The Nærøyfjord is a stunning fjord in south-western Norway. It is named after the Norse god Njor, the god of the seafarer and the sea. It is a narrow branch of the world’s second longest fjord Sognefjord. The Nærøyfjord is about 18 kilometres long and surrounded by sheer cliffs and mountains reaching up to 1700 metres. It represents a typical fjord landscape and together with the Geirangerfjord it has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The U-shaped valley was carved out by a glacier and filled by the sea after the glacier retreated. The terminal moraine made up of unconsolidated debris was pushed down the valley by the huge ice masses and left underwater at the entrance of the fjord.
This causes the water to be shallower at the neck than the deep main body of the fjord. The deepest point of the Sognefjord, for example, lies 1300 meters below sea level.
This makes it very easy for large cruise ships to enter the fjords. Especially in summer many tourists visit the numerous fjords Norway has to offer and explore its terrestrial and marine wonders.
Image Credit: http://bit.ly/2bBKetJ Sources: http://www.naeroyfjord.com/ http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1195 http://www.fjords.com/what-is-a-fjord.shtml