Hornindalsvatnet
Encyclopedia
Hornindalsvatnet is Norway
's and Europe
's deepest lake, officially measured to a depth of 514 metres (1,686.4 ft). Its surface is 53 metres (173.9 ft) above sea level
, which means that its bottom is 461 metres (1,512.5 ft) below sea level. The village of Grodås
lies at the eastern end of the lake in Hornindal
and the village of Mogrenda
is located on the western end of the lake in Eid
. The highway runs past Mogrenda and the lake.
During the 1990s, Telenor
, the former national telephone company in Norway, measured a maximal depth of 612 metres (2,007.9 ft) while laying an optical fiber cable
along the bottom. This means that the "official" depth of 514 metres is probably underestimated. Its volume is estimated at 12 cubic kilometres (2.9 cu mi), its area is 50 square kilometres (19.3 sq mi) and ranks 19th in area among Norway's lakes. It is located in the county of Sogn og Fjordane
and borders on the municipalities of Eid
and Hornindal
.
The lake is also the site of the Hornindalsvatnet Marathon
, held annually in July.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
's and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
's deepest lake, officially measured to a depth of 514 metres (1,686.4 ft). Its surface is 53 metres (173.9 ft) above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
, which means that its bottom is 461 metres (1,512.5 ft) below sea level. The village of Grodås
Grodås
Grodås is the administrative centre of the municipality of Hornindal in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. The population was 374. Grodås is located along the river Horndøla on the eastern end of the lake Hornindalsvatnet, about southwest of the mountain Hornindalsrokken.The village area is a...
lies at the eastern end of the lake in Hornindal
Hornindal
Hornindal is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Nordfjord. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Grodås.Hornindal was separated from Eid in 1867...
and the village of Mogrenda
Mogrenda
Mogrenda is a village in the municipality of Eid in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. The village is located at the western end of the lake Hornindalsvatnet along the river Eidselva. It is about east of Nordfjordeid and about north of Lote...
is located on the western end of the lake in Eid
Eid, Norway
Eid is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Nordfjord. The village of Nordfjordeid is the administrative center of the municipality. Other larger villages are Mogrenda, Stårheim, Haugen, Kjølsdalen, Heggjabygda, and LoteEid is...
. The highway runs past Mogrenda and the lake.
During the 1990s, Telenor
Telenor
Telenor Group is the incumbent telecommunications company in Norway, with headquarters located at Fornebu, close to Oslo. Today, Telenor Group is mostly an international wireless carrier with operations in Scandinavia, Eastern Europe and Asia, working predominantly under the Telenor brand...
, the former national telephone company in Norway, measured a maximal depth of 612 metres (2,007.9 ft) while laying an optical fiber cable
Optical fiber cable
An optical fiber cable is a cable containing one or more optical fibers. The optical fiber elements are typically individually coated with plastic layers and contained in a protective tube suitable for the environment where the cable will be deployed....
along the bottom. This means that the "official" depth of 514 metres is probably underestimated. Its volume is estimated at 12 cubic kilometres (2.9 cu mi), its area is 50 square kilometres (19.3 sq mi) and ranks 19th in area among Norway's lakes. It is located in the county of Sogn og Fjordane
Sogn og Fjordane
is a county in Norway, bordering Møre og Romsdal, Oppland, Buskerud, and Hordaland. The county administration is in the town of Hermansverk in Leikanger municipality while the largest town is Førde....
and borders on the municipalities of Eid
Eid, Norway
Eid is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Nordfjord. The village of Nordfjordeid is the administrative center of the municipality. Other larger villages are Mogrenda, Stårheim, Haugen, Kjølsdalen, Heggjabygda, and LoteEid is...
and Hornindal
Hornindal
Hornindal is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Nordfjord. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Grodås.Hornindal was separated from Eid in 1867...
.
The lake is also the site of the Hornindalsvatnet Marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
, held annually in July.