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Lofoten

Lofoten (Norwegian pronunciation: [ˈlùːfuːtn̩]) is an archipelago and a traditional district in the county of Nordland, Norway. Lofoten has distinctive scenery with dramatic mountains and peaks, open sea and sheltered bays, beaches and untouched lands. There are two towns, Svolvær and Leknes – the latter is approximately 169 km (105 mi) north of the Arctic Circle and approximately 2,420 km (1,500 mi) away from the North Pole. The archipelago experiences one of the world's largest elevated temperature anomalies relative to its high latitude.

Lofoten
Reine, Lofoten, seen from top of Reinebringen
Lofoten
location in Norway
Lofoten
Lofoten (Nordland)
Geography
Coordinates68°20′N 14°40′E / 68.333°N 14.667°E / 68.333; 14.667Coordinates: 68°20′N 14°40′E / 68.333°N 14.667°E / 68.333; 14.667
ArchipelagoLofoten archipelago
Major islandsAustvågøy, Vestvågøy, Flakstadøy, Moskenesøy, Værøy, Røst
Area1,227 km2 (474 sq mi)
Administration
Norway
Demographics
Population24,500
Additional information
Official websitelofoten.info/en

Etymology

Lofoten (Old Norse: Lófótr) was the original name of the island Vestvågøya. The first element is (i.e., "lynx") and the last element is derived from Norse fótr (i.e., "foot"), as the shape of the island must have been compared with that of a lynx's foot. (The old name of the neighbouring island Flakstadøya was Vargfót, "wolf's foot", from vargr "wolf".) Alternatively it could derive from the word for light in reference to the presence of Aurora Borealis as the word for light itself is the root of the Old Norse word for lynx lóa, although the earliest evidence suggests Lófótr was first the name of the island of Vestvågøy and only later becoming the name of the chain of islands. Most parsimonious is the analogy with Aurora Borealis, as the word fótr is typically not used to describe the feet of beasts of prey, instead using the word hrammr (paw) or löpp (also paw) for animals such as cats or dogs. Fótr can be used to describe legs, and as such, light leg represents the most plausible etymology taking into account the geography of the archipelago, eventually morphing to describe only the island of Vestvågøy before once again describing the island chain from its main island.

Another name one might come across, is "Lofotveggen" or the Lofoten wall. The archipelago looks like a closed wall when seen from elevated points around Bodø or when arriving from the sea, some 100 kilometres (62 miles) long, and 800–1,000 metres (2,600–3,300 feet) high.

History

 
"Raftsund, Lofoten, Digermulen, Norway", c. 1890–1900.

According to Robert M. and others: "There is evidence of human settlement extending back at least 11,000 years in Lofoten, and the earliest archaeological sites ... are only about 5,500 years old, at the transition from the early to late Stone Age." Iron Age agriculture, livestock, and significant human habitation can be traced back to c. 250 BC.[1]

 
Svolvær in Lofoten, Norway. View from the ferry harbour

The town of Vågan (Norse Vágar) is the first known town formation in northern Norway. It existed in the early Viking Age, maybe earlier, and was located on the southern coast on eastern Lofoten, near today's village Kabelvåg in Vågan municipality. The Lofotr Viking Museum with the reconstructed 83-metre-long (272 ft) longhouse (the largest known) is located near Borg on Vestvågøy, which has many archeological finds from the Iron Age and Viking Age.[2]

The islands have for more than 1,000 years been the centre of great cod fisheries, especially in winter, when the cod migrate south from the Barents Sea and gather in Lofoten to spawn. Bergen in southwestern Norway was for a long time the hub for further export of cod south to different parts of Europe, particularly so when trade was controlled by the Hanseatic League. In the lowland areas, particularly Vestvågøy, agriculture plays a significant role, as it has done since the Bronze Age.

In March 1941 the islands were raided by British Commandos during Operation Claymore, and in a subsequent diversionary attack to support the Vaagso raid in December.

As of 2017, the islands attract one million tourists a year.[3]

Geography

 
Lofoten and Vesterålen

Lofoten is located at the 68th and 69th parallels north of the Arctic Circle in North Norway. Lofoten encompasses the municipalities of Vågan, Vestvågøy, Flakstad, Moskenes, Værøy, and Røst. The principal islands, running from north to south are:

Further to the south are the small and isolated islands of Værøy (67°40′N 12°40′E / 67.667°N 12.667°E / 67.667; 12.667) and Røst (67°37′N 12°7′E / 67.617°N 12.117°E / 67.617; 12.117). The total land area amounts to 1,227 square kilometres (474 square miles), and the population totals 24,500. Many will argue that Hinnøya, the northern part of Austvågøy and several hundred smaller islands, skerries and rocks to the east of Austvågøy are also part of the Lofoten complex. Historically, the territorial definition of Lofoten has changed significantly. Between the mainland and the Lofoten archipelago lies the vast, open Vestfjorden, and to the north is Vesterålen. The principal towns in Lofoten are Leknes in Vestvågøy and Svolvær in Vågan. The main islands are joined to each other and the mainland by road bridges.

The Lofoten Islands are characterised by their mountains and peaks, sheltered inlets, stretches of seashore and large virgin areas. The highest mountain in Lofoten is Higravstinden (1,161 metres (3,809 feet)) in Austvågøy; the Møysalen National Park just northeast of Lofoten has mountains reaching 1,262 metres (4,140 feet). The famous Moskstraumen (Malstrøm) system of tidal eddies is located in western Lofoten, and is indeed the root of the term maelstrom.

