A fjord (pronounced FEE-ord or fyord, SAMPA: ['fi:3:d] or ['faI3:d]; sometimes written fiord) is a glacially overdeepened valley, usually narrow and steep-sided, extending below sea level and filled with salt water.1 Characteristics
Fjords are found in locations where current or past glaciation extended to sea level. A fjord is formed when a glacier (carving its typical U-shaped valley) meets the sea and melts. This leaves a narrow, steep sided valley into which the sea floods. The flood creates a narrow, deep lake (sometimes as deep as 1300m) connected to the sea. The terminal moraine pushed down the valley by the glacier is left underwater at the fjord's entrance, causing the water at the neck of the fjord to be shallower than the main body of the fjord behind it.
This shallow threshold and the protection afforded by the valley's sides generally means that fjords are excellent natural harbours. Consequently fjords often provide the home-port to fishing fleets, and in industrialised locations have come to be used for fish farming and ship building.
2 Locations
Fjords are found all along the coast of:
- Norway
- Iceland
- Greenland
- the west coast of Scotland (where called "sea lochs")
- in the southwest corner of New Zealand (see Fiordland)
- on the west coast of Newfoundland
- British ColumbiaBritish Columbia or simply B. French: la Colombie-Britannique is the westernmost of Canada's provinces. It was the sixth province to join the confederation of Canada (in 1871). As of 2004, the population was 4,168,123 British Columbians . Geography Its ca down to Puget SoundPuget Sound is an arm of the Pacific Ocean in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. It was named by George Vancouver for Lieutenant Peter Puget, who explored its southern end in May 1792. Vancouver claimed it for Great Britain on June 4, 1792. It be
- the south and west coasts of AlaskaOn January 3, 1959, Alaska was admitted to the United States as the 49th state. The population of the state is 626,932, as of 2000. The name "Alaska" is most likely derived from the Aleut word for "great country" or "mainland. The natives called it "Alyes
- southern ChileThe word chile may also refer to Chilli pepper. The Republic of Chile is a republic located on the southwestern coast of South America. It is a long and narrow piece of land between the Andes mountains and the Pacific Ocean. It shares borders with Argenti
The largest fjord in the world is Scoresby Sund on Greenland.
The long fjord-like bays of the New EnglandThis article is about the region in the United States of America. For other uses, see New England (disambiguation . The New England region of the United States is located in the northeastern corner of the country. Boston is its business and cultural cente coast are sometimes referred to as "fiards".
The LimLim is short for Limit in mathematics. The Lim bay and valley is a peculiar geographic feature found near Rovinj and Vrsar in Istria, Croatia, south of Porec. The name comes from the Latin limes for " limit", referring to the landform's position at the bo bay in IstriaThis article is about a geographical region bordering the Adriatic Sea. For information on the asteroid, see 183 Istria. Istria (pron. IS-tree- Istra (pron. IS-trah in Croatian and Slovenian, Istria (pron. IS-tryah in Italian), is the biggest peninsula in, CroatiaThe Republic of Croatia is a country in Europe bordering the Mediterranean, Central Europe and the Balkans. Its capital is Zagreb. In recent history, it was a republic of Yugoslavia. History Main article: History of Croatia The Croats are a largely Slavic, is sometimes called "Lim fjord" although it's not actually a fjord created by glaciation but an estuary created by the erosive forces of the river Pazincica.
