CACrown ArchivesThe cinema collection
Menu
Research dossier · General Reference

Hardangerfjord

fjord in Vestland, Norway

Cross-disciplinary reference desk with index cards, atlas, dictionary and catalogue
General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionJul 25, 2026
Entity authorityQ841491
Source-derived summary

The Hardangerfjord (English: Hardanger Fjord) is the fifth longest fjord in the world and the second longest fjord in Norway. It is located in the Hardanger region of Vestland county in western Norway. The fjord stretches 180 kilometres (110 mi) from the Atlantic Ocean into the mountainous interior of Norway along the Hardangervidda plateau. The innermost point of the fjord reaches the town of Odda.

Location

The Hardangerfjord starts at the Atlantic Ocean about 80 kilometres (50 mi) south of the city of Bergen. Here the fjord heads in a northeasterly direction between the island of Bømlo and the mainland. It passes by the larger islands of Stord, Tysnesøya, and Varaldsøy on the north/west side and the Folgefonna peninsula on the south/east side. Once it is surrounded by the mainland, it begins to branch off into smaller fjords that reach inwards towards the grand Hardangervidda mountain plateau. The longest branch of the Hardangerfjord is Sørfjorden, which cuts south about 50 kilometres (31 mi) from the main fjord. Its maximum depth is more than 860 metres (2,820 ft) just outside the village of Norheimsund in the middle of the fjord.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Hardangerfjord” as fjord in Vestland, Norway. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Hardangerfjord, fjord and Vestland.

Editorial reviewA practical starting point whose main value is the path it opens into stronger specialist and primary sources. The current 189-word lead offers orientation but no explicit four-digit date, so chronology should not be assumed. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Hardangerfjord, fjord and Vestland providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Hardangerfjord”, the useful work is to connect “fjord in Vestland, Norway” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 25, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q841491. Authority coordinates are 60.167, 6.000. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.

Critical limits

A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

Best used for
  • Subject orientation
  • Search vocabulary
  • Locating named sources
Verify next

The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Hardangerfjord”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Hardangerfjord primary sources, Hardangerfjord archive and Hardangerfjord research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Hardangerfjord”?
  2. What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
  3. Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Subject index

Search terms from this dossier

Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from Hardangerfjord” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.