Geology

 
Geological map of Lofoten and Vesterålen

Lofoten is a horst ridge of bedrock.[4] The rocks of Lofoten belong to the wider Western Gneiss Region of Norway.[5] Some of the high relief and irregular surfaces of Lofoten has been attributed to etching that took place during the Mesozoic Era. Evidence of this would be the kaolinite found at some locations.[6] To the northwest the Lofoten archipelago is bounded by the NE–SW-trending West Lofoten Border Fault. This is a normal fault whose fault scarp has been eroded forming a strandflat.[7]

In Vestvågøya mountains have steep slopes towards the open sea in the northwest and southeast while slopes pointing towards the interior of the island are more gentle. This is the result of erosion acting on a landscape that has been uplifted along NE–SW-trending faults in the margins of Lofoten while the interior axis has remained more stable.[4] In tectonic terms mountains are half-grabens and faults are of the dip-slip type.[4]

The sea around Lofoten is known to host significant oil reserves: 1.3 bn barrels. Oil extraction in the Lofoten area is prohibited.[3]

Wildlife

The sea is rich with life, and the world's largest deep water coral reef, called the Røst Reef, is located west of Røst.[8] Approximately 70% of all fish caught in the Norwegian and Barents seas use its islands' waters as a breeding ground.[3]Otters are common, and there are elk on the largest islands. There are some woodlands with downy birch and rowan. There are no native conifer forests in Lofoten, but some small areas with private spruce plantations. Sorbus hybrida (rowan whitebeam) and Malus sylvestris occur in Lofoten, but not further north.

Birds

Some 27,000 ha of marine waters along the north-western coasts and fjords of the Lofoten Islands has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International (BLI) because it supports overwintering populations of common eiders and yellow-billed loons. The IBA contains or overlaps with the Seløya, Morfjorden, Laukvikøyene, Eggum and Borgværet nature reserves, as well as the Laukvikøyene Ramsar site.[9] Lofoten has a high density of sea eagles and cormorants, and millions of other sea birds, among them the colourful puffin. It has mainland Europe's largest seabird colony.[3] The birds once mistaken for the extinct great auk turned out to be some of the nine king penguins released around Norway's Lofoten Islands in August 1936, there until at least 1944.[10]

Climate

Lofoten features a mostly subpolar oceanic climate (Cfc) under the Köppen climate classification, although some parts like Skrova feature a temperate oceanic climate (Cfb). Winter temperatures in Lofoten are extremely mild considering its location north of the Arctic Circle – possibly the largest positive temperature anomaly in the world relative to latitude. The mild winters are a result of the temperate waters of the Norwegian Sea, which is warmed by the North Atlantic Current and the Norwegian Current. The mild air (Lows) from the Atlantic having a free path northwards even in winter is also very significant.

Strong winds can occur in late autumn and winter. Snow and sleet are not uncommon in winter. The mountains can have substantial amounts of snow, and avalanches may come down from the steep slopes.

In Svolvær, the sun is above the horizon continuously ("midnight sun") from 25 May to 17 July, and in winter the sun does not rise from 4 December to 7 January. In Leknes, the sun is above the horizon from 26 May to 17 July, and in winter the sun does not rise from 9 December to 4 January.

The temperature in the sea has been recorded since 1935. At 1 metre (3 feet 3 inches) depth in the sea near Skrova, water temperatures vary from a low of 3 °C (37 °F) in March to 14 °C (57 °F) in August, some years peaking above 17 °C (63 °F). November is around 7–8 °C (45–46 °F). At a depth of 200 metres (660 feet), the temperature is near 8 °C (46 °F) all year.[11] Skrova lighthouse on an island near Svolvær has the longest recording of air temperature in Lofoten. The warmest temperature recorded is 30.4 °C (86.7 °F) in June 1972. The coldest temperature recorded is −15.1 °C (4.8 °F) in February 1966. Last overnight freeze in June was in 1962, and last freeze in September was in 1986. Skrova and nearby Svolvær are among those places in North Norway which can record what Norwegians know as "tropical nights" when the overnight low does not go below 20 °C (68 °F). The warmest night recorded in Lofoten was July 1 1972 at Skrova with low 23.8 °C (74.8 °F),[12] and the earliest in summer was June 10th 2011 with low 21.5 °C (70.7 °F).[13] The wettest month recorded is December 1936 with 227 mm, and the driest is January 2014 with 0.9 mm.

Climate data for Skrova 1991–2020 (14 m, precipitation days 1961–90, extremes 1934–2022)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 10.6
(51.1)
8.5
(47.3)
10
(50)
17.4
(63.3)
24.3
(75.7)
30.4
(86.7)
29.8
(85.6)
26.9
(80.4)
22.1
(71.8)
17.1
(62.8)
13
(55)
11.2
(52.2)
30.4
(86.7)
Average high °C (°F) 2
(36)
1
(34)
2
(36)
5
(41)
9
(48)
13
(55)
16
(61)
15
(59)
12
(54)
8
(46)
5
(41)
3
(37)
8
(46)
Daily mean °C (°F) 0.9
(33.6)
0.2
(32.4)
0.7
(33.3)
3.1
(37.6)
6.8
(44.2)
10.6
(51.1)
13.6
(56.5)
13.3
(55.9)
10.4
(50.7)
6.5
(43.7)
4
(39)
2.2
(36.0)
6.0
(42.8)
Average low °C (°F) −1
(30)
−1
(30)
−1
(30)
2
(36)
5
(41)
9
(48)
12
(54)
12
(54)
9
(48)
6
(43)
3
(37)
1
(34)
5
(40)
Record low °C (°F) −12.7
(9.1)
−15.1
(4.8)
−12.3
(9.9)
−8.5
(16.7)
−3.4
(25.9)
−1.2
(29.8)
3.7
(38.7)
3.9
(39.0)
−1.4
(29.5)
−4.5
(23.9)
−10.7
(12.7)
−11.9
(10.6)
−15.1
(4.8)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 89
(3.5)
81
(3.2)
65
(2.6)
49
(1.9)
46
(1.8)
37
(1.5)
50
(2.0)
48
(1.9)
79
(3.1)
88
(3.5)
97
(3.8)
90
(3.5)
819
(32.3)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 14 11 11 10 9 9 11 10 15 17 15 15 147
Source 1: Norwegian Meteorological Institute[14]
Source 2: Weatheronline climate robot (avg highs/lows) [15]


Even if the islands are not that large, there are some climatic differences. The islands in the southwest, Værøy and Røst, have the warmest winters, but summer highs are cooler. Vestvågøy with the town Leknes has lowland in the interior of the island with mountains nearby; winters here are slightly colder and much wetter than at Skrova, while summers are drier and comparable.

