Lofoten is an archipelago and a traditional district in the county of Nordland, Norway. Though lying within the Arctic Circle, the archipelago experiences one of the world's largest elevated temperature anomalies relative to its high latitude.
Lofoten (Norse L�f�t f) was originally the old name of the island Vestv�g�ya. The first element is l� 'lynx', the last element is derived from Norse f�tr m 'foot'. The shape of the island must have been compared with a foot of a lynx. (The old name of the neighbouring island Flakstad�ya was Vargf�t 'the foot of a wolf', from vargr m 'wolf'. See also Ofoten
