Vesterålen
Encyclopedia
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,...
and archipelago
Archipelago
An archipelago , sometimes called an island group, is a chain or cluster of islands. The word archipelago is derived from the Greek ἄρχι- – arkhi- and πέλαγος – pélagos through the Italian arcipelago...
in Nordland
Nordland
is a county in Norway in the North Norway region, bordering Troms in the north, Nord-Trøndelag in the south, Norrbottens län in Sweden to the east, Västerbottens län to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. The county was formerly known as Nordlandene amt. The county administration is...
, 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...
, just north of Lofoten
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 elevated temperature anomalies relative to its high latitude.-Etymology:...
.
The name
The Norse forms of the name were Vestráll and Vestrálar (pluralPlural
In linguistics, plurality or [a] plural is a concept of quantity representing a value of more-than-one. Typically applied to nouns, a plural word or marker is used to distinguish a value other than the default quantity of a noun, which is typically one...
). The first element is vestr n west
West
West is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.West is one of the four cardinal directions or compass points. It is the opposite of east and is perpendicular to north and south.By convention, the left side of a map is west....
, the last element is áll m '(deep and narrow) sound, strait
Strait
A strait or straits is a narrow, typically navigable channel of water that connects two larger, navigable bodies of water. It most commonly refers to a channel of water that lies between two land masses, but it may also refer to a navigable channel through a body of water that is otherwise not...
'. The name describes the seaway west of Hinnøya
Hinnøya
-Geography and environment:Covering an area of , it is the fourth-largest island in the country, and the largest off the mainland. The western part of the island is in the Vesterålen district, while the southwestern part is in Lofoten. As of 2006, it had a population of 31,851, of which the only...
- the old name of the seaway east of Hinnøya (now called Tjeldsundet
Tjeldsundet
Tjeldsundet is the sound or strait that is located between the island Hinnøya and mainland Norway in the northern part, and in the southern part it is between Hinnøya and Tjeldøya island...
) might have been *Austráll ('the eastern sound/strait').
Geography
Andøy
Andøy is the northernmost municipality in Nordland county, Norway, and it belongs to the Vesterålen archipelago. The largest island in the municipality is Andøya. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Andenes....
, Bø
Bø, Nordland
Bø is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Vesterålen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Straume...
, Hadsel
Hadsel
Hadsel is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Vesterålen traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Stokmarknes, and the other village on the island of Hadseløya is Melbu. Hadsel was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838...
, Sortland
Sortland
is a town and municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Vesterålen traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Sortland. In 1997, the municipality decided to declare township for Sortland...
and Øksnes
Øksnes
Øksnes is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is located on the island of Langøya, part of the Vesterålen traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Myre....
. According to some definitions, Lødingen
Lødingen
Lødingen is a village and municipality in Nordland in Northern Norway. Lødingen is located on the southeastern corner of the island Hinnøya, and is part of the Ofoten traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Lødingen.Lødingen was established as a...
is also included. Vesterålen is made up of several islands: Langøya
Langøya
Langøya is the third largest island of Norway , with an area of . The island is a part of Vesterålen, and is situated in Nordland county, just west of Hinnøya. The Sortlandssundet divides the two islands. It includes the municipality of Bø, and parts of the municipalities of Øksnes, Sortland and...
, Andøya
Andøya
Andøya is the northernmost island in the archipelago of Vesterålen. Andøya is located in the Andøy municipality in Nordland county, Norway.The island has an area of 489 km², making it the tenth largest island in Norway. The island is connected to the neighboring island of Hinnøya using the...
, Hadseløya
Hadseløya
Hadseløya is an island in Vesterålen in Nordland county, Norway. Its area is 102 km². It is located in Hadsel municipality. Stokmarknes is situated on the northern shore of the island, and Melbu is on the south coast....
, the western part of Hinnøya
Hinnøya
-Geography and environment:Covering an area of , it is the fourth-largest island in the country, and the largest off the mainland. The western part of the island is in the Vesterålen district, while the southwestern part is in Lofoten. As of 2006, it had a population of 31,851, of which the only...
, the northern part of Austvågøya and several smaller islands. The landscape is mountainous, but the mountains have a more rounded shape compared to the mountains in Lofoten. The towns and villages are situated on the coastal brim (Strandflaten) between the mountains and the fjords.
There are also several lakes, such as Alsvågvatnet
Alsvågvatnet
Alsvågvatnet is a lake which lies in the municipality of Øksnes in Nordland, Norway. It is on the island of Langøya, one of the Vesterålen islands. There is birch woodland and bogland nearby.-References:...
