Editing Fjord (section)

===Skerries===
In some places near the seaward margins of areas with fjords, the ice-scoured channels are so numerous and varied in direction that the rocky coast is divided into thousands of island blocks, some large and mountainous while others are merely rocky points or rock [[reef]]s, menacing navigation. These are called [[skerry|skerries]].<ref name=natgeofjord>{{cite magazine |url=http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/encyclopedia/fjord/?ar_a=1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121005064635/http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/encyclopedia/fjord/?ar_a=1 |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 5, 2012 |title=Fjord |magazine=National Geographic |access-date=April 24, 2015}}</ref> The term skerry is derived from the [[Old Norse]] ''{{lang|non|sker}}'', which means a rock in the sea.{{sfn|Moore|1890|p=277}}

Skerries most commonly formed at the outlet of fjords where submerged glacially formed valleys perpendicular to the coast join with other cross valleys in a complex array. The island fringe of Norway is such a group of skerries (called a ''{{lang|no|skjærgård}}''); many of the cross fjords are so arranged that they parallel the coast and provide a protected channel behind an almost unbroken succession of mountainous islands and skerries. By this channel, one can travel through a protected passage almost the entire {{convert|1601|km|abbr=on|0}} route from [[Stavanger (city)|Stavanger]] to [[North Cape, Norway|North Cape]], Norway. The [[Blindleia]] is a skerry-protected waterway that starts near [[Kristiansand (town)|Kristiansand]] in southern Norway and continues past [[Lillesand (town)|Lillesand]]. The [[Sweden|Swedish]] coast along [[Bohuslän]] is likewise skerry guarded. The [[Inside Passage]] provides a similar route from [[Seattle]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]], and [[Vancouver]], [[British Columbia]], to [[Skagway, Alaska|Skagway]], [[Alaska]]. Yet another such skerry-protected passage extends from the [[Straits of Magellan]] north for {{convert|800|km|abbr=on}}.