The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-07.
Moskenstraumen
(môsk´nstrou´´mn) (KEY) or Maelstrom (ml´strm) (KEY) , tidewater whirlpool in the Lofoten Islands, NW Norway. Formed when tidal currents flow through coastal fjords and a maze of small islands, it is c.2.5 mi (4 km) wide and may at its center reach a speed of 10 ft (3 m) per second. It is a danger to small ships and has been described with great imagination by Edgar Allan Poe and Jules Verne.
nstrou´´m
l´str
