Lofoten and Vesterålen

The fishing port of Svolvær in the Lofoten islands, above the Arctic Circle, Norway. It is situated on the island of Austvågøy and is the chief commercial and administrative centre of the Lofoten group.

Henningsvaer Port on the island of Austvågøy in the Lofoten archipelago, Norway. The Lofoten islands are one of Norway's major tourist attractions.

Island group off northwest Norway; area 3,595 sq km/1,390 sq mi. Hinnøya, in the Vesterålens, is the largest island of Norway. The surrounding waters are rich in cod and herring. The Maelström, a large whirlpool hazardous to shipping (described in Edgar Allen Poe's story A Descent into the Maelstrom), which gives its name to similar features elsewhere, occurs in one of the island channels between Lofotodden and Mosken.

The group is separated from the mainland by the Vestfjord and is divided into two sections by the Raftsund. The Lofoten Islands - population (1996) 24,000, main town Svolvaer - lie to the southwest and the Vesterålen Islands - population (1996) 32,000, main town Sortland - to the northeast.

The climate is not severe. There is good pasture for cattle, and barley can be grown. The chief industry is cod fishing, which extends from January to April and involves some 4,000 fishermen. In World War II the islands were an important source of fish products for the Germans and were the target of the first British commando raid on 4 March 1941, destroying some 3.6 million litres/800,000 gallons of fish oil and 18 factories.