Hjørundfjorden is a fjord

Fjord

Geologically, a fjord is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created in a valley carved by glacial activity.-Formation:A fjord is formed when a glacier cuts a U-shaped valley by abrasion of the surrounding bedrock. Glacial melting is accompanied by rebound of Earth's crust as the ice...

 in the traditional district

Districts of Norway

The country Norway is historically divided into a number of districts. Many districts have deep historical roots, and only partially coincide with today's administrative units of counties and municipalities. The districts are defined by geographical features, often valleys, mountain ranges, fjords,...

 of Sunnmøre

Sunnmøre

Sunnmøre is the southernmost traditional district of the western Norwegian county of Møre og Romsdal. Its main city is Ålesund. The region comprises the municipalities of Giske, Hareid, Herøy, Norddal, Sande, Skodje, Haram, Stordal, Stranda, Sula, Sykkylven, Ulstein, Vanylven, Volda, Ørskog,...

 in Møre og Romsdal

Møre og Romsdal

is a county in the northernmost part of Western Norway. It borders the counties of Sør-Trøndelag, Oppland and Sogn og Fjordane. The county administration is located in Molde, while Ålesund is the largest city.-The name:...

 county, Norway

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

. The 35 kilometres (21.7 mi) long fjord is an arm of the larger Storfjord

Storfjord (fjord)

The Storfjord is a fjord in the Sunnmøre region, stretching from Hareid in the west to Tafjord and Geiranger east in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The Storfjord system includes the famous Geirangerfjord and Tafjorden, at small village of Stranda it branches off into...

 that stretches south from Ålesund

Ålesund

is a town and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Sunnmøre, and the center of the Ålesund Region. It is a sea port, and is noted for its unique concentration of Art Nouveau architecture....

. Villages along the shores of the fjord include Leira

Leira, Ørsta

Leira is a small village in the Hjørundfjord area of the municipality of Ørsta in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It lies between Bjørke and Viddal, at the end of Hjørundfjorden...

, Sæbø

Sæbø, Møre og Romsdal

Sæbø is a village in the municipality of Ørsta in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The village is located along the Hjørundfjorden in the Bondalen valley. It is about north of the mountain Skårasalen...

, and Store Standal

Store Standal

Store-Standal is a small village in the Hjørundfjord area of the municipality of Ørsta in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The village has a population of approximately 20 people. Store-Standal is located on the Hjørundfjorden midway between the villages of Sæbø and Festøy...

.

Hjørundfjorden is surrounded by the Sunnmørsalpene

Sunnmørsalpene

Sunnmørsalpene is a collective term for the mountains range in Sunnmøre, Norway. The mountain range encircles the Hjørundfjorden in the municipalities of Volda, Ørsta, Stranda, and Sykkylven. These mountains have peaks reaching straight up from the fjord....

 mountain range in the municipalities

Municipalities of Norway

Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties , and 430 municipalities...

 of Ørsta

Ørsta

is a village and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Sunnmøre region of Western Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Ørsta...

 and Sykkylven

Sykkylven

Sykkylven is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Sunnmøre region. The administrative centre is the village of Aure. Other villages include Ikornnes, Straumgjerde, and Tusvik.-General information:...

, with mountain peaks reaching 1700 metres (5,577.4 ft) straight up from the fjord, including Skårasalen

Skårasalen

Skårasalen is a mountain in the municipality of Ørsta in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The tall mountain has the seventh largest prominence of all mountains in Norway. The mountain is located about south of the village of Sæbø and the Bondalen valley in the Hjørundfjord area of Ørsta...

 and Jakta

Jakta

Jakta is a tall mountain in the Sunnmørsalpene mountain range. It is located in the municipality of Ørsta in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. Jakta lies south of the nearby mountain Slogen and just across the Hjørundfjorden from the mountain Skårasalen. The village of Leira lies south of...

. Both sides of the fjord are heavily wooded, the result of the extensive rainfall on one of the world's wettest fjords.