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Geography of Norway

Encyclopedia : G : GE : GEO : Geography of Norway

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Norway is located in Northern Europe on the western and northern part of the Scandinavian Peninsula, bordering the North Sea in southwest and the Skagerak inlet to the south, the North Atlantic Ocean (Norwegian Sea) in the west and the Barents Sea to the northeast. Norway has a long land border with Sweden to the east, a shorter one with Finland in the northeast and a still shorter border with Russia in the far northeast.

Norway is one of the world's most northerly countries, and one of Europe's most mountainous countries, with about two-thirds of the land area covered by the Scandinavian Mountains. The country has a very elongated shape, with one of the most rugged and longest coastlines in the world, and with some 50,000 islands off the much indented coastline. The mainland covers 13° latitude, from 58°N to more than 71°N, (Svalbard north to 81°N), and covers the longitude from 5°E to 31°E (Jan Mayen to 9°W, Kvitøya to 32°E).

The country-length chain of peaks is geologically continuous with the mountains of Scotland, Ireland and, crossing the Atlantic Ocean, the Appalachian Mountains of North America. Geologists hold that all these formed a single range prior to the breakup of the ancient supercontinent Pangaea.

Virtually the entire country was covered with a thick ice sheet during the last ice age, as well as in many earlier ice ages. The movement of the ice have carved out deep valleys, and when the ice melted, the sea filled many of these valleys, creating Norway's famous fjords.

The land is still rebounding from the enormous weight of the ice (isostatic rebound), "growing out of the sea" with several mm a year, especially the eastern part of the country and the inner part of the long fjords, where the ice cover were thickest. This is a slow process, thus the sea covered substantial areas of what is today dry land for thousands of years following the end of the ice age. The sea reached an elevation of 221 m in Oslo (Aker), 25 m in Stavanger, 5 m near Stadt, 180 m in Trondheim, 50 m in Tromsø and 75 m in Kirkenes. This old seabed is now among the best agricultural land in the country.

The glaciers ([1]) in the higher mountain areas today are not remnants of the large ice sheet of the ice age, their origins are much more recent. The regional climate were up to 1-3°C warmer 9000 - 5000 years ago (relative to the 1961-1990 period), melting the original ice sheet completely.

As a result of the ice carving, Sognefjorden is the world's deepest fjord and Hornindalsvatnet is the deepest lake ([1]) in Europe.

Waterfalls are common along the western part of the mountain chain.
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Waterfalls are common along the western part of the mountain chain.


Contents

Statistics

Norway - regions and counties
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Norway - regions and counties

Geographic coordinates: [62° N 10° E]

Map references: Europe

Area:
total: 324,220 km²
land: 307,860 km²
water: 16,360 km²
With Svalbard and Jan Mayen included: 385,199 km²

Area - comparative: slightly larger than New Mexico, but slightly smaller than Vietnam.
With Svalbard and Jan Mayen included, the area is slightly larger than Japan.

Land boundaries:
total: 2,515 km
border countries: Finland 729 km, Sweden 1,619 km, Russia 196 km

Coastline: 25,148 km (continental); 83,281 km (including islands) [link]

Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 10 nm (19 km)
continental shelf: 200 nm (370 km)
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm (370 km)
territorial sea: 4 nm (7 km)

Physical geography

Scandinavian mountains. The Scandinavian Mountains is the most defining feature of the country. Starting just north of the southern Skagerak coast, the mountains goes north, comprising large parts of the country, and intersected by the many fjords of Vestlandet. This part of the mountains includes Hardangervidda, Jotunheimen (with Galdhøpiggen 2469 m), Dovre, Trollheimen and large glaciers, such as Jostedalsbreen, Folgefonna and Hardangerjøkulen. From Dovre, south of Trondheim, the mountain chain swings eastwards, and reaches to the border with Sweden near Sylane. The mountains then follows the border in a northeasterly direction, again intersected by many fjords in Nordland and Troms.This part of the mountain chain is known as Kjølen, where the border with Sweden largely is defined by the watershed in the mountains. The Scandinavian mountains forms the Lyngen Alps and reaches into northwestern Finnmark, gradually becoming lower from Altafjord towards Nordkapp (North Cape), where they finally ends at the shores of the Barents sea.

The Scandinavian Mountains have naturally divided the country in physical regions; valleys radiate from the mountains in all directions. The following physical regions will only partially correspond to traditional regions and counties in Norway.

Southern coast. The southern Skagerak and North Sea coast is the lowland south of the mountain range, from Stavanger in the west to the western reaches of the outer part of the Oslofjord in the east. In this part of the country, valleys tend to follow a north - south direction. This area is mostly a hilly area, but with some very flat areas such as Jæren and Lista.

