Longest Rivers In Norway

Officially known as the Kingdom of Norway, Norway is a Nordic state that is located in the northwestern region of Europe. The country also comprises parts of Scandinavia Peninsula, the archipelago of Svalbard, and the island of Jan Mayen. The country has an area of about 148,728 square miles with some of this area being covered by water. Of this area, 5.2% of it is made up of water from bodies such as rivers and lakes. These water bodies play a role in hydropower production, transport, aquatic habitat, and domestic use. The longest river in Norway is the Glomma with a length of about 600 kilometers. 

Longest Rivers in Norway

Glomma

Also known as the Glåma, the Glomma is not only the longest but also the biggest river in Norway. The source of this massive river is at Røros while the mouth is at Fredrikstad, Norway. This river has a massive drainage basin of about 16,000 square miles, which is at least 13% of the country’s surface area. All of this drainage basin is located in the southern region of the country.

Pasvikelva and Ivalo Rivers

This river system starts with the Ivalo, which begins flowing from Korsa Fjelds in Finland all the way to its mouth at Lake Inari in Finland. The lake then forms the source of the Pasvikelva (or the Paatsjoki) River, which flows all the way to its mouth at Bøkfjorden in Norway. The Pasvikelva has a drainage basin of about 7,083 square miles and has a number of hydroelectric power plants along the way.

Numedalslågen River

Located in the counties of Buskerud and Vestfold in Norway, this river starts flowing in Hardangervidda, Norway, while its mouth at Larvik, Skagerrak. Along its course, it passes through a number of municipalities such as Nore og Uvdal, Kongsberg, and Larvik. In addition, the river has a number of hydroelectric power plants along its course such as Nore I kraftverk and Nore II kraftverk.

State of Norwegian Water Bodies

Data shows that Norwegian rivers and lakes are in a better environmental state compared to most of the countries in Europe. Based on the EU's criteria and conditions for freshwater environments, more than half of the water bodies pass. However, the data also shows that a quarter of the water bodies are face serious risk. Most of the risk is found in those bodies that are close to human settlements.