Location of Austvågøy in the Lofoten archipelago, North Norway |
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| Geography | |
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| Location | North Norway, Europe |
| Archipelago | Lofoten |
| Area | 526.7 km2 (203.36 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 1,146 m (3,760 ft) |
| Highest point | Higravstinden |
| Country | |
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Norway
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| County | Nordland |
Austvågøy is the northeasternmost of the larger islands in the Lofoten archipelago in Nordland county, Norway. The island is 526.7 km² and extends up to 40 km in the east-west direction and 30 km north-south. Austvågøy is largely a mountain massif, with lowland almost exclusively at the strandflate, the brim of lowland around the coast. The highest mountain in Lofoten is Higravstinden at 1,146 m (3,760 ft), located on the eastern part of the island. Svartsundtindan (1050 m), Trolltindan (1045 m) and Olsanestind (1000 m) are also in the eastern part, while the famous Vågakallen (942 m) looms over Henningsvær in the southwestern part.
The largest part of Vågan municipality is located on the island, while the northeastern part belong to Hadsel municipality. The main town on the island is Svolvær. Austvågøy is popular among mountain climbers. The famous Trollfjord is located in the eastern part of the island. Austvågøy is connected by road to Hinnøya in the east using the Raftsund Bridge, and to Gimsøy in the west using the Gimsøystraumen Bridge.
The Norse form of the name was Vágøy. The first element is the name of the old church site Vågan, the last element is øy f 'island'. The word aust 'east' was later added to the name to separate the island from Vestvågøy.