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{{Short description|Mountain plateau in Norway}} {{Infobox landform |name = Hardangervidda |other_name = Hardanger Plateau |type = [[Plateau]] |photo = Hardangervidda.jpg |photo_caption = 2001 view of the Hardangervidda landscape |map = Vestland#Norway |map_size = |map_caption = Location of the plateau |relief = yes |label = |label_position = top |location = [[Vestland]], [[Telemark]], and [[Buskerud]], [[Norway]] |coordinates = {{Coord|60|03|N|007|25|E|type:landmark|display=inline,title}} |coordinates_ref = |water_bodies = |part_of = |area = {{convert|6500|km2|abbr=on}} |elevation_m = 1100 |elevation_ref = |highest_point = [[Sandfloegga]] |highest_elevation = {{convert|1721|m|abbr=on}} }} '''Hardangervidda''' ({{langx|en|Hardanger Plateau}})<ref>{{cite book|last1=Fodor|first1=Eugene|title=Scandinavia|date=1964|publisher=Macgibon & Kee|location=London|page=206}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Norway Handbook|date=1986|publisher=Norsk Reisehåndbok|location=Oslo|page=93}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Gribble|first1=Leonard Reginald|title=On Secret Service|date=1980|publisher=Burke|location=London|page=49}}</ref> is a mountain [[plateau]] ([[Norwegian language|Norwegian]]: ''vidde'') in central southern Norway, covering parts of [[Vestland]], [[Telemark]], and [[Buskerud]] counties. It is the largest plateau of its kind in [[Europe]], with a cold year-round [[alpine climate]], and one of Norway's largest [[glacier]]s, [[Hardangerjøkulen]], is situated here. Much of the plateau is protected as part of [[Hardangervidda National Park]]. Hardangervidda is a popular tourist and leisure destination, and it is ideal for many outdoor activities.<ref name="CRE">{{cite encyclopedia|title=Hardanger Plateau|encyclopedia=The Crystal Reference Encyclopedia|year=2005}}</ref><ref name="EB">{{cite encyclopedia|title=Hardanger Plateau|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|year=2007}}</ref> ==Geography and geology== {{further|Paleic surface}} The plateau is the largest [[peneplain]] (eroded plain) in [[Europe]], covering an area of about {{convert|6500|km2|sqmi|-2|abbr=on}} at an average elevation of {{convert|1100|m}}. The highest point on the plateau is the [[Sandfloegga]], which reaches a height of {{convert|1721|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}.<ref name="CRE" /><ref name="EB" /> The landscape of the Hardangervidda is characterised by barren, treeless moorland interrupted by numerous pools, lakes, rivers and streams. There are significant differences between the west side, which is dominated by rocky terrain and expanses of bare rock, and the east side, which is much flatter and more heavily vegetated. The climate also varies between the two sides: it is considerably wetter on the west side than on the east, with over {{convert|1000|mm}} per year recorded in some parts.<ref name="birks">"The Halne Area, Hardangervidda. Use of a High Mountain Area during 5000 Years – An Interdisciplinary Case Study", Dagfinn Moe, Svein Indrelid & Arthur Fasteland, in "The Cultural Landscape: Past, Present and Future", ed. Hilary H. Birks</ref> The prominent peak of [[Hårteigen]] {{convert|1690|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} is visible across much of the plateau. Much of the Hardangervidda's geology is extremely ancient. The rolling fells of the Hardangervidda are the remnants of mountains that were worn down by the action of glaciers during the [[ice ages]]. The bedrock is mainly of [[Precambrian]] and [[Cambrian|Cambro]]-[[Silurian]] origin.<ref name="birks" /> The area of Hardangervidda was once part of the [[Sub-Cambrian peneplain]] before it was [[fold and thrust belt|thrust over]] by the [[nappe]]s of the [[Caledonian orogeny]] in [[Paleozoic]] times. Much later, in the Miocene epoch, the modern flatness of Hardangervidda took form as a peneplain formed at sea level. Then in [[Pliocene|Early Pliocene]] times Hardangervidda and the whole of southern [[Scandinavian Mountains]] were uplifted more than thousand meters.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Japsen |first1=Peter |last2=Green |first2=Paul F. |last3=Chalmers |first3=James A.|last4=Bonow |first4=Johan M.|date=17 May 2018 |title=Mountains of southernmost Norway: uplifted Miocene peneplains and re-exposed Mesozoic surfaces |url=https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Mountains_of_southernmost_Norway_uplifted_Miocene_peneplains_and_re-exposed_Mesozoic_surfaces/6205187/1/files/11279537.pdf |journal=Journal of the Geological Society |volume=175 |issue=5 |pages=721–741 |doi=10.1144/jgs2017-157 |bibcode=2018JGSoc.175..721J |s2cid=134575021 }}</ref> [[File:Harteigen.jpg|thumb|160px|left|[[Hårteigen]], a characteristic mountain on Hardangervidda]] [[File:Hardangerviddaflora.jpg|thumb|160px|right|Hardangervidda landscape]] [[File:Hardangervidda-Flechten.JPG|thumb|160px|right|[[Map lichen]] on a rock of the Hardangervidda]] ==Flora and fauna== The whole of the Hardangervidda is above the [[tree line]]. Its [[alpine climate]] enables the presence of many species of [[arctic]] animals and plants further south than anywhere else in Europe. Its wild [[reindeer]] herds are among the largest in the world, with some 15,000 animals recorded in 1996 and about 8,000 in 2008. They migrate across the plateau during the year, moving from their winter grazing lands on the east side of the Hardangervidda, where they graze on [[lichen]], to their breeding grounds in the more fertile west of the plateau. On 26 August 2016, 323 were killed by [[lightning]], prompting a [[Norwegian Environment Agency]] discussion on whether to leave so many corpses in the open.