Lofoten

Lofoten is an archipelago and a traditional district in the county of Nordland, Norway. Though lying within the arctic circle, the archipelago experiences one of the world's largest temperature anomalies relative to its high latitude.

The name

Lofoten (Norse Lófót) was originally the old name of the island Vestvågøya. The first element is ló 'lynx', the last element is fót 'foot'. The shape of the island must have been compared with a foot of a lynx. (The old name of the neighbouring island Flakstadøya was Vargfót 'the foot of a wolf' - from vargr m 'wolf'.)

Geography and nature

Lofoten is located at the 67th and 68th degree parallels north of the arctic circle in Northern Norway. It is well known for its exceptional natural beauty within Norway. Lofoten encompasses the municipalities of Vågan, Vestvågøy, Flakstad, Moskenes, Værøy, and Røst. The principal islands, running from north to south, are

Southern tip of Hinnøya
Austvågøy (526.7 km² 68°20′N 14°40′E / 68.333°N 14.667°E / 68.333; 14.667),
Gimsøya (46.4 km² 67°18′N 14°11′E / 67.300°N 14.183°E / 67.300; 14.183),
Vestvågøy (411.1 km² 68°10′N 13°45′E / 68.167°N 13.750°E / 68.167; 13.750),
Flakstadøya (109.8 km² 68°5′N 13°20′E / 68.083°N 13.333°E / 68.083; 13.333),
Moskenesøya (185.9 km² 67°55′N 13°0′E / 67.917°N 13.000°E / 67.917; 13.000),

whilst 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 km², and the population totals 24,500.

Between the mainland and the archipelago lies the vast, open Vestfjord, and to the north is Vesterålen. The principal towns in Lofoten are Leknes in Vestvågøy and Svolvær in Vågan. 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 m) in Austvågøy; the Møysalen National Park just northeast of Lofoten has mountains reaching 1,262 m. The famous Moskstraumen (Malstrøm) system of tidal eddies is located in western Lofoten, and is indeed the root of the term maelstrom. The sea is rich with life, and the world's largest deep water coral reef (Røst Reef, 40 km long) is located west of Røst. Lofoten has a very high density of sea eagles and cormorants, and millions of other sea birds, among them the colourful puffin. Otters are common, and there are moose on Austvågøy. There are some woodland with Downy birch and Rowan. There are no native conifer forest in Lofoten, but some small areas with private spruce plantations. The relative rare deciduous species Sorbus hybrida ("Rowan whitebeam") and Malus sylvestris occur in Lofoten, but not further north.

Climate

Winter temperatures in Lofoten are very mild considering the location north of the Arctic Circle (largest positive temperature anomaly in the world relative to latitude), due to the effects of the Gulf Stream. Røst and Værøy are the world's most northern locations where average temperatures are above freezing all year (1 2 3). Winters are slightly colder in the northeastern part of Lofoten; Svolvær has a January average of -1.5°C (30°F), but summers are a bit warmer, with both July and August 24-hr averages of 13°C (56°F). May and June are the driest months, while October has three times as much precipitation (4, 5). Typical daytime temperature in May is 9°C (48°F), in July 15°C (60°F) and in September 11°C (52°F). The warmest recording in Svolvær is 30.4°C (87°F). Strong winds can occur in late autumn and winter, but are rare late March - mid-October. Snow and sleet are not uncommon in winter; the mountains can have substantial amounts of snow.

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

History

File:Lofoten Islands88.jpg

Wooden church in Kabelvag, Lofoten islands.

Vågar 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. However, the Lofotr museum with the reconstructed longhouse is located near Borg on Vestvågøy, which have many archeological finds from the Iron Age and Viking Age (necklace). The islands have for more than 1,000 years been the center of great cod fisheries, especially in winter, when the cod migrates south from the Barents Sea and gathers in Lofoten to spawn. Bergen in southwestern Norway was for a long time the hub for further export south to large 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.

Small vessels fishing cod (skrei) outside Flakstad island (March, 2005).

Henningsvær, a fishing village in Lofoten during fishing season (April, 2001).

The name Lofoten, originally Lofotr, is derived from "lo", meaning lynx, and "fotr" meaning "the foot". Lofotr was originally the name of the island of Vestvågøy only. It has later become the name of the chain of islands. The chain of islands with its pointed peaks looks like a lynx' foot from the mainland. In Norwegian, it is always a singular. 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, some 100 km. long, and 800-1,000 m. high.

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

Mountaineering and rock climbing

Lofoten offers unique 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. The main centre for rock climbing is Henningsvær on Austvågøya.

The main areas for mountaineering are on Austvågøya and Moskenesøya.

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 (tunnels under sea). Traffic is generally light, although in July there may be a lot of camper vans. 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 though the mountain passes there are a couple of 3-400 meter climbs.

Communications

Lofoten, southside, from the air, May 1996.

Lofoten is served three small airports: Svolvær Airport, Helle, Leknes Airport and Røst Airport, which mainly offers flights to Bodø. There is a heliport at Værøy. Stokmarknes Airport, Skagen is located in Vesterålen. Harstad/Narvik Airport, Evenes has direct flights to Oslo and Trondheim. 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. There is also a fast catamaran passenger boat connecting Svolvær and Narvik.

The main road to Lofoten from Narvik and Harstad goes through Vesterålen, with a ferry crossing from Melbu to Fiskebøl. However, the new Lofast road across Hinnøya, scheduled to be completed by December 2007, will connect Lofoten to the mainland with no ferry crossings ([1]). All the larger islands in Lofoten are already connected by bridges.

External links