Folgefonna National Park

Folgefonna National Park
Bondhusbreen
LocationVestland, Norway
Nearest cityOdda
Coordinates60°5′N 6°24′E / 60.083°N 6.400°E / 60.083; 6.400
Area545.2 km2 (210.5 sq mi)
Established29 April 2005
Governing bodyNorwegian Directorate for Nature Management
Map

Folgefonna National Park (Norwegian: Folgefonna nasjonalpark) is a 545.2-square-kilometre (210.5 sq mi) national park in Vestland county, Norway. The park is located on the Folgefonna peninsula, and it spans the municipalities of Kvinnherad, Etne, and Ullensvang. The national park was opened by Queen Sonja on 14 May 2005.[1]

Folgefonna is a collective term for three glaciers in the park (Nordre Folgefonna, Midtre Folgefonna, and Søndre Folgefonna). At 168 square kilometres (65 sq mi), Folgefonna is the third largest ice cap in Norway. It probably reaches a maximum thickness of 300 to 400 metres (980 to 1,310 ft). Its highest point is 1,662 metres (5,453 ft) above sea level, and this is believed to be one of the wettest places in Norway, receiving an estimated annual precipitation of around 5,500 millimetres (220 in).[2]

Lake Bondhus, glacier Bondhusbreen in the background, as a part of the Folgefonna Glacier
  1. ^ Store norske leksikon. "Folgefonna nasjonalpark" (in Norwegian). Retrieved 3 June 2014.
  2. ^ "Folgefonna National Park" (PDF). Miljødirektoratet. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 February 2014. Retrieved 4 June 2014.