Kvaløya (Tromsø)

Kvaløya

Native name: Sállir
Kvaløya seen from Tromsøya; the Sandnessund Bridge connects the two islands. March 2006
Kvaløya
Geography
Location	North Norway, northern Europe
Coordinates	69°37′N 18°33′E / 69.617°N 18.550°E / 69.617; 18.550Coordinates: 69°37′N 18°33′E / 69.617°N 18.550°E / 69.617; 18.550
Area	737 km2 (285 sq mi)
Highest elevation	1,044 m (3,425 ft)
Highest point	Store Blåmannen
Administration
Norway
County	Troms
Municipality	Tromsø
Demographics
Population	ca. 10,000
Pop. density	13 /km2 (34 /sq mi)

Kvaløya (Northern Sami: Sállir; lit. "Whale Island") is an island in the Norwegian municipality of Tromsø. It has an area of 737 square kilometres (285 sq mi), making it the fifth largest island in mainland Norway. It is connected to the neighboring island of Tromsøya to the east by the Sandnessund Bridge, to Ringvassøya to the north by the sub-sea Kvalsund Tunnel, to Sommarøy to the west by the Sommarøy Bridge, and to the mainland to the south by the Rya Tunnel. The island of Sommarøy, on the southwest coast, is a popular recreation area with magnificent coastal scenery.

Kvaløya is a mountainous island, with at least ten mountains higher than 700 metres (2,300 ft), and three reaching an elevation of more than 1,000 metres (3,300 ft); of which the highest is Store Blåmann (big blueman at 1,044 metres (3,425 ft), 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: Kaldfjorden, Ersfjorden, and Kattfjorden. The Rystraumen is a tidal current in the Straumsfjorden strait separating Kvaløya from the mainland to the south. Near this current, on the Kvaløya side, is Straumhella (30 kilometres or 19 miles 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 Northern Norway.