A
fjord (pronounced FEE-ord or fyord,
SAMPA: ['fi:3:d] or ['faI3:d]) is a
glacially overdeepened
valley, usually narrow and steep-sided, extending below
sea level and occupied by salt water. Typical fjords are found in
Alaska and
Norway; their depths, sometimes as much as 1300m, indicate that they are glaciated valleys which have been invaded by the sea after the disappearance of the glaciers. The word fjord comes from the
Norwegian, meaning "narrow steep-sided valley extending below sea level and occupied by salt water." The long fjord-like bays of the
New England coast are sometimes referred to as fiards.
The largest fjord in the world is Sognefjorden.