Kvaløya (Tromsø)
 | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | North Norway, northern Europe |
| Coordinates | 69°37′N 18°33′E / 69.617°N 18.550°E |
| Area | 737 km2 (285 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 1,044 m (3425 ft) |
| Administration | |
Norway | |
| Demographics | |
| Population | ca. 10,000 |
| Pop. density | 13/km2 (34/sq mi) |
Kvaløya ("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 Tromsøya in the east by Sandnessund Bridge, Ringvassøya in the north by the sub-sea Kvalsund Tunnel, and Sommarøy in the west by Sommarøy Bridge. 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 m, and three reaching an elevation of more than 1000 m; of which the highest is Store Blåmann (big blueman 1044 m, 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. Rystraumen is a tidal current in the sound separating Kvaløya from the mainland. Near this current, on the Kvaløya side, is Straumhella (30 kilometres (19 mi)* 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.
Approximately 10,000 people live on Kvaløya, most of them on the eastern side at Kvaløysletta (which constitutes a suburban area of the city Tromsø) near the Sandnessund Bridge.
According to official climate statistics, the west coast of Kvaløya, facing the open ocean, is the warmest part of Tromsø municipality. The weather station at Sommarøy on the west coast has 24-hr averages of -1.9°C in January, 11.9°C in July and a mean annual temperature of 3.9°C, while annual precipitation is 940 mm.
