Fiord
an inlet of the sea, generally long, narrow, and deep; a term applied in Scandinavian countries to any bay, creek, or arm of the sea which extends inland, and sometimes used to express an inland lake or considerable sheet of water; as, Sogne Fiord. The fiords of Iceland, like those which indent the granitic coasts of Norway, were formed by immense flows of lava, raised and rent by subterraneous forces. In the S. part of the island, the caverns, basaltic colonnades, and natural arches of Stapi remind one of the strangest formations of Ireland, and the beautiful grotto of Antrim. These gulfs, often but half a mile in width, extend as far as 5 or 6 miles into the mountains, where they are surrounded on all sides by perpendicular rocks, rising to an immense height.