Climate data for Leknes Airport 1991–2020
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 1
(34)
1
(34)
2
(36)
6
(43)
10
(50)
12
(54)
16
(61)
15
(59)
12
(54)
8
(46)
4
(39)
3
(37)
8
(46)
Daily mean °C (°F) 0
(32)
−0.6
(30.9)
0
(32)
2.8
(37.0)
6.5
(43.7)
9.9
(49.8)
12.8
(55.0)
12.2
(54.0)
9.4
(48.9)
5.2
(41.4)
2.6
(36.7)
1
(34)
5.2
(41.3)
Average low °C (°F) −2
(28)
−2
(28)
−2
(28)
1
(34)
4
(39)
8
(46)
11
(52)
10
(50)
7
(45)
4
(39)
2
(36)
0
(32)
3
(38)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 203
(8.0)
174
(6.9)
161
(6.3)
93
(3.7)
74
(2.9)
45
(1.8)
38
(1.5)
78
(3.1)
123
(4.8)
161
(6.3)
173
(6.8)
223
(8.8)
1,546
(60.9)
Source 1: Norwegian Meteorological Institute[14]
Source 2: Weatheronline climate robot (avg highs/lows) [16]

Sport

Mountaineering and rock climbing

 
A mountain massif of Flakstadøya island backgrounding the road to Nusfjord village

Lofoten offers many rock climbing and mountaineering opportunities. It has 24 hours of daylight in the summer and has Alpine-style ridges, summits and glaciers, but at a height of less than 1,200 metres (3,900 feet). The main centre for rock climbing is Henningsvær on Austvågøya.

The main areas for mountaineering and climbing are on Austvågøy and Moskenesøya. Moskenesøya features remote and serious mountaineering whereas Austvågøy is very popular area for rock climbing.[citation needed]

Football

Lofoten has one of the world's most noteworthy football pitches. The pitch rests on a rocky islet which has no actual seats.[17]

Surfing

Unstad is one of its better known locations for surfing. Every September surfers from around the world visit to compete in the Lofoten Masters.[18]

Cycling

There is a well-marked cycling route that goes from Å in the south and continues past Fiskebøl in the north. The route is part public road, part cycle-path with the option to bypass all of the tunnels by either cycle-path (tunnels through mountains) or boat. Traffic is generally light, although in July there may be a lot of campervans. Some of the more remote sections are on gravel roads. There is a dedicated cycling ferry which sails between Ballstad and Nusfjord, allowing cyclists to avoid the long, steep Nappstraum tunnel. The route hugs the coastline for most of its length where it is generally flat. As it turns inland through the mountain passes there are a couple of 300–400-metre (980–1,310-foot) climbs.[citation needed]

The Lofoten Insomnia Cycling Race[19][full citation needed] takes place every year around midsummer, possible in the midnight sun, but certainly in 24-hour daylight, along the whole Lofoten archipelago.

The Arctic Race of Norway, the world's northernmost professional stage race on road bike which takes place every year in Northern Norway, crossed the Lofoten islands during its first edition in August 2013. As of 2015, the race was planned to be back in 2019 from Thursday 15 August to Sunday 18 August. The first two stages will cross the Lofoten archipelago from west to east.[20][full citation needed]

Transportation

 
The E10 road follows the archipelago southwest to Å. Late August near Eggum, Vestvågøy

The European road E10 connects the larger islands of Lofoten with bridges and undersea tunnels. The E10 road also connects Lofoten to the mainland of Norway through the Lofast road connection, which was officially opened on 1 December 2007. There are several daily bus services between the islands of Lofoten and between Lofoten and the mainland along E10.

Lofoten is also served by a number of small airports:

Bodø is often used as a hub for travel to Lofoten. In addition to air travel there is a ferry connecting Bodø to Moskenes. There is also a ferry connecting Svolvær to Skutvik in Hamarøy, with road connection east to E6. Hurtigruten calls at Stamsund and Svolvær.

Culture

Visual arts

Lofoten International Art Festival [no] (Lofoten internasjonale kunstfestival, LIAF) is a contemporary art biennale with no set venue or location on the archipelago.[21] Artists who have participated include Kjersti Andvig, Michel Auder, A K Dolven, Ida Ekblad, Elmgreen & Dragset, and Lawrence Weiner.[22][23][24][25]

The North Norwegian Art Centre [no] (Nordnorsk Kunstnersenter, NNKS) was established in Svolvær in 1979.[26]

KaviarFactory [no] is a privately-owned contemporary art space in Henningsvær.[27]

The Nordland School of Art and Film [no] (Nordland kunst- og filmhøgskole, NKFS) was established in Kabelvåg in 1997.[28]

In popular culture

Literature

Films

  • In the film Maelström, Lofoten is where the ashes of Annstein Karson are distributed.
  • In the film The Sunlit Night, Lofoten is where the protagonist Frances decides to aid a fellow critically reviled artist.

Television

  • The Norwegian television crime drama series Twin, which premiered on 27 October 2019 on NRK, is set in the Lofoten Islands.
  • The Grand Tour: A Scandi Flick special was filmed in Lofoten in 2022.

Paintings

Norwegian painter Gunnar Berg was known for his paintings of his native Lofoten. He principally painted scenes of the everyday life of the local fishermen. Other artists whose work has been associated with Lofoten include Adelsteen Normann, Otto Sinding, Christian Krohg, Theodor Kittelsen and Lev Lagorio.[29]

Music

In 2004, Nurse with Wound broadcast 24 unexpected radio transmissions from the Lofoten Islands,[citation needed] whose sounds were sourced from the environment and objects found in Lofoten. These recordings are included on their three releases entitled Shipwreck Radio.[30]

 
fra Lofoten by Theodor Kittelsen (1890).

