Sognefjord

Long ago, during the Ice Age, glaciers covered this land.

The ice carved deep valleys. The sea flowed in, and the valleys became fjords.

UNESCO calls the Nærøyfjord, one of the Sognefjord's arms, and the Geirangerfjord classic fjords with well-developed examples of glaciation during the Pleistocene ice age. Ice and waves polished their steep sides, and deep rock basins reach far below sea level, with rock thresholds, waterfalls and hanging valleys.

In the Sognefjord itself, the deepest point, 1,303 meters, is far deeper than the 100 to 200 meters of the high sill at its mouth.

UNESCO (West Norwegian Fjords, 1195): the property displays the inner segments of two of the world's longest and deepest fjords, with well-developed examples of young, active glaciation during the Pleistocene ice age; ice- and wave-polished fjord sides; postglacial isostatic rebound; deep rock basins far below sea level, prominent rock thresholds, slide scars, moraines, hanging valleys, glaciers and waterfalls.

SNL bedrock: Devonian sandstone and conglomerate at Solund in the west, the West Norwegian Precambrian gneiss complex in the middle and western parts, and Caledonian rocks in the inner, eastern part.

The fjord has many long arms. They reach deep into the mountains.

Some mountains near the fjord are more than 2,200 meters tall.

From the Fjærlandsfjord eastward, the Sognefjord's side arms get much longer. The longest include the Sogndalsfjord and the Lustrafjord to the north, the Årdalsfjord to the east, and the Lærdalsfjord, Aurlandsfjord and Nærøyfjord to the south.

The Nærøyfjord is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Mountains near the fjord rise more than 2,200 meters in the Jotunheimen area.

SNL: short arms in the outer part; from the Fjærlandsfjord eastward the arms are much longer (Sogndalsfjord, Lustrafjord, Årdalsfjord, Lærdalsfjord, Aurlandsfjord, Nærøyfjord). The head of the Lustrafjord lies barely 12 km in a straight line from the Austanbotntindane in the Hurrungane, 2,204 m; mountains rise more than 2,200 m in Jotunheimen; the greatest relief, 2,850 m, is at Bleia south of Sogndal.

UNESCO 1195 includes the Nærøyfjord (with the Geirangerfjord), whose rock walls rise up to 1,400 m and reach 500 m below sea level.

Farmers keep animals and grow fruit and berries by the fjord.

Big fish swim in its water.

In the middle and inner parts of the Sognefjord there are green bays and shores with some farming, especially livestock and fruit and berry growing, says Store norske leksikon. Most people live along the north shore.

Several big, steep rivers flow into the inner fjord. They usually have their spring floods in June. The fjord is rich in large fish.

SNL: lush bays with farming (especially livestock, fruit and berries) in the middle and inner parts; the outer coast treeless, not very high and sparsely settled; most settlement on the north shore. Rivers at the head (Flåmselva, Aurlandsvassdraget, Lærdalselva, Årdalselva, Fortun) drain southern Norway's high mountains, mean altitude 1,200-1,400 m, with spring floods usually in June. The fjord is rich in large fish.

UNESCO (1195, for the Nærøyfjord and Geirangerfjord): deciduous and coniferous forests, glacial lakes, submarine moraines and marine mammals.

Wear a life jacket on a boat.

Stay close to a grown-up near deep water.

Ferries cross the Sognefjord in several places, and boats run to Bergen, Store norske leksikon says.

The CDC says life jackets reduce the risk of drowning while boating, for people of all ages and swimming abilities. Children should wear one for all activities in and around natural water, with a grown-up watching closely.

SNL: regular boats run to Bergen; car ferries cross at several points; lively tourist traffic in summer, mostly by cruise ship.

CDC: life jackets reduce drowning risk while boating for all ages and swimming abilities; children should use them for all activities in and around natural water; supervise children closely near water.