Tovdalselva or Topdalselva (literally: the Tov valley river) is 143 kilometres (88.9 mi) long and is one of the longest river

River

A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...

s in Southern Norway. The river flows from the northeast to the southwest and reaches the sea at the Topdalsfjorden between Hamresanden and Kjevik

Kristiansand Airport, Kjevik

Kristiansand Airport, Kjevik is situated northeast of the city Kristiansand, Vest-Agder in southern Norway, located from the city centre. The airport serves the Agder district with domestic and international flights. In 2008 the airport had 915,092 passengers. The airport is operated by Avinor...

. The upper reaches of the river include many lakes such as the Herefossfjorden

Herefossfjorden

Herefossfjorden is a lake in the municipality of Birkenes in Aust-Agder county, Norway. It is part of the Tovdalselva river. The Gauslåfjorden and Uldalsåna lakes flow into Herefossfjorden near the village of Herefoss. The Uldalsåna lake is held back by a dam and the Gauslåfjorden flows over a...

 and the Straumsfjorden

Straumsfjorden

Straumsfjorden is a lake that is located along the border of the municipalities of Bygland and Valle in Aust-Agder county, Norway. The lake has a dam on the south end which discharges into the Hjellevatn lake and eventually travels to the lake Topsæ and the Tovdalselva river drainage...

 (the largest lake on the river). It drains about 1800 square kilometres (695 sq mi) in territory and the highest point is 1101 metres (3,612.2 ft) above sea level. The drainage basin

Drainage basin

A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...

 includes parts or all of the following municipalities: Fyresdal

Fyresdal

Fyresdal is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Vest-Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Moland. The municipality of Moland was established on 1 January 1838 . In 1879, the name was changed to...

, Valle, Bygland

Bygland

Bygland is a municipality in the county of Aust-Agder, Norway. The municipal center is the village of Bygland. Other villages in the municipality include Byglandsfjord, Lauvdal, and Åraksbø...

, Evje og Hornnes

Evje og Hornnes

Evje og Hornnes is a municipality in Aust-Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional region of Setesdal. Evje og Hornnes was created as a new municipality on 1 January 1960 after the merger of the two older municipalities of Evje and Hornnes....

, Åmli

Åmli

Åmli is a municipality in the county of Aust-Agder, Norway. It is located in the traditional region of Sørlandet. The main population centre and administrative center is the village of Åmli which lies along the river Nidelva.-Name:...

, Froland

Froland

Froland is a municipality in Aust-Agder county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Sørlandet. The administrative center is the village of Blakstad, which along with Osedalen form the main population center of the municipality....

, Grimstad

Grimstad

is a town and municipality in Aust-Agder county, Norway. It belongs to the geographical region of Sørlandet. The administrative center of the municipality is the town of Grimstad. Other notable places in Grimstad include Eide, Fevik, Fjære, Landvik, Prestegårdskogen, Reddal, and Roresanden.It is...

, Birkenes

Birkenes

Birkenes is a municipality in Aust-Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sørlandet. The village of Birkeland is the administrative center and about half of the municipality's residents live there...

, Iveland

Iveland

Iveland is a village and municipality in Aust-Agder county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Sørlandet. The administrative center is the village of Birketveit.-General information:...

, Lillesand

Lillesand

is a town and municipality in Aust-Agder county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Sørlandet. The administrative center of the municipality is the town of Lillesand.-General information:...

, and Kristiansand

Kristiansand

-History:As indicated by archeological findings in the city, the Kristiansand area has been settled at least since 400 AD. A royal farm is known to have been situated on Oddernes as early as 800, and the first church was built around 1040...

.

Fishing

Tovdalselva was long considered one of the greatest salmon

Salmon

Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...

fishing rivers in the land. From 1880-1883 it was Norway's third most productive salmon river calculated both by weight and by value of the salmon caught. This had decreased seriously by the 1900s. By 1970, the salmon fishing in the Tovdalselva was almost completely lost.