See also

References

  1. ^ D'Anjou, Robert M.; Bradley, Raymond S.; Balascio, Nicholas L.; Finkelstein, David B. (2012). "Climate impacts on human settlement and agricultural activities in northern Norway revealed through sediment biogeochemistry". PNAS. 109 (50): 20332–20337. Bibcode:2012PNAS..10920332D. doi:10.1073/pnas.1212730109. PMC 3528558. PMID 23185025.
  2. ^ "Norway – Vestvågøy – Vendalsjord". www.travels-in-time.net.
  3. ^ a b c d M.F. (29 Aug 2017). "Why Norway may leave $65bn worth of oil in the ground". The Economist.
  4. ^ a b c Bergh, Steffen G.; Liland, Kristian H.; Corner, Geoffred D.; Henningsen, Tormod; Lundekvam, Petter A. (2018). "Fault-controlled asymmetric landscapes and low-relief surfaces on Vestvågøya, Lofoten, North Norway: inherited Mesozoic rift-margin structures?" (PDF). Norwegian Journal of Geology. 98 (4). doi:10.17850/njg98-3-06. Retrieved January 29, 2019.
  5. ^ Steltenpohl, Mark G.; Hames, Willis E.; Andresen, Arild (2004). "The Silurian to Permian history of a metamorphic core complex in Lofoten, northern Scandinavian Caledonides". Tectonics. 23 (1): n/a. Bibcode:2004Tecto..23.1002S. doi:10.1029/2003TC001522.
  6. ^ Lidmar-Bergström, K.; Näslund, J.O. (2002). "Landforms and uplift in Scandinavia". In Doré, A.G.; Cartwright, J.A.; Stoker, M.S.; Turner, J.P.; White, N. (eds.). Exhumation of the North Atlantic Margin: Timing, Mechanisms and Implications for Petroleum Exploration. Geological Society, London, Special Publications. The Geological Society of London. pp. 103–116.
  7. ^ Osmundsen, P.T.; Redfield, T.F.; Hendriks, B.H.W.; Bergh, S.; Hansen, J.-A.; Henderson, I.H.C.; Dehls, J.; Lauknes, T.R.; Larsen, Y.; Anda, E.; Davidsen, B. (2010). "Fault-controlled alpine topography in Norway". Journal of the Geological Society, London. 167 (1): 83–98. Bibcode:2010JGSoc.167...83O. doi:10.1144/0016-76492009-019. S2CID 129912355.
  8. ^ . Archived from the original on February 8, 2007.
  9. ^ "Lofoten". BirdLife Data Zone. BirdLife International. 2021. Retrieved 2021-12-12.
  10. ^ Martin, Stephen. Penguin. Reaktion Books Ltd., 2009, p. 22.
  11. ^ "Faste stasjoner". www.imr.no.
  12. ^ "Vær og Vind - NORGE – Alle tropenetter - Powered by Proweb".
  13. ^ Nordland, Avisa (2011). "Varmerekord og tropenatt" (in Norwegian).
  14. ^ a b . Archived from the original on 2021-01-28. Retrieved 2021-01-27.
  15. ^ "Weatheronline climate robot Skrova lighthouse". Weather online. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  16. ^ "Weatheronline climate robot Leknes Airport". Weather online. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  17. ^ "Amusing Planet: Stadium in Henningsvær". Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  18. ^ "Ekstremsurferne Inntar Lofoten". nrk.no. Opphavsrett NRK. 4 August 2012.
  19. ^ "Zalaris Lofoten Insomnia".
  20. ^ "Official route of Arctic Race of Norway 2021". www.arctic-race-of-norway.com.
  21. ^ "Lofoten International Art Festival LIAF (Norway)". Biennial Foundation. Retrieved 2021-07-01.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  22. ^ Yazdani, Sara R. (2016-09-02). "Eloquent Materials". Kunstkritikk. ISSN 1504-0925. Retrieved 2021-07-01.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  23. ^ Tangen, Leif Magne (2006-03-10). "LIAF 06". Kunstkritikk (in Norwegian Bokmål). ISSN 1504-0925. Retrieved 2021-07-01.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  24. ^ Hammer, Erlend (2011-05-23). "LIAF 2011: Mindre snakk, mer handling!". Kunstkritikk (in Norwegian Bokmål). ISSN 1504-0925. Retrieved 2021-07-01.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  25. ^ Sutton, Kate (2013-09-18). "Diary – Winter Is Coming". Artforum. ISSN 0004-3532. Retrieved 2021-07-01.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  26. ^ "Forsiden". NNKS. Retrieved 2021-07-01.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  27. ^ Bomsdorf, Clemens (2010-07-12). "Art space to open in Norwegian caviar factory". The Art Newspaper. ISSN 0960-6556. from the original on 2010-07-17.
  28. ^ "Nordland kunst- og filmhøgskole". NKFS (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 2021-07-01.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  29. ^ "The Northern Lights Route – Lofoten in Paintings". www.ub.uit.no.
  30. ^ "Lofoten Northern Light - Experience the Aurora borealis in Norway". lofotennorthernlight.com.

Further reading

  • Rines, George Edwin, ed. (1920). "Lofoten" . Encyclopedia Americana.
  • Dyer, Anthony; Baddeley, John; Robertson, Ian H. (2006). Walks and Scrambles in Norway. Rockbuy Limited. ISBN 9781904466253.
  • Webster, Ed (1994). Climbing in the Magic Islands (in Norwegian). Henningsvaer, Norway: Nord Norsk Klatreskole. ISBN 9788299319904.
  • Craggs, Chris; Enevold, Thorbjørn (2008). Lofoten Rock. Rockfax Ltd. ISBN 9781873341667.

