Finnmark
|
|
Finnmark (Finnmárku in Sami) is a county in the extreme north of Norway, bordering Troms. Externally, it borders to Lapland Province in Finland and Murmansk Oblast in Russia. Finnmark is also a part of the Barents Region as well as part of the Lapland region, which spans over four countries.
| ||
| ||
| County | NO-20 | |
| Region | Nord-Norge | |
| Administrative centre | Vadsø | |
| County mayor | ||
| Area - Total - Percentage | Ranked 1 48,618 km² 15.04 % | |
| Population - Total (2004) - Percentage - Change (10 years) - Density | Ranked 19 73,210 1.60 % -4.2 % 2/km² | |
| Gross Regional Product - Total (2001) - Percentage - GRP/capita | Ranked 19 13,715 million NOK 0.90 % 185,563 NOK | |
Finnmark is the northernmost county in Norway. (Svalbard is not considered a county.) The northern and western parts are indented by bays. The nature varies from bare coast to river areas with gullies and tree vegetation. The point Knivskjellodden at Nordkapp is the northernmost point of Europe, although Kinnarodden at Nordkyn is the northermost point on the mainland. Furthermore, Finnmark is the largest county by area. However, with a populatio of only 75,000, it is also the least populated county. Hammerfest is the centre of Finnmark's tourist trade.
Much of the Sami population of Norway live in Finnmark, and to a certain extent Troms; scholars believe they have been living there for at least two thousand years. Finnmark and the municipalities Kautokeino, Karasjok, Tana, Nesseby, Porsanger and Kåfjord (in Troms) also have official names in the Sami language.
There are archeological findings from the earliest times in Finnmark, belonging to the so called Komsa culture. There are also findings suggesting that the Sami people have been there for a long time. From the middle ages, the place has been populated by ethnic Norwegians and been part of the kingdom. There is also Finnish-speakers speaking the Quen (Kven) dialect with some Norwegian influences. This people is genetically related to the people of the province of Kainuu in Finland.
Finnmark is also the older name for Lapland in Sweden and also used by some inhabitants in this region. The title comes from Linné's expeditions in the northern Nordic during the 1700s.
Municipalities
- Alta
- Berlevåg
- Båtsfjord
- Gamvik
- Hammerfest
- Hasvik
- Karasjok
- Kautokeino
- Kvalsund
- Lebesby
- Loppa
- Måsøy
- Nesseby
- Nordkapp
- Porsanger
- Sør-Varanger
- Tana
- Vadsø
- Vardø
Template:Counties of Norwayda:Finnmark de:Finnmark (Verwaltungsbezirk) eo:Finnmark fr:Comté de Finnmark nl:Finnmark no:Finnmark nn:Finnmark fylke se:Finnmárku sv:Finnmark fylke