Vestland

Vestland is an administrative region in Western Norway with Bergen as its capital and 43 municipalities spread across fjords, mountains, and glaciers. The region covers a land area of more than 33,000 square kilometers between the Atlantic coast and the Norwegian highlands.

The administrative unit was created in 2020 by merging the counties of Hordaland and Sogn og Fjordane as part of a nationwide regional reform. Earlier, the territories formed part of the medieval jurisdiction under the Gulating, one of the oldest legal assemblies in Scandinavia.

The county maintains Nynorsk as its official written language form, reflecting the preservation of traditional Norwegian linguistic heritage in Western Norway.

Visitors can reach the region through Bergen and from there travel by car, bus, or ferry to smaller municipalities. Most natural attractions lie far from towns and require travel on winding mountain roads or ferry crossings through the fjords.

The region holds roughly half of Hardangervidda National Park, the largest plateau in Northern Europe, and three major glacier systems. Jostedalsbreen spans around 470 square kilometers, making it the largest glacier on the European mainland, and feeds dozens of glacier tongues that push into the surrounding valleys.

Location: Norway

Inception: January 1, 2020

Capital city: Bergen

Part of: Western Norway

Shares border with: Møre og Romsdal, Innlandet, Rogaland

Website: https://vlfk.no

GPS coordinates: 60.92500,6.44500

Latest update: December 5, 2025 16:34