Ranfjorden

Ranfjorden
View of the fjord
Map
Interactive map of the fjord
LocationNordland county, Norway
Coordinates66°08′08″N 12°50′32″E / 66.1356°N 12.8422°E / 66.1356; 12.8422
TypeFjord
Basin countriesNorway
Max. length68 kilometres (42 mi)
Max. depth525 metres (1,722 ft)

Ranfjorden[1][2] is a fjord in the Helgeland district of Nordland county, Norway. The largest part of the fjord is in Rana Municipality, but the fjord also passes through the municipalities of Hemnes, Vefsn, Leirfjord, Nesna, and Dønna.

The Ranelva river meets the Ranfjord in at the town of Mo i Rana at the innermost part of the fjord. It then flows to the west for about 68 kilometres (42 mi) to where it meets the sea along the border of Dønna Municipality and Nesna Municipality.

The inner part of the fjord is lush, forested, and more heavily populated. The western parts of the fjord are narrow with steep sides and that area has few inhabitants. There is a narrow strait that connects to the Sørfjorden and Elsfjorden at the village of Hemnesberget. Two large rivers flow into the fjord: Ranelva and Røssåga. The European route E6 highway follows the part of the southern coast of the fjord on its way to Mo i Rana.[3]

  1. ^ "Informasjon om stadnamn". Norgeskart (in Norwegian). Kartverket. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
  2. ^ In English this means the Ranfjord since the -en in the full name is a suffix meaning 'the' in Norwegian.
  3. ^ Store norske leksikon. "Ranfjorden" (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2011-12-05.