Lofoten
Context of Lofoten
Lofoten (Norwegian pronunciation: [ˈlùːfuːtn̩]) is an archipelago and a traditional district in the county of Nordland, Norway. Lofoten has distinctive scenery with dramatic mountains and peaks, open sea and sheltered bays, beaches and untouched lands. There are two towns, Svolvær and Leknes – the latter is approximately 169 km (105 mi) north of the Arctic Circle and approximately 2,420 km (1,500 mi) away from the North Pole. The archipelago experiences one of the world's largest elevated temperature anomalies relative to its high latitude.
More about Lofoten
- Area 1227
"Raftsund, Lofoten, Digermulen, Norway", c. 1890–1900.According to Robert M. and others: "There is evidence of human settlement extending back at least 11,000 years in Lofoten, and the earliest archaeological sites ... are only about 5,500 years old, at the transition from the early to late Stone Age." Iron Age agriculture, livestock, and significant human habitation can be traced back to c. 250 BC.[1]
...Read moreRead less "Raftsund, Lofoten, Digermulen, Norway", c. 1890–1900.According to Robert M. and others: "There is evidence of human settlement extending back at least 11,000 years in Lofoten, and the earliest archaeological sites ... are only about 5,500 years old, at the transition from the early to late Stone Age." Iron Age agriculture, livestock, and significant human habitation can be traced back to c. 250 BC.[1]
Svolvær in Lofoten, Norway. View from the ferry harbourThe town of Vågan (Norse Vágar) is the first known town formation in northern Norway. It existed in the early Viking Age, maybe earlier, and was located on the southern coast on eastern Lofoten, near today's village Kabelvåg in Vågan municipality. The Lofotr Viking Museum with the reconstructed 83-metre-long (272 ft) longhouse (the largest known) is located near Borg on Vestvågøy, which has many archeological finds from the Iron Age and Viking Age.[2]
The islands have for more than 1,000 years been the centre of great cod fisheries, especially in winter, when the cod migrate south from the Barents Sea and gather in Lofoten to spawn. Bergen in southwestern Norway was for a long time the hub for further export of cod south to different parts of Europe, particularly so when trade was controlled by the Hanseatic League. In the lowland areas, particularly Vestvågøy, agriculture plays a significant role, as it has done since the Bronze Age.
In March 1941 the islands were raided by British Commandos during Operation Claymore, and in a subsequent diversionary attack to support the Vaagso raid in December.
As of 2017, the islands attract one million tourists a year.[3]
^ D'Anjou, Robert M.; Bradley, Raymond S.; Balascio, Nicholas L.; Finkelstein, David B. (2012). "Climate impacts on human settlement and agricultural activities in northern Norway revealed through sediment biogeochemistry". PNAS. 109 (50): 20332–20337. Bibcode:2012PNAS..10920332D. doi:10.1073/pnas.1212730109. PMC 3528558. PMID 23185025. ^ "Norway – Vestvågøy – Vendalsjord". www.travels-in-time.net. ^ M.F. (29 Aug 2017). "Why Norway may leave $65bn worth of oil in the ground". The Economist.
- Stay safe
Lofoten has little crime and island hopping by hitch-hiking is safe and not unusual. The most likely undesired event is to fall while hiking, or to catch a cold due to the bad weather. Other than that, you should be perfectly safe.
