The "fjord" lies between the Lofoten archipelago and the Salten district of mainland Norway.

The term fjord (from the old Norse fjördr meaning firth or inlet) is used in a more general way for bodies of water in the western Scandinavian languages than the more narrow usage commonly used in English.

[4][5] The Vestfjorden flows from the area near the town of Narvik to the west and southwest.

[2] The Vestfjorden is famous for its cod fishery, which was exploited back to the early medieval period.

More recently, the winter invasion of Orcas in the inner parts of Vestfjord has become a tourist attraction.