External links

  • Official website
  • Unesco World Heritage – Lofoten archipelago on the tentative list

lofoten, norwegian, pronunciation, ˈlùːfuːtn, archipelago, traditional, district, county, nordland, norway, distinctive, scenery, with, dramatic, mountains, peaks, open, sheltered, bays, beaches, untouched, lands, there, towns, svolvær, leknes, latter, approxi. Lofoten Norwegian pronunciation ˈluːfuːtn is an archipelago and a traditional district in the county of Nordland Norway Lofoten has distinctive scenery with dramatic mountains and peaks open sea and sheltered bays beaches and untouched lands There are two towns Svolvaer and Leknes the latter is approximately 169 km 105 mi north of the Arctic Circle and approximately 2 420 km 1 500 mi away from the North Pole The archipelago experiences one of the world s largest elevated temperature anomalies relative to its high latitude LofotenReine Lofoten seen from top of ReinebringenLofotenlocation in NorwayShow map of NorwayLofotenLofoten Nordland Show map of NordlandGeographyCoordinates68 20 N 14 40 E 68 333 N 14 667 E 68 333 14 667 Coordinates 68 20 N 14 40 E 68 333 N 14 667 E 68 333 14 667ArchipelagoLofoten archipelagoMajor islandsAustvagoy Vestvagoy Flakstadoy Moskenesoy Vaeroy RostArea1 227 km2 474 sq mi AdministrationNorwayDemographicsPopulation24 500Additional informationOfficial websitelofoten wbr info wbr en Contents 1 Etymology 2 History 3 Geography 3 1 Geology 3 2 Wildlife 3 2 1 Birds 3 3 Climate 4 Sport 4 1 Mountaineering and rock climbing 4 2 Football 4 3 Surfing 4 4 Cycling 5 Transportation 6 Culture 6 1 Visual arts 6 2 In popular culture 6 2 1 Literature 6 2 2 Films 6 2 3 Television 6 2 4 Paintings 6 2 5 Music 7 See also 8 References 9 Further reading 10 External linksEtymology EditLofoten Old Norse Lofotr was the original name of the island Vestvagoya The first element is lo i e lynx and the last element is derived from Norse fotr i e foot as the shape of the island must have been compared with that of a lynx s foot The old name of the neighbouring island Flakstadoya was Vargfot wolf s foot from vargr wolf Alternatively it could derive from the word for light in reference to the presence of Aurora Borealis as the word for light itself is the root of the Old Norse word for lynx loa although the earliest evidence suggests Lofotr was first the name of the island of Vestvagoy and only later becoming the name of the chain of islands Most parsimonious is the analogy with Aurora Borealis as the word fotr is typically not used to describe the feet of beasts of prey instead using the word hrammr paw or lopp also paw for animals such as cats or dogs Fotr can be used to describe legs and as such light leg represents the most plausible etymology taking into account the geography of the archipelago eventually morphing to describe only the island of Vestvagoy before once again describing the island chain from its main island Another name one might come across is Lofotveggen or the Lofoten wall The archipelago looks like a closed wall when seen from elevated points around Bodo or when arriving from the sea some 100 kilometres 62 miles long and 800 1 000 metres 2 600 3 300 feet high History Edit Raftsund Lofoten Digermulen Norway c 1890 1900 According to Robert M and others There is evidence of human settlement extending back at least 11 000 years in Lofoten and the earliest archaeological sites are only about 5 500 years old at the transition from the early to late Stone Age Iron Age agriculture livestock and significant human habitation can be traced back to c 250 BC 1 Svolvaer in Lofoten Norway View from the ferry harbour The town of Vagan Norse Vagar is the first known town formation in northern Norway It existed in the early Viking Age maybe earlier and was located on the southern coast on eastern Lofoten near today s village Kabelvag in Vagan municipality The Lofotr Viking Museum with the reconstructed 83 metre long 272 ft longhouse the largest known is located near Borg on Vestvagoy which has many archeological finds from the Iron Age and Viking Age 2 The islands have for more than 1 000 years been the centre of great cod fisheries especially in winter when the cod migrate south from the Barents Sea and gather in Lofoten to spawn Bergen in southwestern Norway was for a long time the hub for further export of cod south to different parts of Europe particularly so when trade was controlled by the Hanseatic League In the lowland areas particularly Vestvagoy agriculture plays a significant role as it has done since the Bronze Age In March 1941 the islands were raided by British Commandos during Operation Claymore and in a subsequent diversionary attack to support the Vaagso raid in December As of 2017 the islands attract one million tourists a year 3 Geography Edit Lofoten and Vesteralen Lofoten is located at the 68th and 69th parallels north of the Arctic Circle in North Norway Lofoten encompasses the municipalities of Vagan Vestvagoy Flakstad Moskenes Vaeroy and Rost The principal islands running from north to south are Southern tip of Hinnoya Southern 60 approx of Austvagoy 526 7 square kilometres 203 4 square miles in total 68 20 N 14 40 E 68 333 N 14 667 E 68 333 14 667 Gimsoya 46 4 square kilometres 17 9 square miles 68 18 N 14 11 E 68 300 N 14 183 E 68 300 14 183 Vestvagoy 411 1 square kilometres 158 7 square miles 68 10 N 13 45 E 68 167 N 13 750 E 68 167 13 750 Flakstadoya 109 8 square kilometres 42 4 square miles 68 5 N 13 20 E 68 083 N 13 333 E 68 083 13 333 Moskenesoya 185 9 square kilometres 71 8 square miles 67 55 N 13 0 E 67 917 N 13 000 E 67 917 13 000 Further to the south are the small and isolated islands of Vaeroy 67 40 N 12 40 E 67 667 N 12 667 E 67 667 12 667 and Rost 67 37 N 12 7 E 67 617 N 12 117 E 67 617 12 117 The total land area amounts to 1 227 square kilometres 474 square miles and the population totals 24 500 Many will argue that Hinnoya the northern part of Austvagoy and several hundred smaller islands skerries and rocks to the east of Austvagoy are also part of the Lofoten complex Historically the