. Møysalen National Park
Møysalen National Park
Møysalen National Park is a national park located on Hinnøya in North Norway that preserves undisturbed coastal alpine landscape. The scenery is characterized by peaks jutting out of the ocean and fjords, the highest point is Møysalen . The park is largely undisturbed...
is partly located in Vesterålen (). The climate in Vesterålen is maritime, with mild winters considering this archipelago is well north of the arctic circle
Arctic Circle
The Arctic Circle is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. For Epoch 2011, it is the parallel of latitude that runs north of the Equator....
. In Stokmarknes
Stokmarknes
is a small town on the island of Hadsel in Nordland, Norway. It is the municipality centre of the Hadsel municipality. Township was declared in 2000. It is home to Hurtigruten. The local hospital for the Vesterålen region is situated in Stokmarknes....
(Hadsel), January average is -1.8°C, July 24-hr average is 12.3°C, year average is 4.3°C and precipitation is 1220 mm with autumn as the wettest season (1961-1990 average).
Communications
Vesterålen is connected to the mainland and Evenes airportHarstad/Narvik Airport, Evenes
Harstad/Narvik Airport, Evenes is located in the Evenes municipality, in Nordland county in northern Norway. Some of the runway lighting at the north end of the runway crosses the county border into the Skånland municipality in Troms...
by bridges. It is connected to Lofoten by ferry, although since the opening of the Lofast road in December 2007, Lofoten can also be reached by road.
The coastal steamer Hurtigruten
Hurtigruten
Hurtigruten or Hurtigruta is a Norwegian passenger and freight line with daily sailings along Norway's western and northern coast. Sometimes referred to in English as Norwegian Coastal Express, Hurtigruten ships sail almost the entire length of the country, completing the roundtrip journey in 11...
calls at the ports of Stokmarknes, Sortland and Risøyhamn
Risøyhamn
Risøyhamn is a village on the island of Andøya in the municipality of Andøy, Norway.Shipping company Hurtigruten has a service from and to Risøyhamn twice a day.The island of Andøya is connected to the island of Hinnøya by bridge in Risøyhamn....
in Vesterålen. There are two regional airports: Stokmarknes Airport, Skagen
Stokmarknes Airport, Skagen
Stokmarknes Airport, Skagen is an airport in Hadsel municipality in Norway, 3 nautical miles east northeast of Stokmarknes, and south of Sortland....
for small aircraft, and Andenes Airport on Andøya.
Economy
Stokmarknes
is a small town on the island of Hadsel in Nordland, Norway. It is the municipality centre of the Hadsel municipality. Township was declared in 2000. It is home to Hurtigruten. The local hospital for the Vesterålen region is situated in Stokmarknes....
in Hadsel municipality. The Royal Norwegian Air Force
Royal Norwegian Air Force
The Royal Norwegian Air Force is the air force of Norway. It was established as a separate arm of the Norwegian armed forces on 10 November 1944. The RNoAF's peace force is approximately 1,430 employees . 600 personnel also serve their draft period in the RNoAF...
has based all its P-3 Orion
P-3 Orion
The Lockheed P-3 Orion is a four-engine turboprop anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft developed for the United States Navy and introduced in the 1960s. Lockheed based it on the L-188 Electra commercial airliner. The aircraft is easily recognizable by its distinctive tail stinger or...
maritime patrol aircraft at Andøya Air Station
Andøya Air Station
Andøya Air Station is situated in the north of Norway, in the municipality of Andøy. At Andøya, the 333 Squadron is based with P-3C Orions. The squadron is Norway's only surveillance squadron and stands as the airborne defence of northern Norway...
, and Andøya Rocket Range
Andøya Rocket Range
Andøya Rocket Range is a rocket launch site and rocket range on Andøya island in Andøy municipality in northern Norway...
is also located at Andøya. The Norwegian Coast Guard
Norwegian Coast Guard
The Norwegian Coast Guard, or Kystvakten in Norwegian, is a military force and part of the Royal Norwegian Navy, but has separate vessels, many of which are purpose-built. All coast guard vessels have the prefix KV. Four of these vessels are capable of embarking one or more helicopters...
has its northern base at Sortland
Sortland
is a town and municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Vesterålen traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Sortland. In 1997, the municipality decided to declare township for Sortland...
(Kystvaktskvadron Nord).
Fishing, in particular cod fisheries
Cod fisheries
Cod fisheries are fisheries for cod. Cod is the common name for fish of the genus Gadus, belonging to the family Gadidae, and this article is confined to the three species that belong to this genus: the Atlantic cod, the Pacific cod and the Greenland cod....
, has always been important in Vesterålen. There is also fish farming
Fish farming
Fish farming is the principal form of aquaculture, while other methods may fall under mariculture. Fish farming involves raising fish commercially in tanks or enclosures, usually for food. A facility that releases young fish into the wild for recreational fishing or to supplement a species'...
, and some agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
in Vesterålen.
External links
