Norway’s famous long, narrow glacial coastal inlets are called fjords.
A fjord forms when a glacier cuts a deep U-shaped valley, often below the level of the sea. After the glacier retreats or melts, seawater floods the valley, producing a steep-sided inlet with deep water and dramatic cliffs.
Norway is especially renowned for fjords because its mountainous western coastline was heavily shaped by repeated glaciations. The Sognefjord is Norway’s longest and deepest fjord, extending about 205 kilometres inland and reaching roughly 1,308 metres at its deepest point.
Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord are among Norway’s best-known examples and are listed together as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Fjords are not unique to Norway: Greenland, New Zealand, Chile, Canada, and Scotland also have them, but Norway’s concentration and accessibility make them a defining feature of the country’s landscape.