VESTFJORDEN

fjord, in the Norwegian Sea off the northwestern coast of Norway. Formed by the Norwegian mainland to the east and the Lofoten islands to the north and west, Vestfjorden is about 100 miles (160 km) long and almost 50 miles (80 km) wide at its mouth, becoming narrower toward its head. The port of Narvik is located on its northeastern arm, Ofotfjorden, and the port of Bod on the southeastern side of its mouth, on Saltfjorden. The legendary and treacherous Maelstrm (q.v.; Moskenstraumen), a channel, is located near the northwestern side of the mouth of Vestfjorden. The fjord is dotted with thousands of islands, and it branches into hundreds of smaller fjords.