Introduction
Island in Nordland, Norway
LangøyaLangøyInteractive map of LangøyaLangøyGeographyLocationNordland, NorwayCoordinates68°37′19″N 14°56′27″E / 68.6220°N 14.9407°E / 68.6220; 14.9407ArchipelagoVesterålenArea850.2 km2 (328.3 sq mi)Area rank3rd largest in NorwayLength50 km (31 mi)Width40 km (25 mi)Highest elevation763 m (2503 ft)Highest pointSnøkollaAdministrationNorwayCountyNordlandMunicipalitiesBø, Hadsel, Sortland, and ØksnesDemographicsPopulation15,791 (2016)Pop. density18.6/km2 (48.2/sq mi)
Langøya is the third largest island of Norway (outside of Svalbard), with an area of 850.2 square kilometres (328.3 sq mi). The island is a part of the Vesterålen archipelago in Nordland county, Norway. The island includes Bø Municipality and Øksnes Municipality as well as parts of Sortland Municipality and Hadsel Municipality.
Geography
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View towards Hallartinden, 530 m ASL, southern Langøya
Alsvåg in Øksnes Municipality
Langøya is mountainous, with mountains reaching 400–700 metres (1,300–2,300 ft) above sea level, the highest is the 763-metre (2,503 ft) tall Snykolla. There are also lowland near the coasts around the island, and in some valleys, some of it is bogs. The treeline is around 300 metres (980 ft) above sea level on Langøya.
The total population on the island is about 15,600 and the largest population center is the town of Sortland (population: 5,600) and the next largest population centre is the village of Myre. Langøya has been settled since the stone age.
The larger island Hinnøya lies to the east (on the other side of the Sortlandssundet). The island of Andøya lies to the northeast. The small island of Skogsøya lies to the northwest. The island of Hadseløya lies to the south. The 69th parallel north crosses Langøya, as does the 15th meridian east.
There are several lakes on the island including Alsvågvatnet. The Eidsfjorden divides the island almost in half. The island has two road bridges connecting it to Hadseløya and Hinnøya via the Hadsel Bridge and Sortland Bridge.
Important Bird Area
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A tract of about 3,000 hectares (7,400 acres) of low-lying land in central and south-eastern coastal Langøya, consisting mainly of grassland and mudflats, and including the Vikosen nature reserve, has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International (BLI) because it supports populations of several thousand pink-footed and barnacle geese on passage migration.
