Vesterålen

Vesterålen is a district and archipelago in Nordland county, Norway, lying just north of Lofoten and covering about 2,511 square kilometers, home to roughly 30,419 people. Its main islands are Langøya, Hinnøya, Andøya and Hadseløya, along with numerous smaller islands, and the terrain is mountainous, with rounded peaks that stand in contrast to the sharper mountains of neighboring Lofoten. Towns in the district sit on the strandflat, the flat coastal shelf between the mountains and the fjords, and the archipelago includes a number of lakes, among them Alsvågvatnet. Despite lying well north of the Arctic Circle, Vesterålen has a mild maritime climate, and the Bø municipality is Norway's northernmost location to hold an average daily temperature above freezing throughout winter.