Filefjell
| Filefjell | |
|---|---|
| Fillefjell | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Høgeloft |
| Elevation | 1,920 m (6,300 ft) |
| Geography | |
| Country | Norway |
| Districts | Sogn og Fjordane, Oppland and Buskerud |
| Range coordinates | 61°09′N 8°15′E / 61.150°N 8.250°ECoordinates: 61°09′N 8°15′E / 61.150°N 8.250°E |
Filefjell is a mountainous area between Lærdal and Valdres in Norway.
It is the historical, as well as modern, main route, linking West Norway and Østlandet.
Filefjell or sometimes Fillefjell, might be a double-name as "file" is thought to be derived from Old Norse Fjáll, the same root that evolved into the modern word Fjell. Thus Filefjell in English would be "Mountain-Mountain".
Filefjell is at the eastern part of the Sogn og Fjordane, borders to Valdres, Vang Kommune in the Oppland. In the north, it borders the western part of Jotunheimen mountain range. To the south, it meets with the Buskerud border. The European route E16 crosses the mountain and reaches its highest point at Varden (1013 meters). The road follows a valley through the mountainous area, and because of this is somewhat protected from the fierce weather of the Norwegian winter. The road is rarely closed due to wind or snow, making it the most reliable of the mountain passes in Norway.
On both sides of the valley the terrain climbs steeply up to plateaus, with rolling hills and numerous lakes at about 1300 meters. The highest peak of the range is Sulefjellet at 1812 meters.
The biology of Filefjell is the same as to most Norwegian mountainous areas. In the main valley birch and species of salicaceae grows up to about 1200 meters. Higher up the landscape can be described as a tundra and moss and different forms of ericaceae dominates.
Grouse, hare, fox and the occasional wolverine and elk are found. Filefjell also has numerous wild reindeer. In the 1990s one attempted to start reindeer herding in Filefjell, the project was later abandoned, but some of the reindeer herd, which was moved down from Trøndelag, was left to mix with the native reindeer. The lakes are populated by trout.
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Wikipedia