Ranelva is a 130-kilometre (81 mi) long river in Rana Municipality in Nordland county, Norway . It is one of the longest rivers in Nordland county. The catchment area of the river is 3,790 square kilometres (1,460 sq mi). Before the power stations of Reinforsen (1925) and Langvatnet (1964) were built, the catchment area was 3,843 square kilometres (1,484 sq mi).
10-573: The river begins on the Saltfjellet plateau, near the border between Norway and Sweden , at the confluence of the little rivers Randalselva ( Southern Sami : Goabdesjåhkå ) and Gubbeltåga ( Lule Sami : Gubbeltædno ). The river then flows mainly in a western-southwestern direction. On its way southwestwards, the river is joined by the river Virvasselva from south. The part of the Ranelva river between its beginning and its joining with Virvasselva
20-666: Is a mountain area in Nordland county, Norway that separates the two regions of Helgeland and Salten . It is also a cultural border between the Southern and Central parts of Sápmi . The Saltfjell is one of the largest mountain ranges in Norway, and is also where the Arctic Circle cuts through the country. This range is part of seven municipalities: The northern part is part of the municipalities of Saltdal , Bodø , Beiarn and Gildeskål ,
30-516: Is called Ruovadajåhkå in Lule Sami language . Near Storvollen , the rivers Bjøllåga , Tespa , and Stormdalsåga all join Ranelva from the north and the river Messingåga joins from the south. It continues in a southwestern direction through the Dunderland Valley . The rivers Grønfjellåga and Plura join the Ranelva in this valley. Southwest of the small village Røssvoll , Ranelva meets
40-590: Is the finite form of fjell which means "mountain". Beiar Valley The Beiar Valley ( Norwegian : Beiardalen ) is a valley in Beiarn Municipality in Nordland , Norway. It is about 60 kilometers (37 mi) long. Most of the residents of the municipality of Beiarn live in this valley. The highest parts of the southern end of the valley are located within Saltfjellet–Svartisen National Park . The Beiar River flows through
50-538: Is very rich with salmon and trout . One of the largest salmon tunnels in Norway (385 metres or 1,263 feet long) is located at the Reinforsen waterfall, and was built in 1956. Ranelva was cleansed with rotenone in 1996, 2004, and 2005 beneath the Sjøforsen waterfall , in order to remove the salmon parasite Gyrodactylus salaris , which was registered there for the first time in 1975. Saltfjellet Saltfjellet
60-594: The Norwegian mainland, and is part of the Saltfjellet-Svartisen National Park . There are many other glaciers as well. A total of 2,587 square kilometres (999 sq mi) of the area is protected. Several long valleys radiate from the mountains, such as the Dunderland Valley and Blakkådalen going south from the mountains, and Saltdalen and the Beiar Valley going northwards. The eastern part of
70-648: The fjord. There are two main transport routes over the mountains: the European Route E6 highway and the Nordland Line . The E6 highway was opened in 1937 and was asphalted in 1972. Until 1968 the road was closed in the winter. The railway line was built over the mountain during World War II and opened in 1947. The mountain range is named after the Salten district, named after Saltfjorden (the Salt fjord). The last element
80-559: The range forms a plateau with some gently sloping mountains, and this is where the road and railway crosses over Saltfjell. Both road and railway take advantage of the Dunderland Valley and the Saltdal valley to make the distance on the alpine tundra , which often sees snowstorms in winter, as short as possible. The western part is more alpine and steep, and this is where the engabreen glacier tongue of Western Svartisen almost reaches down to
90-508: The river Langvassåga which empties the lake Langvatnet . Further down, at Selfors , the river Revelelva (the name of the lowest parts of the river Tverråga ) joins the Ranelva. The river Ranelva empties into the Ranfjorden just south of Ytteren in Mo i Rana . The river receives water from Storakersvatnet via Rana Hydroelectric Power Station . Ranelva is a popular river for fishing . It
100-634: The western part is in the municipalities of Meløy and Rødøy while the southern part is in Rana Municipality . The highest mountain is Ølfjellet at 1,751 metres (5,745 ft) above sea level. The mountains stretch from the coast to the Swedish border. The glacier Svartisen is actually two glaciers, separated by the Glomdalen valley with the Glomåga river. Western Svartisen is the second largest glacier on
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