Which Norwegian glacier is the largest glacier in continental Europe?

The Norwegian glacier that is the largest glacier in continental Europe is the Jostedal Glacier.

Known in Norwegian as Jostedalsbreen, it is a vast ice cap in western Norway's Vestland county. Its ice spreads across several municipalities, including Luster, Sogndal, Sunnfjord and Stryn, with numerous glacier arms descending into surrounding valleys.

Jostedal Glacier covers about 487 square kilometres and is a little over 60 kilometres long. Its thickest ice reaches roughly 600 metres. Unlike a single narrow valley glacier, it is a broad mountain ice field that feeds many outlet glaciers, including Nigardsbreen, Briksdalsbreen, Bøyabreen and Kjenndalsbreen.

The glacier is protected within Jostedalsbreen National Park, established in 1991. A useful distinction is that “continental Europe” excludes Iceland and the Arctic islands; under that geographic definition, Jostedal Glacier is the accepted largest. Its persistence is driven especially by heavy snowfall in western Norway, even though its lower glacier tongues can experience considerable summer melting.