Fjords

Executive summary by darmansjah

Fjords as deep as the mountains are high

NORWAY Gouged from Norway’s west coast by glacial claws, the country’s fjords are a spectacular by-product of long-gone ice ages. Over millions of years, heavy glaciers scraped U-shaped valleys deep into Norway’s coastline. As the ice melted, the sea entered to take its place, filling  steep valleys with salt water. Fjords can be remarkably long and deep: The Sognefjord, 127 miles (204 km) long, plunges 4,291 feet (1,308 m) below sea level. Steep rock walls typically frame the fjords, from which water falls arch into the water. At Geirangerfjord, no fewer then seven cascades-the Seven Sisters-plummet down one side of the valley, facing a single waterfall, the Suitor, on the opposite cliff.

HIGH AND LOWS once occupied by intrepid reindeer herders, Norway’s Geirangerfjord is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. Peaks around its sheer sides top out at 6,562 feet (2,000 m) above sea level, while the fjord’s waters plunge 2,297 feet ( 700 m).

A HOME in the NORTH Walruses, once endangered by hunting, are making a slow comeback along the fjord-indented coasts of Norway’s islands. As lonely as they may appear, fjords such as this one on a Svalbard island host a rich array of fish and other life under their mild, salty waters.