Tysfjord

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You have new messages (last change).

Tysfjord kommune

Administrative centre

Kjøpsvik

Mayor (2003)

Kurt Allan Nilsen (Tverrpolitisk liste for Tysfjord)

Official language form

Norwegian and Lule Sami

Area
- Total
- Land
- Percentage

Ranked 56
1,464 km²
1,360 km²
0.45 %

Population
- Total (2004)
- Percentage
- Change (10 years)
- Density

Ranked 326
2,209
0.05 %
-11.8 %
2/km²

Coordinates

68°3′N 16°28′E

www.tysfjord.kommune.no

Data from Statistics Norway

Coordinates: 68°3′N 16°28′E

Orca in Tysfjord

Tysfjord is a municipality (and a fjord) in the county of Nordland, Norway. The municipality is named after the fjord; the main village is Kjøpsvik. Tysfjord is the second deepest fjord in Norway, with a maximum depth of 897 m.

The large number of whales, orca in particular, that show up in the fjord every winter to feed on the herring, have made this municipality famous. In addition, the fjord is famous for its lobsters, as can be seen from its coat of arms). For a long time, it was believed that these were the northernmost lobsters in the world; divers have, however, observed lobsters in Ofotfjord, just north of Tysfjord.

The mountains of Tysfjord with Stetind as the highest

Tysfjord's mountain, Stetind, is famous throughout the world. This 1,392 m high natural granite obelisk, rising straight out of the sea, is an awe-inspiring sight. In Norwegian, it is called gudenes ambolt, e.g., anvil of the gods, partly because the summit seems to form a plateau. This was selected to be the national mountain of Norway in the autumn of 2002.

Tysfjord is the only location where the E6 depends on a car ferry. If Tysfjord experiences bad weather and the ferry connection is shut down, Norway is cut in two road-wise. A road connection is still maintained, albeit through Sweden, which makes it a very long drive.

Orca taking a look above the water

There are prehistoric rock carvings at Leiknes, showing scenes of hunting.

The average monthly temperature (24-hr average) in Kjøpsvik in July, the warmest month, is 13.3°C, while the coldest month, January, has an average of -2.7°C. October, when the orca safaris start, has an average of 4.6°C. October is also the wettest month of the year with 154 mm precip.; the mean annual precipitation is 1,080 mm ([1]).

Tysfjord is the only municipality in Norway where speakers of Lule Sami should theoretically be able to speak that language with officials, although this has not come to fruition. The Árran Lule Sami Center is located in the Tysfjord village of Drag.