Norwegian Fjords and Svalbard

Olden is a village and urban area in the municipality of Stryn in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. Olden is located at the mouth of the Oldeelva river at the northern end of the Oldedalen valley on the southern shore of the Nordfjorden. The 0.57-square-kilometre (140-acre) village has a population (2013) of 498, giving the village a population density of 874 inhabitants per square kilometre (2,260/sq mi). Olden is located about 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) southwest of the village of Loen, about a 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) drive southeast of the municipal center of Stryn, and about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) east of the village of Innvik.

Honningsvåg is the northernmost city in Norway. It is located in Nordkapp Municipality in Finnmark county. Legislation effective in 1997 states that a Norwegian city/town (same word in Norwegian) must have at least 5,000 inhabitants, but Honningsvåg was declared a city in 1996, thus exempt from this legislation, so it is also one of the smallest cities in Norway. The 1.05-square-kilometre (260-acre) town has a population (2017) of 2,484 which gives the town a population density of 2,366 inhabitants per square kilometre (6,130/sq mi).

Honningsvåg is situated at a bay on the southeastern side of the large island of Magerøya, while the famous North Cape and its visitor center is on the northern side of the island. Honningsvåg is a port of call for cruise ships, especially in the summer months. The ice-free ocean (southwestern part of the Barents Sea) provides rich fisheries and tourism is also important to the town. Even at 71°N, many private gardens in Honningsvåg have trees, although rarely more than 3 to 4 metres (9.8 to 13.1 ft) tall.

Spitsbergen is the largest and only permanently populated island of the Svalbard archipelago in northern Norway. Constituting the westernmost bulk of the archipelago, it borders the Arctic Ocean, the Norwegian Sea, and the Greenland Sea. Spitsbergen covers an area of 37,673 km2 (14,546 sq mi), making it the largest island in Norway and the 36th-largest in the world. The administrative centre is Longyearbyen. Other settlements, in addition to research outposts, are the Russian mining community of Barentsburg, the research community of Ny-Ålesund, and the mining outpost of Sveagruva. Spitsbergen was covered in 21,977 km2 (8,485 sq mi) of ice in 1999, which was approximately 58.5% of the island's total area.

The island was first used as a whaling base in the 17th and 18th centuries, after which it was abandoned. Coal miningstarted at the end of the 19th century, and several permanent communities were established. The Svalbard Treaty of 1920 recognized Norwegian sovereignty and established Svalbard as a free economic zone and a demilitarized zone.

The Norwegian Store Norske and the Russian Arktikugol are the only mining companies. Research and tourism have become important supplementary industries, featuring among others the University Centre in Svalbard and the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. No roads connect the settlements; instead snowmobiles, aircraft, and boats serve as local transport. Svalbard Airport, Longyear provides the main point of entry and exit.

The island has an Arctic climate, although with significantly higher temperatures than other places at the same latitude. The flora benefits from the long period of midnight sun, which compensates for the polar night. Svalbard is a breeding ground for many seabirds, and also supports polar bears, reindeer and marine mammals. Six national parks protect the largely untouched, yet fragile environment. The island has many glaciers, mountains, and fjords.

Åndalsnes is a town in Rauma Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. Åndalsnes is the administrative center of Rauma Municipality. The 2.22-square-kilometre (550-acre) town has a population (2013) of 2,244, giving it a population density of 1,011 inhabitants per square kilometre (2,620/sq mi). The village of Isfjordenlies about 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) to the east, Veblungsnes lies just to the west across the Rauma River, and Innfjordenlies about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) to the southwest via the European Route E136 highway.

Åndalsnes has an association football club, Åndalsnes IF. The local church is Grytten Church, but its actually located across the river in Veblungsnes. The town's newspaper, Åndalsnes Avis, had a circulation of 4,125 in 2007. The harbour is called "Tindekaia", and is visited every year by many cruise ships, including Costa Marina, MS Thomson Celebration, Costa Victoria, and Costa Atlantica—the biggest ship that currently comes to Åndalsnes.