Ran Fjord

Ranfjord cuts east into northern Helgeland from the islands near the Norwegian Sea. Its outer reaches are narrow and steep-sided, opening farther inland towards wooded and cultivated shores. At its head the Rana valley leads into the mountains. Mineral deposits there attracted prospectors in the seventeenth century, when silver mining was attempted at Bertelberget. The fjord provided a waterway between this inland country and the islands and coastal routes beyond its mouth.