territorial definition of Lofoten has changed significantly Between the mainland and the Lofoten archipelago lies the vast open Vestfjorden and to the north is Vesteralen The principal towns in Lofoten are Leknes in Vestvagoy and Svolvaer in Vagan The main islands are joined to each other and the mainland by road bridges The Lofoten Islands are characterised by their mountains and peaks sheltered inlets stretches of seashore and large virgin areas The highest mountain in Lofoten is Higravstinden 1 161 metres 3 809 feet in Austvagoy the Moysalen National Park just northeast of Lofoten has mountains reaching 1 262 metres 4 140 feet The famous Moskstraumen Malstrom system of tidal eddies is located in western Lofoten and is indeed the root of the term maelstrom Geology Edit Geological map of Lofoten and Vesteralen See also Transscandinavian Igneous Belt Lofoten is a horst ridge of bedrock 4 The rocks of Lofoten belong to the wider Western Gneiss Region of Norway 5 Some of the high relief and irregular surfaces of Lofoten has been attributed to etching that took place during the Mesozoic Era Evidence of this would be the kaolinite found at some locations 6 To the northwest the Lofoten archipelago is bounded by the NE SW trending West Lofoten Border Fault This is a normal fault whose fault scarp has been eroded forming a strandflat 7 In Vestvagoya mountains have steep slopes towards the open sea in the northwest and southeast while slopes pointing towards the interior of the island are more gentle This is the result of erosion acting on a landscape that has been uplifted along NE SW trending faults in the margins of Lofoten while the interior axis has remained more stable 4 In tectonic terms mountains are half grabens and faults are of the dip slip type 4 The sea around Lofoten is known to host significant oil reserves 1 3 bn barrels Oil extraction in the Lofoten area is prohibited 3 Wildlife Edit The sea is rich with life and the world s largest deep water coral reef called the Rost Reef is located west of Rost 8 Approximately 70 of all fish caught in the Norwegian and Barents seas use its islands waters as a breeding ground 3 Otters are common and there are elk on the largest islands There are some woodlands with downy birch and rowan There are no native conifer forests in Lofoten but some small areas with private spruce plantations Sorbus hybrida rowan whitebeam and Malus sylvestris occur in Lofoten but not further north Birds Edit Some 27 000 ha of marine waters along the north western coasts and fjords of the Lofoten Islands has been designated an Important Bird Area IBA by BirdLife International BLI because it supports overwintering populations of common eiders and yellow billed loons The IBA contains or overlaps with the Seloya Morfjorden Laukvikoyene Eggum and Borgvaeret nature reserves as well as the Laukvikoyene Ramsar site 9 Lofoten has a high density of sea eagles and cormorants and millions of other sea birds among them the colourful puffin It has mainland Europe s largest seabird colony 3 The birds once mistaken for the extinct great auk turned out to be some of the nine king penguins released around Norway s Lofoten Islands in August 1936 there until at least 1944 10 Climate Edit Lofoten features a mostly subpolar oceanic climate Cfc under the Koppen climate classification although some parts like Skrova feature a temperate oceanic climate Cfb Winter temperatures in Lofoten are extremely mild considering its location north of the Arctic Circle possibly the largest positive temperature anomaly in the world relative to latitude The mild winters are a result of the temperate waters of the Norwegian Sea which is warmed by the North Atlantic Current and the Norwegian Current The mild air Lows from the Atlantic having a free path northwards even in winter is also very significant Strong winds can occur in late autumn and winter Snow and sleet are not uncommon in winter The mountains can have substantial amounts of snow and avalanches may come down from the steep slopes In Svolvaer the sun is above the horizon continuously midnight sun from 25 May to 17 July and in winter the sun does not rise from 4 December to 7 January In Leknes the sun is above the horizon from 26 May to 17 July and in winter the sun does not rise from 9 December to 4 January The temperature in the sea has been recorded since 1935 At 1 metre 3 feet 3 inches depth in the sea near Skrova water temperatures vary from a low of 3 C 37 F in March to 14 C 57 F in August some years peaking above 17 C 63 F November is around 7 8 C 45 46 F At a depth of 200 metres 660 feet the temperature is near 8 C 46 F all year 11 Skrova lighthouse on an island near Svolvaer has the longest recording of air temperature in Lofoten The warmest temperature recorded is 30 4 C 86 7 F in June 1972 The coldest temperature recorded is 15 1 C 4 8 F in February 1966 Last overnight freeze in June was in 1962 and last freeze in September was in 1986 Skrova and nearby Svolvaer are among those places in North Norway which can record what Norwegians know as tropical nights when the overnight low does not go below 20 C 68 F The warmest night recorded in Lofoten was July 1 1972 at Skrova with low 23 8 C 74 8 F 12 and the earliest in summer was June 10th 2011 with low 21 5 C 70 7 F 13 The wettest month recorded is December 1936 with 227 mm and the driest is January 2014 with 0 9 mm Climate data for Skrova 1991 2020 14 m precipitation days 1961 90 extremes 1934 2022 Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec YearRecord high C F 10 6 51 1 8 5 47 3 10 50 17 4 63 3 24 3 75 7 30 4 86 7 29 8 85 6 26 9 80 4 22 1 71 8 17 1 62 8 13 55 11 2 52 2 30 4 86 7 Average high C F 2 36 1 34 2 36 5 41 9 48 13 55 16 61 15 59 12 54 8 46 5 41 3 37 8 46 Daily mean C F 0 9 33 6 0 2 32 4 0 7 33 3 3 1 37 6 6 8 44 2 10 6 51 1 13 6 56 5 13 3 55 9 10 4 50 7 6 5 43 7 4 39 2 2 36 0 6 0 42 8 Average low C F 1 30 1 30 1 30 2 36 5 41 9 48 12 54 12 54 9 48 6 43 3 37 1 34 5 40 Record low C F 12 7 9 1 15 1 4 8 12 3 9 9 8 5 16 7 3 4 25 9 1 2 29 8 3 7 38 7 3 9 39 0 1 4 29 5 4 5 23 9 