Senja Island

The waters around Senja separate the great island from the mainland of Troms and open westward onto the Norwegian Sea. Steep mountains line the outer coast, while fjords and sounds offer sheltered approaches to settlements on the inner side. Fishing linked these shores to a northern maritime economy in which dried fish was carried south to Bergen in exchange for grain and other necessities. Boats connected island and mainland communities across waters divided by headlands and inlets.