| 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.
Finnmark fylke
|
|
 |
| 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 as 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. Furthemore, Finnmark is the largest county by area, at the same time being the least
populated. 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
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