Nordland, County in Northern Norway.
Nordland is an administrative division in Norway that runs along the Atlantic coast north of the Arctic Circle. The coastline alternates between steep rock walls dropping straight into the sea and flat beaches with pale sand, while the interior is dominated by forested valleys and high plateaus with freshwater lakes.
People settled here after the last Ice Age retreated, hunting reindeer along the emerging coastline. During the medieval period Norwegian kings expanded their control and established trading posts that enabled cod trade with southern Europe.
The old craft tradition of seal hunting and cod fishing still shapes life in several fishing villages, where you can see traditional drying racks for stockfish. In the southern coastal communities some families still use the traditional rorbuer, simple wooden fishermen's cabins often painted red or yellow.
The best time to visit is summer when days are long and roads remain open throughout, while winter brings snow and limited daylight hours. You can reach most coastal communities by ferries, and the island areas are accessible for travelers who plan individual routes.
The Saltstraumen off the coast near Bodø creates one of the strongest tidal currents in the world, where water visibly swirls and spins as the tide pushes through a narrow strait. You can watch the whirlpool from a bridge running directly above it, and local fishermen use the nutrient-rich waters for angling.
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