Southeast. The land east of the mountains (corresponding to Østlandet, most of Telemark and Røros) is dominated by valleys going in a north - south direction in the eastern part, and a more northwest - southeast direction further west, and the valleys congregate on the Oslofjord. The longest valleys in the country are Østerdal and Gudbrandsdal. This part also contains larger areas of lowland sourrounding the Oslofjord, as well as the Glomma river and lake Mjøsa.

Lysefjorden seen from Prekestolen
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Lysefjorden seen from Prekestolen

Western fjords. The land west of the mountains (corresponding to Vestlandet north of Stavanger) is more dominated by the mountain chain, as the mountains goes all the way to the coast, albeit gradually becoming lower towards the coast. This part is dominated by large fjords, the largest are Sognefjord and Hardangerfjord. Geirangerfjord is often regarded as the ultimate fjord scenery. The coast is protected by a chain of skerries (the Skjærgård) arranged to parallel the coast and provide the beginning of a protected passage almost the entire 1,600 km route from Stavanger to Nordkapp. The fjords and most valleys generally goes in a west - east direction, and further north a more northwest - southeast direction.

Trondheim region. The land north of Dovre (corresponding to Trøndelag except Røros) comprises a more gentle landscape with more rounded shapes and mountains, and with valleys congregating on the Trondheimsfjord, where they open up and forms a larger lowland area. Further north is the valley of Namdalen, opening up in the Namsos area. However, the Fosen peninsula, and the most northern coast (Leka) is more dominated by mountains and more narrow valleys.

Northern fjords. The land further north (corresponding to Nordland, Troms and northwestern Finnmark) is again more dominated by pointed mountains going all the way to the coast, and numerous fjords. The fjords and valleys generally goes in a west - east direction in the southern part of this area, and a more northwest - southeast direction further north. The Saltfjellet mountain range is an exception, as the valleys goes in a more north - south direction from these mountains. This long area comprises many large islands, including Lofoten and Vesterålen.

Far northeast. The interior and the land east of Nordkapp (corresponding to Finnmarksvidda and eastern Finnmark) is less dominated by mountains, and is mostly below 400 m. The interior is dominated by the large Finnmarksvidda plateau. There are large, wide fjords going in a north - south direction. This coast lacks the small islands forming the skerries so typical of the Norwegian coast. Furthest to the east, the Varangerfjord goes in an east - west direction, and is the only large fjord in the country opening up towards the east.

Svalbard. Further north, in the Arctic ocean, lies the Svalbard archipelago, which is also dominated by mountains, but these mountains are mostly covered by large glaciers, especially the eastern part of the archipelago, where glaciers cover more than 90%. Unlike the mainland, these glaciers calves directly in the open ocean.

Jan Mayen. To the far northwest, halfway towards Greenland, is the island Jan Mayen, where Beerenberg is found, the only active volcano in Norway.

Bouvet Island. Located in the South Atlantic Ocean at 54°S and mostly covered by glaciers, this island is one of the most remote islands in the world, only inhabited by seals and birds.

Peter I Island. This island in the South Pacific Ocean at 69°S; 90°W is dominated by glaciers and a volcano. As with Bouvet Island, this island is regarded as an external dependency, and not part of the Kingdom. However, the claim to Peter I Island is suspended by the Antarctic Treaty due to the location south of 60°S.

Queen Maud Land is Norway's claim in Antarctica. This large, sectorial area stretches to the South Pole and are completely dominated by the world's largest ice sheet, but with some impressive nunataks penetrating above the ice. The Troll Research Station manned by Norway is located on a snow free mountain slope, the only station in Antarctica not to be located on the ice.

Climate

The climate of Norway is surprisingly temperate for such a northern country; this is mainly due to the North Atlantic Current and mild air coming from the southwest.

Precipitation. The region to the west of the mountains in southern Norway (Vestlandet) is one of Europe's wettest due to orographic lift; Brekke in Sogn og Fjordane has the highest annual precipitation with 3575 mm; annual precipitation can exceed 5000 mm in mountain areas near the coast. The innermost parts of the long fjords will be somewhat drier, annual precipitation in Geiranger is 1351 mm and in Lærdal only 491 mm. The region to the east of the mountains (Østlandet, including Oslo) receives considerably less precipitation, usually less than 1000 mm a year, and enjoys more sunshine and usually warmer summers. Mountains also blocks the mild and moist air from southwest from reaching the far northeast, thus the interior of Finnmark gets less than 400 mm precipitation. Valleys surrounded by mountains can be very dry: Skjåk has the lowest average annual precipitation on the mainland with only 278 mm; the lowest yearly precipitation ever recorded on the mainland is 74 mm in Saltdal. Coastal areas from just south of Stavanger and north to Vardø have more than 200 days/year with precipitation; however this is with a very low threshold value (at least 0.1 mm precipitation). Average number of days/year with at least 3 mm precipitation is 77 in Blindern/Oslo, 96 in Kjevik/Kristiansand, 158 in Florida/Bergen, 93 in Værnes/Trondheim and 109 in Tromsø ([]).

