Kongsberg Silver Mines
The silver mines of Kongsberg, in Buskerud county in Norway, constitute the largest mining field in Norway, with over 80 different mines. It was the largest pre-industrial working place in Norway, with over 4,000 workers at its peak in the 1770s and supplied over 10% of the gross national product of the Danish–Norwegian union during its 335-year-long history: over 450,000 man-years were expended in the production.
Nordland
There is a long history of mining. Sulitjelma has the largest copper deposits in the county, as well as pyrite, the latter is also found in several other locations, but the mining here has been discontinued for economical reasons. In earlier days, silver was mined in the Dunderland Valley in Rana, and until 2002 nickel and olivine was mined in Ballangen. There are several limestone, marble, and dolostone quarries, dolomite in Vefsn, Fauske, Sørfold and Ballangen. As of 2008, mining of gold in Bindal is in testing stages ().
The port of Narvik has a direct rail connection to the well known and profitable Kiruna-Gällivare iron-ore fields in Sweden. There are many dams for hydroelectric power.
Nordland has an increasing diverse economy, with fledgling research and development in aerospace and space exploration at the Andøya Rocket Range, which primarily is known for its satellite launches. This vast province, Norway's second largest, almost the size of Denmark, traditionally was very important for NATO, and the Royal Norwegian Air Force has two squadrons of F-16 fighters stationed at Bodø Airport, and all its P-3 Orion maritime surveillance aircraft stationed at Andøya Air Station. The decommissioning of closing military bases has led to a regional shift towards a new knowledge based economy.