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Lofoten is an Archipelago and a Traditional District in the county of Nordland , Norway . Though lying within the Arctic Circle , the archipelago experiences one of the world's largest elevated temperature anomalies relative to its high latitude. ETYMOLOGY ''Lofoten'' ( Norse ''Lófót'') was originally the old name of the island Vestvågøya . The first element is ''ló'' ' Lynx ', the last element is ''fót'' 'foot'. The shape of the island must have been compared with a foot of a lynx. (The old name of the neighbouring island Flakstadøya was ''Vargfót'' 'the foot of a Wolf ' - from ''vargr'' m 'wolf'.) GEOGRAPHY AND NATURE Lofoten is located at the 67th and 68th degree parallels North of the Arctic Circle in Northern Norway . It is well known for its exceptional natural beauty within Norway. Lofoten encompasses the municipalities of Vågan , Vestvågøy , Flakstad , Moskenes , Værøy , and Røst . The principal islands, running from north to south, are
whilst further to the south are the small and isolated islands of Værøy () and Røst (). The total land area amounts to 1,227 km&2, and the population totals 24,500. Between the mainland and the Lofoten archipelago lies the vast, open Vestfjord , and to the north is Vesterålen . The principal towns in Lofoten are Leknes in Vestvågøy and Svolvær in Vågan . The Lofoten Islands are characterised by their mountains and peaks, sheltered inlets, stretches of seashore and large virgin areas. The highest mountain in Lofoten is s and Cormorant s, and millions of other sea birds, among them the colourful Puffin . Otter s are common, and there are Moose on Austvågøy. There are some woodland with Downy Birch and Rowan . There are no native Conifer forest in Lofoten, but some small areas with private Spruce plantations. The relatively rare deciduous species Sorbus Hybrida ("Rowan whitebeam") and Malus Sylvestris occur in Lofoten, but not further north. CLIMATE Winter temperatures in Lofoten are very mild considering their location north of the Arctic Circle and has the largest positive temperature anomaly in the world relative to ). Typical daytime temperature in May is 9°C (48°F), in July 15°C (60°F) and in September 11°C (52°F). The warmest recording in Svolvær is 30.4°C (87°F). Strong winds can occur in late Autumn and Winter , but are rare late March - mid-October. Snow and Sleet are not uncommon in winter; the mountains can have substantial amounts of snow. In Svolvær, the sun (midnight sun) is above the Horizon from May 25 to July 17 , and in winter the sun does not rise from December 4 to January 7 . In Leknes , the sun is above the horizon from May 26 to July 17 , and in winter the sun does not rise from December 9 to January 4 . HISTORY Fisheries , especially in winter, when the cod migrates south from the Barents Sea and gathers in Lofoten to Spawn . Bergen in southwestern Norway was for a long time the hub for further export south to large parts of Europe , particularly so when trade was controlled by the Hanseatic League . In the lowland areas, particularly Vestvågøy, Agriculture plays a significant role, as it has done since the Bronze Age . (skrei) outside Flakstad island (March, 2005).]] The name Lofoten, originally Lofotr, is derived from "lo", meaning lynx, and "fotr" meaning "the foot". Lofotr was originally the name of the island of Vestvågøy only. It has later become the name of the chain of islands. The chain of islands with its pointed peaks looks like a lynx' foot from the mainland. In Norwegian, it is always a singular. Another name one might come across, is "Lofotveggen" - or the Lofoten wall. The archipelago looks like a closed wall when seen from elevated points around Bodø , some 100 km. long, and 800-1,000 m. high. During 1941 , the islands were raided by British Combined Operations Commandos during Operation Claymore in March and a subsequent Diversionary Attack to support the Vaagso Raid in December. MOUNTAINEERING AND ROCK CLIMBING Lofoten offers unique rock climbing and mountaineering opportunities. It has 24 hours of daylight in the summer and has Alpine-style ridges, summits and glaciers, but at a height of less than 1,200 metres. The main centre for rock climbing is Henningsvær on Austvågøya. The main areas for mountaineering are on Austvågøya and Moskenesøya. CYCLING There is a well marked cycling route that goes from Å in the south and continues past Fiskebøl in the north. The route is part public road, part cycle-path with the option to bypass all of the tunnels by either Cycle-path (tunnels through mountains) or boat. Traffic is generally light, although in July there may be a lot of camper vans. Some of the more remote sections are on Gravel Road s. There is a dedicated cycling ferry which sails between Ballstad and Nusfjord, allowing cyclists to avoid the long, steep Nappstraum tunnel. The route hugs the coastline for most of its length where it is generally flat. As it turns inland through the mountain passes there are a couple of 3-400 meter climbs. COMMUNICATIONS Lofoten is served by three small airports: Svolvær Airport, Helle , Leknes Airport and Røst Airport , which mainly offers flights to Bodø. There is a Heliport at Værøy . Stokmarknes Airport, Skagen is located in Vesterålen. Harstad/Narvik Airport, Evenes has direct flights to Oslo and Trondheim . Bodø is often used as a hub for travel to Lofoten; in addition to air travel there is a ferry connecting Bodø to Moskenes . There is also a ferry connecting Svolvær to Skutvik in Hamarøy , with road connection east to E6 . Hurtigruten calls at Stamsund and Svolvær . There is also a fast Catamaran passenger boat connecting Svolvær and Narvik. The main road to Lofoten from Narvik and Harstad goes through Vesterålen, with a ferry crossing from Melbu to Fiskebøl . However, the new Lofast road across Hinnøya , scheduled to be completed by December 2007, will connect Lofoten to the mainland with no ferry crossings ( ). All the larger islands in Lofoten are already connected by bridges or undersea tunnels. SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
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