Temperature. The islands in southern Lofoten, to the north of the Arctic Circle in North Norway, are the northernmost locations in the world where all winter months have an average temperature above 0°C. The influence of the mild North Atlantic Current weakens in the far northeast (east of North Cape), thus the interior of Finnmark has the coldest winters in the country. Winters can get cold in inland areas in southern Norway as well: Røros has recorded -50°C. Spring is the season when the temperature differences between the southern and northern part of the country is largest; this is also the time of year when daytime and nighttime temperatures differs the most.

The North Atlantic Current splits in two in the northern part of the Norwegian Sea; one branch goes east into the Barents Sea, while the other goes north along the west coast of Spitsbergen; this modifies the arctic polar climate somewhat and results in open water throughout the year at higher latitudes than any other place in the Arctic. On the eastern coast of the Svalbard archipelago, the sea used to be frozen during most of the year, but the last years have seen open waters noticeably longer.

Normal monthly averages range from -17.1°C in January in Karasjok 129 m a.s.l. ([]) to 17.3°C in July in Oslo - Studenterlunden 15 m.a.s.l. ([]). The warmest year average temperature is 7.7°C in Skudeneshavn in Karmøy, and the coldest is -3.1°C in Sihcajarvi in Kautokeino (excluding higher mountains and Svalbard); this is a 10.8°C difference, about the same as the temperature difference between Skudeneshavn and Athens, Greece ([link]).

The warmest temperature ever recorded in Norway is 35.6°C in Nesbyen. The coldest temperature ever recorded is −51.4°C in Karasjok. Average daily minimum temperature in January is -6.8°C in Oslo, -4.8°C in Kristiansand, -0.4°C in Bergen and -6.5°C in Trondheim and Tromsø. The average daily high in July is 21.5°C in Oslo, 20.1°C in Kristiansand, 17.6°C in Bergen, 18.4°C in Trondheim and 15.3°C in Tromsø ([]).

Climate data for some locations in Norway; base period 1961-1990 (temperatures are 24-hour average):
Location Elevation Temperature (°C) Precip/year Growing season
(days) 		Summer
(days) 		Snow >25 cm
(days)
Jan July year
Blindern/Oslo 94 m -4.3 16.4 5.7 763 mm 188 133 30
Lillehammer 242 m -9.1 14.7 2.9 660 mm 165 108 110
Sognefjellhytta/Lom 1413 m -10.7 5.7 -3.1 860 mm 58 0 244
Kristiansand 22 m -0.9 15.7 7.0 1380 mm 205 145 21
Sola/Stavanger 7 m 0.8 14.2 7.4 1180 mm 215 144 0
Florida/Bergen 12 m 1.3 14.3 7.6 2250 mm 215 143 3
Molde/Romsdal 20 m 0.5 13.5 6.7 1640 mm 195 120 no data
Værnes/Trondheim 12 m -3.4 13.7 5.0 892 mm 180 114 14
Nordøyan Fyr/Vikna 33 m 0.5 12.5 6.0 800 mm 188 98 1
Svolvær/Lofoten 10 m -1.5 13.0 4.7 1500 mm 165 87 19
Langnes/Tromsø 8 m -3.8 11.8 2.9 1000 mm 139 65 160
Honningsvåg/Nordkapp 10 m -4.5 10.3 2.0 765 mm 115 40 110
Kirkenes 10 m -11.5 12.6 -0.2 450 mm 125 65 140
Longyearbyen/Svalbard 28 m -14.6 6.5 -6.0 210 mm 50 0 34
Growing season: Number of days/year with 24-hour average temperature at least 5 °C.
Summer: Number of days/year with 24-hour average temperature at least 10 °C.
Snow: Number of days/year with at least 25 cm (ca. 10 in) snow cover on the ground; 1971-2000 base period.
Sognefjellhytta: Mountain lodge; large diurnal temperature variation is common in summer.
Nordøyan Fyr: Lighthouse, August is warmest month and is used in place of July.
Snow cover data from nearby locations: Skrova is used for Svolvær, Repvåg for Honningsvåg, Neiden for Kirkenes
and Svalbard Airport snow data (1976 - 2000 base period) is used for Longyearbyen.
Tromsø: Snow cover data is from a station 100 m a.s.l., Langnes will have slightly less snow.
Honningsvåg is on the southern coast of Magerøya, the Nordkapp plateau (307 m.a.s.l.) will be ca 2-3°C colder.

