged out
the fjords and valleys and created the surrounding mountains by sharpening peaks and ex-
posing high cliffs of bare rock. The fjords took on their present form when sea levels rose
as the climate warmed following the last Ice Age (which ended around 10,000 years ago),
flooding into the new valleys left behind by melting and retreating glaciers. Sea levels are
thought to have risen by as much as 100m, creating fjords whose waters can seem impos-
sibly deep.
In 2005, Unesco inscribed Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord on their World Heritage List
because they 'are classic, superbly developed fjords', which are 'among the most scenically
outstanding fjord areas on the planet'.
Glacier Museums
Norwegian Glacier Museum
, Fjærland
Breheimsenteret Visitors Centre
, Nigardsbreen
Glaciers
Ranking high among the stand-out natural highlights of the country, Norway's glaciers
cover some 26,092 sq km (0.7% of mainland Norwegian territory and 60% of the Svalbard
archipelago) - at last count there were 2534 glaciers. But this is a far cry from the last Ice
Age, when Norway was one vast icefield; the bulk of the ice melted around 8800 years
ago.
