Norway has more fjords than any other country in the world, and they’re some of the most beautiful natural landmarks you can visit. Curious about what makes them so special? Check out these 8 things you should know about Norway’s fjords before your next trip!
1) What does fjord mean?
The fjord is a long, narrow arm of seawater carved out of the solid rock because of the ice. A fjord is an English word derived from an Old Norse word for inlet or bay. The most common types of fjords are created when a land glacier cuts into a coast; in turn, channels are formed through which glacial meltwater flows freely until it reaches deeper ocean waters.
2) Where do you find them?
Norway is home to over 3,000 fjords, making it one of only two countries in Europe that have long fjord-like inlets. The UK is home to Scotland’s Loch Ness and England’s Lake Windermere, but neither are as expansive as their Norwegian counterparts. Unsurprisingly, Norway has a lot of lakes: 13% of its total area! But what makes them so unique? It all comes down to how they were formed. While most lakes around the world were created by glacial erosion, Norway’s fjords were carved out by glaciers during an ice age more than 10,000 years ago. This means they're deeper and longer than most other bodies of water—and with steep sides that rise hundreds of feet above sea level, they're also much more dramatic!
3) How are they formed?
As glaciers eroded their way down hillsides, they carved deep valleys in their wake. Over time, those valleys were filled with water, creating an ever-narrowing passage of water that is now a fjord. A good example of that process is at Nærøyfjorden on Norway’s west coast. The half-mile-deep and -wide Nærøyfjorden has been carved out by a glacier; only about 10% of it was formed by water erosion!
4) Why is the water so blue?
The water is so blue because it is filled with tiny particles of glacial silt that reflect light. The fjords are very deep and narrow, and they have steep sides that rise abruptly from deep water, which helps make the water appear blue. The process of glaciers carving out these valleys into mountains is called glacial carving. Glaciers carry rocks and other debris in their path as they move forward, grinding away at anything in their way. When a glacier retreats (melts), it leaves behind a U-shaped valley known as a glacial trough or a fjord. In some cases, when glaciers retreat quickly or melt completely, large lakes can form behind them. These lakes drain through gaps between mountain ranges to create more fjords. In other cases, the land rises due to tectonic activity after a glacier melts; in those areas, you'll find lakes rather than fjords—such as Lake Superior in North America or Lake Baikal in Russia.
5) Who named them fjords?
A fjord is a long narrow inlet, or arm of the sea, surrounded by steep cliffs, characteristic of Scandinavia. Technically speaking, any long and deep channel or waterway in an arctic region is considered a fjord. Typically though, a fjord has one end that juts directly into an ice shelf and glaciers or tundra. The Norwegian word for fjord is a fjord, but because there are so many bodies of water with similar names found all over Europe, they're often identified by their local regions—like Scottish Lochs and Danish Fjords.
6) What is their connection to glaciers?
Fjords are narrow inlets of seawater that were carved by glaciers. Over time, as glaciers recede and lose mass, they leave behind depressions on Earth’s surface, creating fjord basins. Because glaciers do not melt uniformly throughout their length—that is, at different rates depending on their shape and location—the fjord basins can be extremely steep near where a glacier meets land but very shallow farther away from shore (if there is one). Other times, a fjord will extend inland from both sides of a glacier, resulting in an S-shape configuration. The more common V-shaped configuration results when multiple valleys merge to form a single fjord system.
7) Are there lakes with fjords as well?
Technically, no. But that hasn’t stopped some people from referring to lakes in Canada and Alaska as fjords. If you go by scientific definitions of a fjord, though, there are no true lakes with fjords in North America. There is a lake that many locals call Lake Michigan-Huron because it connects those two bodies of water on its eastern side.
8) Which countries have more fjords than Norway?
The top three countries with more fjords than Norway are Sweden, Finland, and Canada. There are over 3,000 fjords in Norway, which isn't too surprising since they have so much coastline. The most heavily fjord-populated area of Scandinavia is West Norwegian Fjordland, which stretches from Bergen to Sogn and has over 1,000 fjords along its shoreline. A visit to any of these regions would be nothing short of mesmerizing.
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