10 7 12 7 11 9 10 6 15 1 4 8 Average precipitation mm inches 89 3 5 81 3 2 65 2 6 49 1 9 46 1 8 37 1 5 50 2 0 48 1 9 79 3 1 88 3 5 97 3 8 90 3 5 819 32 3 Average precipitation days 1 0 mm 14 11 11 10 9 9 11 10 15 17 15 15 147Source 1 Norwegian Meteorological Institute 14 Source 2 Weatheronline climate robot avg highs lows 15 Even if the islands are not that large there are some climatic differences The islands in the southwest Vaeroy and Rost have the warmest winters but summer highs are cooler Vestvagoy with the town Leknes has lowland in the interior of the island with mountains nearby winters here are slightly colder and much wetter than at Skrova while summers are drier and comparable Climate data for Leknes Airport 1991 2020Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec YearAverage high C F 1 34 1 34 2 36 6 43 10 50 12 54 16 61 15 59 12 54 8 46 4 39 3 37 8 46 Daily mean C F 0 32 0 6 30 9 0 32 2 8 37 0 6 5 43 7 9 9 49 8 12 8 55 0 12 2 54 0 9 4 48 9 5 2 41 4 2 6 36 7 1 34 5 2 41 3 Average low C F 2 28 2 28 2 28 1 34 4 39 8 46 11 52 10 50 7 45 4 39 2 36 0 32 3 38 Average precipitation mm inches 203 8 0 174 6 9 161 6 3 93 3 7 74 2 9 45 1 8 38 1 5 78 3 1 123 4 8 161 6 3 173 6 8 223 8 8 1 546 60 9 Source 1 Norwegian Meteorological Institute 14 Source 2 Weatheronline climate robot avg highs lows 16 Sport EditMountaineering and rock climbing Edit A mountain massif of Flakstadoya island backgrounding the road to Nusfjord village Lofoten offers many rock climbing and mountaineering opportunities It has 24 hours of daylight in the summer and has Alpine style ridges summits and glaciers but at a height of less than 1 200 metres 3 900 feet The main centre for rock climbing is Henningsvaer on Austvagoya The main areas for mountaineering and climbing are on Austvagoy and Moskenesoya Moskenesoya features remote and serious mountaineering whereas Austvagoy is very popular area for rock climbing citation needed Football Edit Lofoten has one of the world s most noteworthy football pitches The pitch rests on a rocky islet which has no actual seats 17 Surfing Edit Unstad is one of its better known locations for surfing Every September surfers from around the world visit to compete in the Lofoten Masters 18 Cycling Edit Nusfjord There is a well marked cycling route that goes from A in the south and continues past Fiskebol in the north The route is part public road part cycle path with the option to bypass all of the tunnels by either cycle path tunnels through mountains or boat Traffic is generally light although in July there may be a lot of campervans Some of the more remote sections are on gravel roads There is a dedicated cycling ferry which sails between Ballstad and Nusfjord allowing cyclists to avoid the long steep Nappstraum tunnel The route hugs the coastline for most of its length where it is generally flat As it turns inland through the mountain passes there are a couple of 300 400 metre 980 1 310 foot climbs citation needed The Lofoten Insomnia Cycling Race 19 full citation needed takes place every year around midsummer possible in the midnight sun but certainly in 24 hour daylight along the whole Lofoten archipelago The Arctic Race of Norway the world s northernmost professional stage race on road bike which takes place every year in Northern Norway crossed the Lofoten islands during its first edition in August 2013 As of 2015 update the race was planned to be back in 2019 from Thursday 15 August to Sunday 18 August The first two stages will cross the Lofoten archipelago from west to east 20 full citation needed Transportation Edit The E10 road follows the archipelago southwest to A Late August near Eggum Vestvagoy The European road E10 connects the larger islands of Lofoten with bridges and undersea tunnels The E10 road also connects Lofoten to the mainland of Norway through the Lofast road connection which was officially opened on 1 December 2007 There are several daily bus services between the islands of Lofoten and between Lofoten and the mainland along E10 Lofoten is also served by a number of small airports Leknes Airport 101 757 passengers in 2014 Svolvaer Airport Helle 74 496 passengers in 2014 Rost Airport 9 889 passengers in 2014 which mainly offers flights to Bodo A heliport at Vaeroy 9 420 passengers in 2014 Stokmarknes Airport Skagen 93 782 passengers in 2016 is located in Vesteralen Harstad Narvik Airport Evenes has direct flights to Oslo and Trondheim Bodo is often used as a hub for travel to Lofoten In addition to air travel there is a ferry connecting Bodo to Moskenes There is also a ferry connecting Svolvaer to Skutvik in Hamaroy with road connection east to E6 Hurtigruten calls at Stamsund and Svolvaer Culture EditVisual arts Edit Lofoten International Art Festival no Lofoten internasjonale kunstfestival LIAF is a contemporary art biennale with no set venue or location on the archipelago 21 Artists who have participated include Kjersti Andvig Michel Auder A K Dolven Ida Ekblad Elmgreen amp Dragset and Lawrence Weiner 22 23 24 25 The North Norwegian Art Centre no Nordnorsk Kunstnersenter NNKS was established in Svolvaer in 1979 26 KaviarFactory no is a privately owned contemporary art space in Henningsvaer 27 The Nordland School of Art and Film no Nordland kunst og filmhogskole NKFS was established in Kabelvag in 1997 28 In popular culture Edit Literature Edit Edgar Allan Poe s short story A Descent into the Maelstrom tells the story of a man who survived his ship being drawn into and swallowed by Moskstraumen Many of the novels of Knut Hamsun are situated in the Lofoten Jules Verne s novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea 1870 concludes with the Nautilus having fallen into the Maelstrom and Prof Aronnax Conseil and Ned Land who had been attempting to escape when the Nautilus began its fall washed up on an island in the Lofotens Johan Bojer s novel The Last of the Vikings 1922 tells the story of the Lofoten cod fishermen In Ole Edvart Rolvaag s novel Giants in the Earth the Norwegian protagonists settling in Dakota Territory are immigrants from