The West Norwegian Fjords are another name for two fjords in Norway: Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord. These two fjords have been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Geography

The World Heritage Site includes two areas that are 120 kilometers (75 miles) apart. These areas are located in south-west Norway, north-west of the city of Bergen, and are part of the fjord landscape in western Norway. This landscape stretches over 500 kilometers (310 miles) from Stavanger in the south to Åndalsnes in the north. The total area of Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord is 122,712 hectares (1,227 square kilometers; 474 square miles), with 111,966 hectares (1,120 square kilometers; 432 square miles) on land and 10,746 hectares (107 square kilometers; 41 square miles) covered by water.

The Geirangerfjord area is located 60 kilometers (37 miles) inland. It includes the upper part of Storfjorden and Tafjorden. This heritage site is in Møre og Romsdal county and covers parts of Fjord Municipality and Stranda Municipality. It spans 51,802 hectares (518 square kilometers; 200 square miles), with 46,151 hectares (462 square kilometers; 178 square miles) on land and 5,651 hectares (57 square kilometers; 22 square miles) of water.

The Nærøyfjord is located 100 kilometers (62 miles) inland and is the upper part of Sognefjord. It is in Vestland county and includes parts of Aurland Municipality, Vik Municipality, Lærdal Municipality, and Voss Municipality. It covers 70,910 hectares (709 square kilometers; 274 square miles), with 65,815 hectares (658 square kilometers; 254 square miles) on land and 5,095 hectares (51 square kilometers; 20 square miles) of water. The area is crossed by European route E16.

Although the two areas are far apart, they share a similar climate that is a mix of oceanic and continental climates. The region has many small, unique climates. Snow remains in the mountains from October to the end of May and in the valleys from the end of November to March. In winter, the sources of the fjords freeze for one to three weeks.

Human presence

In the year 2003, the area of Geirangerfjord had a population of 230 people. In the year 2001, Nærøyfjord had a population of 243 people.