<ref>[http://globalnews.ca/news/2908544/lightning-strike-kills-over-300-reindeer-in-norway/ "Lightning strike kills more than 300 reindeer in Norway", by Associated Press, via Global News]</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://nytimes.com/2016/08/30/world/europe/hardangervidda-norway-lightning-reindeer.html |title=Lightning Strike Kills More Than 300 Reindeer in Norway|newspaper=The New York Times |date=29 August 2016 |access-date=31 August 2016|last1=Libell |first1=Henrik Pryser }}</ref> The varying climate of the plateau has a marked effect on the flora, which is richer on the wetter west side than in the drier east; much of the plateau is covered by coarse [[grass]]es, [[moss]]es (especially [[sphagnum]]) and lichens.<ref name="birks" /> [[Ciclosporin]], an [[immunosuppressant]] drug widely used in [[organ transplantation]] to prevent rejection was initially isolated from the fungus ''[[Tolypocladium inflatum]]'' (''Beauveria nivea''), found in a soil sample obtained in 1969 from Hardangervidda.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Svarstad|first1=H|last2=Bugge|first2=HC|last3=Dhillion|first3=SS|year=2000|title=From Norway to Novartis: Cyclosporin from Tolypocladium inflatum in an open access bioprospecting regime|journal=Biodiversity and Conservation|volume=9|pages=1521–1541|doi=10.1023/A:1008990919682|issue=11|s2cid=27371551}}</ref> In the [[Holocene climatic optimum]] ([[Stone Age]]) 9,000–5,000 years ago, the regional climate was warmer, and large parts of Hardangervidda were wooded; [[Scots pine|pine]] logs can still be found preserved in bogs well above today's treeline. With the predicted [[Global warming|warming]], Hardangervidda could again be largely wooded.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bjerknes.uib.no/pages.asp?id=7&kat=2&lang=1 |title=Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research |website=www.bjerknes.uib.no |access-date=13 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060227171655/http://www.bjerknes.uib.no/pages.asp?id=7&kat=2&lang=1 |archive-date=27 February 2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref> ==Visitor centres== The national park has two visitor centres on the plateau: the [[Hardangervidda Natursenter]] (Nature Centre) in [[Eidfjord]], and the Hardangervidda Nasjonalparksenter (National Park Centre) in [[Tinn]] at Skinnarbu, near the lake [[Møsvatnet]], the town [[Rjukan]] and the mountain village [[Rauland]]. ==Human settlement== The Hardangervidda has been occupied for thousands of years; several hundred nomadic Stone Age settlements have been found in the area, most likely related to the migration of the reindeer. Ancient trails cross the plateau, linking western and eastern Norway. One example is the "Nordmannsslepa" linking Eidfjord and Veggli in the Numedal valley with Hol and Uvdal. It is still a key transit route between [[Oslo]] and [[Bergen]]. The [[Bergen Line]] and the main [[Norwegian National Road 7]] cross the plateau.<ref name="CRE" /> ==National park== {{main|Hardangervidda National Park}} In 1981, much of the Hardangervidda was designated a [[national park]], Norway's largest at {{convert|3,422|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}. The park's boundaries stretch from [[Numedal]] and [[Uvdal]] in the east and [[Røvelseggi]] and [[Ullensvang]] in the west. The [[Norwegian Mountain Touring Association]] (DNT) maintains a comprehensive network of huts and paths across the plateau. It is a popular destination for [[hiking]], [[climbing]] and [[fishing]], and in winter for [[cross-country skiing]] from hut to hut.<ref name="EB" /> ==In culture== Norwegian music projects Ildjarn and Nidhogg combined their talents to produce two ambient albums, one titled "Hardangervidda Part I" (2003) and the other "Hardangervidda Part II" (2003), inspired entirely by this zone. The final two acts of the play ''[[When We Dead Awaken]]'' ({{langx|da|Når vi døde vågner}}) by [[Henrik Ibsen]], are set in a mountain health resort in Hardangervidda. Location shooting for the [[Hoth]] sequences in ''[[The Empire Strikes Back]]'' took place on the Hardangerjøkulen glacier. The title theme of the Norwegian film ''[[O'Horten]]'', by Norwegian composer [[Kaada]], is titled "Across the Hardanger Mountain Plateau" and features a train crossing the area. ==References== {{reflist}} == External links == {{commons category}} {{wikivoyage|Hardangervidda}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20100119080955/http://www.nasjonalparkrute.no/eng/ Hardangervidda national park route] The perfect driving route to the fjords * [http://english.dirnat.no/wbch3.exe?p=3043 Norwegian Directorate for Nature, information on Hardangervidda National Park]{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20070801164550/http://www.trekkingvisions.com/content/view/37/30/ trekkingvisions] Information about the Hardangervidda Trek * [http://www.visitnorway.com/en/Articles/Theme/The-Mountains/Mountain-guide/Hardangervidda/ Hardangervidda mountain plateau] The official travel guide to Norway * [http://www.fjell-touren.de/hardangerv.htm Map hiking] {{authority control}} [[Category:Plateaus of Norway]] [[Category:Eidfjord]] [[Category:Inselberg plains]] [[Category:Ullensvang]] [[Category:Protected areas established in 1981]] [[Category:Nore og Uvdal]] [[Category:Vinje]] [[Category:Tinn]] [[Category:Landforms of Buskerud]] [[Category:Landforms of Vestland]] [[Category:Landforms of Telemark]]
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