Altafjord
Altafjord (Template:Lang-no) is a fjord in the municipality Alta in Finnmark county, Norway, and is about 38 kilometres long.[1] In the inner southern part of the fjord, near the town of Alta, is the outlet of the 200 kilometre long river Altaelva.[2] At the outer part of the fjord are the islands Stjernøya and Seiland.
History
Prehistoric culture
A large number of prehistoric rock carvings have been found along the fjord, particularly at the bay Jiepmaluokta. The locations at Kåfjord, Jiepmaluokta and Amtmannsnes are assigned a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[3][4] The petroglyphs are dated from 4,200 BC to 500 BC, based on old shorelines and nearby prehistoric settlements.[5]
World War II
During World War II the side branch Kåfjord hosted a German naval base. The German battleship Tirpitz, based at Kåfjord, was subject to attacks by British X class midget submarines in September 1943 (Operation Source), and to air strikes in April (Operation Tungsten) and September 1944 (Operation Paravane).
References
- ^ Henriksen, Petter, ed. (2007). "Altafjorden". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 4 August 2009.
- ^ Henriksen, Petter, ed. (2007). "Altaelva". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 4 August 2009.
- ^ "The rock art of Alta". Alta Museum. Retrieved 5 August 2009.
- ^ Berg, Bjørn (2005). "The Concept of Nature: Rock Carvings and Shamanism in Arctic Norway" (PDF). Adoranten. Scandinavian Society of Prehistoric Art. Retrieved 5 August 2009.
- ^ Solberg, Bergljot (2007). "Alta-ristningene". In Henriksen, Petter (ed.). Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 6 August 2009.