Kvaløya
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kvaløya is an island in the Norwegian municipality of Tromsø. It has an area of 737 sq. km., making it the fifth largest island on the coast of Norway. It is connected to Tromsøya in the east by Sandnessund Bridge, Ringvassøya in the north by the undersea Kvalsund Tunnel, and Sommarøy in the west by Sommarøy Bridge. Sommarøy, at the southwest coast, is a popular recreation area with great coastal scenery.
Kvaløya is a mountaineous island, with at least ten mountains higher than 700 m, and three reaching an elevation of more than 1000 m; of which the highest is Store Blåmann (big blueman 1044 m, can be climbed without climbing equipment, last part is steep). There are also several small fjords, almost dividing the island in two or three parts. Rystraumen is a tidal current in the fjord dividing Kvaløya from the mainland. Near this current, on the Kvaløya side, is Straumhella (30 km from the city), a popular recreation area with good fishing opportunities. Ryøya is an island in the midst of Rystraumen, with a small population of musk oxen grazing in the pine forest, the only such population in North Norway.
Approximately 10 000 people live on Kvaløya, most of them on the eastern side at Kvaløysletta (which constitutes a suburban area of the city Tromsø) near the Sandnessund Bridge.