As seen from the table, Norway's climate shows large variations: Maritime mild temperate / marine west coast climate (Köppen: Cfb) as in Bergen; hemiboreal / humid continental (Dfb) as in Oslo; marine west coast - cool (Cfc) as in Svolvær; subarctic (Dfc) as in Kirkenes and polar tundra (ET) as in Longyearbyen (a narrow strip of land in northeastern Finnmark incl Vardø are also ET). In addition, large mountain areas have alpine tundra climates, and might have several climate zones below the treeline with decreasing altitude, depending on location and aspect.

Temperatures have tended to be higher in recent years. Using the same data source but with the years 1991-2005 as base period, this results in average January temperatures for the same stations that are 1 °C to 2.5 °C higher, while the July 24-hr average temperatures increases by approximately 0.5 to 1 °C.

Based on the 1991-2005 period, the January, July and Year 24-hr averages for Blindern/Oslo is −2.3°C, 17.3°C and 6.6°C. For Florida/Bergen the corresponding temperatures are 2.8°C, 15.1°C and 8.2°C, and for Værnes/Trondheim −0.7 °C, 14.8 °C and 5.9°C. As a consequence of this, snow cover have tended to decrease in those lowland areas where winter temperatures often hover around freezing (including most major cities).
Sources: See references.

Light and timezone

Areas in Norway located north of the Arctic Circle will have midnight sun and corresponding winter darkness, the length of both depends on the latitude. In Longyearbyen, the upper part of the sun disc is above the horizon (provided clear view against the northern horizon) from April 19 to August 23, and the winter darkness lasts from October 27 - February 14. The corresponding dates for Nordkapp is from May 11 - July 31, and November 19 - January 22. For Tromsø, the dates are May 17 - July 25, and November 26 - January 15; and for Bodø from May 30 - July 12 and December 16 - December 27. The winter darkness is not totally dark on the mainland; there is twilight for a few hours around noon in Tromsø, but in Longyearbyen there is near total darkness in the midst of the dark period. Even the southern part of the country experiences large seasonal variations in daylight; in Oslo the sun rises at 03:54 and sets 22:54 at summer solstice, but is only above the horizon from 09:18 - 15:12 at winter solstice.

The northern part of the country is located in the aurora borealis zone.

Norway uses Central European Time, corresponding to the 15° east longitude. As the country is very elongated, this is at odds with the local daylight hours at the eastern and western parts. In Vardø the local daylight hours is 64 minutes earlier, and in Bergen it is 39 minutes later. Daylight savings (GMT + 2) is observed from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October.

Terrain

A satellite image of southern Norway with snow shown as red highlights the terrain. Especially the fjords Sognefjorden and Hardangerfjorden are clearly visible.
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A satellite image of southern Norway with snow shown as red highlights the terrain. Especially the fjords Sognefjorden and Hardangerfjorden are clearly visible.

Glaciated; mostly high plateaus and rugged mountains broken by fertile valleys; small, scattered plains; coastline deeply indented by fjords; arctic tundra only in the extreme northeast (largely found on the Varanger Peninsula). Frozen ground all-year can also be found in the higher mountain areas and in the interior of Finnmark county. Numerous glaciers are still found in Norway.

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Norwegian Sea 0 m
highest point: Galdhøpiggen 2,469 m

Natural resources

petroleum, copper, natural gas, pyrites, nickel, iron ore, zinc, lead, fish, timber, hydropower

Land use

arable land: 3% (in use; some more marginal areas are not in use or used as pastures)
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 37%, of which 23% is productive forest ([])
other: 60% (mostly mountains)

Irrigated land: 970 km² (1993 est.)

Natural hazards:

Environment

Current issues

International agreements

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Major Geography - note: Strategic location adjacent to sea lanes and air routes in the North Atlantic Ocean.

Norwegian geography in fiction

In The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, fjords were an award winning geographical feature created by Slartibartfast when he helped in the construction of Earth.

In , scenes from the ice planet Hoth were filmed at Finse, Norway.

See also

Svartisen is the second largest glacier on the Norwegian mainland; the largest glaciers are on Svalbard.
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Svartisen is the second largest glacier on the Norwegian mainland; the largest glaciers are on Svalbard.

External links

References

 

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