Lofoten The poem Pilot Nagel from the Greek sailor poet Nikos Kavvadias tells the story of the Norwegian sailor Nagel Harbor who dies at the port of Colombo while escorting a steamer tank on its way to his homeland the Lofoten islands Films Edit In the film Maelstrom Lofoten is where the ashes of Annstein Karson are distributed In the film The Sunlit Night Lofoten is where the protagonist Frances decides to aid a fellow critically reviled artist Television Edit The Norwegian television crime drama series Twin which premiered on 27 October 2019 on NRK is set in the Lofoten Islands The Grand Tour A Scandi Flick special was filmed in Lofoten in 2022 Paintings Edit Norwegian painter Gunnar Berg was known for his paintings of his native Lofoten He principally painted scenes of the everyday life of the local fishermen Other artists whose work has been associated with Lofoten include Adelsteen Normann Otto Sinding Christian Krohg Theodor Kittelsen and Lev Lagorio 29 Music Edit In 2004 Nurse with Wound broadcast 24 unexpected radio transmissions from the Lofoten Islands citation needed whose sounds were sourced from the environment and objects found in Lofoten These recordings are included on their three releases entitled Shipwreck Radio 30 fra Lofoten by Theodor Kittelsen 1890 See also EditAtlantic codReferences Edit D Anjou Robert M Bradley Raymond S Balascio Nicholas L Finkelstein David B 2012 Climate impacts on human settlement and agricultural activities in northern Norway revealed through sediment biogeochemistry PNAS 109 50 20332 20337 Bibcode 2012PNAS 10920332D doi 10 1073 pnas 1212730109 PMC 3528558 PMID 23185025 Norway Vestvagoy Vendalsjord www travels in time net a b c d M F 29 Aug 2017 Why Norway may leave 65bn worth of oil in the ground The Economist a b c Bergh Steffen G Liland Kristian H Corner Geoffred D Henningsen Tormod Lundekvam Petter A 2018 Fault controlled asymmetric landscapes and low relief surfaces on Vestvagoya Lofoten North Norway inherited Mesozoic rift margin structures PDF Norwegian Journal of Geology 98 4 doi 10 17850 njg98 3 06 Retrieved January 29 2019 Steltenpohl Mark G Hames Willis E Andresen Arild 2004 The Silurian to Permian history of a metamorphic core complex in Lofoten northern Scandinavian Caledonides Tectonics 23 1 n a Bibcode 2004Tecto 23 1002S doi 10 1029 2003TC001522 Lidmar Bergstrom K Naslund J O 2002 Landforms and uplift in Scandinavia In Dore A G Cartwright J A Stoker M S Turner J P White N eds Exhumation of the North Atlantic Margin Timing Mechanisms and Implications for Petroleum Exploration Geological Society London Special Publications The Geological Society of London pp 103 116 Osmundsen P T Redfield T F Hendriks B H W Bergh S Hansen J A Henderson I H C Dehls J Lauknes T R Larsen Y Anda E Davidsen B 2010 Fault controlled alpine topography in Norway Journal of the Geological Society London 167 1 83 98 Bibcode 2010JGSoc 167 83O doi 10 1144 0016 76492009 019 S2CID 129912355 Rost Reef 40 km long Archived from the original on February 8 2007 Lofoten BirdLife Data Zone BirdLife International 2021 Retrieved 2021 12 12 Martin Stephen Penguin Reaktion Books Ltd 2009 p 22 Faste stasjoner www imr no Vaer og Vind NORGE Alle tropenetter Powered by Proweb Nordland Avisa 2011 Varmerekord og tropenatt in Norwegian a b EKlima Archived from the original on 2021 01 28 Retrieved 2021 01 27 Weatheronline climate robot Skrova lighthouse Weather online Retrieved 27 March 2021 Weatheronline climate robot Leknes Airport Weather online Retrieved 27 March 2021 Amusing Planet Stadium in Henningsvaer Retrieved 12 November 2020 Ekstremsurferne Inntar Lofoten nrk no Opphavsrett NRK 4 August 2012 Zalaris Lofoten Insomnia Official route of Arctic Race of Norway 2021 www arctic race of norway com Lofoten International Art Festival LIAF Norway Biennial Foundation Retrieved 2021 07 01 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Yazdani Sara R 2016 09 02 Eloquent Materials Kunstkritikk ISSN 1504 0925 Retrieved 2021 07 01 a href Template Cite news html title Template Cite news cite news a CS1 maint url status link Tangen Leif Magne 2006 03 10 LIAF 06 Kunstkritikk in Norwegian Bokmal ISSN 1504 0925 Retrieved 2021 07 01 a href Template Cite news html title Template Cite news cite news a CS1 maint url status link Hammer Erlend 2011 05 23 LIAF 2011 Mindre snakk mer handling Kunstkritikk in Norwegian Bokmal ISSN 1504 0925 Retrieved 2021 07 01 a href Template Cite news html title Template Cite news cite news a CS1 maint url status link Sutton Kate 2013 09 18 Diary Winter Is Coming Artforum ISSN 0004 3532 Retrieved 2021 07 01 a href Template Cite news html title Template Cite news cite news a CS1 maint url status link Forsiden NNKS Retrieved 2021 07 01 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Bomsdorf Clemens 2010 07 12 Art space to open in Norwegian caviar factory The Art Newspaper ISSN 0960 6556 Archived from the original on 2010 07 17 Nordland kunst og filmhogskole NKFS in Norwegian Bokmal Retrieved 2021 07 01 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link The Northern Lights Route Lofoten in Paintings www ub uit no Lofoten Northern Light Experience the Aurora borealis in Norway lofotennorthernlight com Further reading EditRines George Edwin ed 1920 Lofoten Encyclopedia Americana Dyer Anthony Baddeley John Robertson Ian H 2006 Walks and Scrambles in Norway Rockbuy Limited ISBN 9781904466253 Webster Ed 1994 Climbing in the Magic Islands in Norwegian Henningsvaer Norway Nord Norsk Klatreskole ISBN 9788299319904 Craggs Chris Enevold Thorbjorn 2008 Lofoten Rock Rockfax Ltd ISBN 9781873341667 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lofoten Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Lofoten Wikisource has the text of the 1905 New International Encyclopedia article Lofoten Official website Unesco World Heritage Lofoten archipelago on the tentative list Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Lofoten amp oldid 1154628331, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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