Storfjorden (Sunnmøre)
Storfjorden or Storfjord is a long fjord in the Sunnmøre region of Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It stretches from the village of Hareid in the west to the villages of Tafjord and Geiranger in the east. The Storfjorden system branches off into several smaller fjords including the famous Geirangerfjord and Tafjorden. At the village of Stranda, the main fjord branches off into the Sunnylvsfjorden-Geirangerfjorden to the west and the Norddalsfjorden-Tafjorden to the east. The name literally means the "big" or "great" fjord, indicating that this is a long fjord and it is, in fact, the main fjord in this region. Stretching about , Storfjord is the 5th longest fjord in Norway. The Storfjord is a dominant topographical feature in the Sunnmøre region as it cuts the region in two parts that are only connected by ferry. The deepest point in the fjord is near the village of Dyrkorn in the municipality of Stordal. The landscape around Storfjorden is typical for Western Norway. The mouth of the fjord is surrounded by islands with mountains reaching above sea level. Further to the east there are higher mountains. At the villages of Tafjord and Geiranger, the mountains climb to about above sea level. Most of the Storfjorden has characteristically steep or very steep shores, interrupted by several gentle valleys stretching up to into the hinterland. In this way, the Storfjorden system is, along with the Nordfjorden, Sognefjorden, and Hardangerfjorden fjord-systems, the major samples of the typical west coast fjords highly praised by visitors. On the steep shores of the fjord, there are several historic mountain farms such as Ytste Skotet in Stordal and Me-Åkernes, Skageflå, and Knivsflå in Stranda. Branches and sections From the coast to the inland Mouth (the fjord flows out into two other fjords) Sulafjorden Vartdalsfjorden Outer Storfjorden (there are two major branches off the fjord in this area) Hjørundfjorden (which branches into the Norangsfjorden and Storfjorden) Sykkylvsfjorden Inner Storfjorden (there are two major branches off the fjord in this area) Norddalsfjorden (), which flows into the Tafjorden () Sunnylvsfjorden (), which flows into the Geirangerfjorden () Municipalities and villages This is a list of settlements along the fjord Sula Leirvågen Ålesund Vegsundet, Emleim, Valle, Sjøholt Sykkylven Aure, Ikornnes Stranda Stranda, Liabygda, Geiranger, Hellesylt Fjord Stordal, Valldal/Sylte, Eidsdal, Norddal, Tafjord Transportation Several car ferries cross the fjord, but there are no bridges or tunnels. The proposed Storfjord Bridge may one day cross the fjord, but it is cost prohibitive at this time. Here is a list of the ferry crossings: Hareid-Sulesund from Hareidlandet in the municipality of Hareid to Sula island in Sula across the Sulafjorden Leirvågen-Festøya-Hundeidvik (a 3-point ferry crossing) from Leirvågen on Sula island across the Storfjorden to Festøya in Ørsta then on to Hundeidvik across the Hjørundfjorden in Sykkylven Leknes-Sæbø across the Hjørundfjorden Ørsneset-Magerholm from Ørsneset in Sykkylven to Magerholm in Ålesund, part of Norwegian County Road 60 Stranda-Liabygda from the village of Stranda in the west to Liabygda in the east, Norwegian County Road 650