LOFOTEN and VESTERAALEN, a “fogderi” or bailiwick in the “amt” of Nordland, Norway, consists of a large and picturesque group of islands lying north-east and southwest off the north-west coast of Norway, between 67° 30' and 69° 20' N. lat, and between 12° and 16° 35' E. long. The extreme length of the group from Andenaes, at the north of Andö, to Röst, is about 130 English miles; the aggregate area amounts to about 1560 square miles, supporting a permanent population of about 20,000. It is separated from the mainland by the Vestfjord, Tjaeldsund, and Vaagsfjord, and is itself divided into two sections by the Raftsund between Hindö and Öst-Vaagö: to the west and south of the Raftsund lie the Lofoten Islands proper, of which the most important are Öst-Vaagö, Gimsö, Vest-Vaagö, Flakstadö, Moskenaesô, Mosken, Värö, and Röst; east and north of the Raftsund are the islands of Vesteraalen, the chief being Hindö, Ulvö, Langö, Skogsö, and Andö. The islands, which are all of granite or metamorphic gneiss, are precipitous and lofty; the highest peaks are in the Lofoten group, Vaagekallan on Öst-Vaagö rising directly from the sea to a height of 3090 feet. The channels which separate them are narrow and tortuous, and generally of great depth; they are remarkable for the strength of their tidal currents, particularly the Raftsund mentioned above, and the once famous Malstrom or Moskenström between Moskenaes and Mosken. Though situated wholly within the Arctic Circle, the Lofoten and Vesteraalen group enjoys a climate that cannot be called rigorous when compared with that of the rest of Norway. The isothermal line which marks a mean January temperature of 32° F. runs south from the Lofotens, passing a little to the east of Bergen onwards to ...Gothenburg and Copenhagen. The prevailing winds are those from the south and west; the mean temperature for the year is 38 0, 5 F., and the annual rainfall is 43 ’ 34 inches. In summer the hills have only patches of snow, the snow limit being about 3000 feet. The natural pasture produced in favourable localities permits the rearing of cattle to some extent; but the growth of cereals (chiefly barley, which here matures in ninety days) is insignificant. A few potatoes are planted. The islands yield no wood. The great and characteristic industry of the district, and an important source of the national wealth, is the cod fishery which is carried on along the east coast of the Lofotens in the Vestfjord from January to April. It employs about 18,000 men from all parts of Norway; the annual take of cod amounts to an average of twenty millions, worth on the spot about £250,000. The fish, which is dried during early summer, is exported principally to Spain (where it is known as bacalao), but also to Holland, Sweden, and Belgium. Other industries arising out of the fishery are the manufacture of cod-liver oil and of artificial manure. The summer cod fisheries and the lobster fishery are also valuable. The herring is frequently taken in large quantities off the west coasts of Vesteraalen, but is a somewhat capricious visitant. The bailiwick contains no towns properly so called, but Kabelvaag on Öst-Vaagö and Svolvaer on a few rocky islets off that island are considerable centres of trade and (in the fishing season) of population; Lödingen also, at the head of the Vestfjord on Hindö, is much frequented as a port of call Regular means of communication are afforded by the steamers which trade between Hamburg or Christiania and Hammerfest, and also by local vessels; less accessible spots can be visited by means of boats, in the management of which the natives are adepts. There are some roads on Hindö, Langö, and Andö. The largest island iu the group, and indeed in Norway, is Hindö, with an area of 864 square miles. The south-eastern portion of it belongs to the amt of Tromsö. In the island of Andö there is a bed of coal at the mouth of Ramsaa which is likely to prove ultimately of some practical value.
[693 words — estimated reading time: 4 minutes]