Honningsvåg
| Honningsvåg | |
|---|---|
| — Town — | |
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 Honningsvåg
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| Coordinates: 70°58′43″N 25°58′36″E / 70.97861°N 25.97667°ECoordinates: 70°58′43″N 25°58′36″E / 70.97861°N 25.97667°E | |
| Country | Norway |
| Region | Northern Norway |
| County | Finnmark |
| District | Vest-Finnmark |
| Municipality | Nordkapp |
| Area[1] | |
| • Total | 1.21 km2 (0.47 sq mi) |
| Elevation[2] | 12 m (39 ft) |
| Population (2012)[1] | |
| • Total | 2,436 |
| • Density | 2,013/km2 (5,210/sq mi) |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+01:00) |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+02:00) |
| Post Code | 9750 Honningsvåg |
Honningsvåg (help·info) is the northernmost city on the mainland of Norway. It is located in Nordkapp Municipality in Finnmark county. Legislation effective in 1997 states that a Norwegian city must have at least 5,000 inhabitants, but Honningsvåg was declared a city in 1996, thus exempt from this legislation. The 1.21-square-kilometre (300-acre) town has a population (2012) of 2,436, which gives the town a population density of 2,013 inhabitants per square kilometre (5,210 /sq mi).[1]
Honningsvåg is situated at a bay on the southeastern side of the large island of Magerøya, while the famous North Cape and its visitors center is on the northern side of the island. Honningsvåg is a port of call for cruise ships, especially in the summer months. The ice-free ocean (southwestern part of the Barents Sea) provides rich fisheries and tourism is also important to the town. Even at 71°N, many private gardens in Honningsvåg have trees, although rarely more than 3 to 4 metres (9.8 to 13 ft) tall.[3]
The famous dog Bamse came from Honningsvåg.
Transportation
The Hurtigruten coastal boats have one of its main stops at Honningsvåg on its lengthy route along the Norwegian coast from Kirkenes in the north to Bergen the south. The Northbound ships to Kirkenes docks from 12:15 pm to 03:15 pm in the port of Honningsvåg, generating heavy tourist activity in the city. The southbound ships to Bergen make a short stop around 6 am in the morning. Honningsvåg Airport, Valan is located 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) outside the town, with flights mainly to Tromsø.
History
People have lived in this area as far back as 10,300 years ago. The sea was probably the main food supplier for this prehistoric settlement.
City status
Honningsvåg was declared a town in 1996 by the municipal council of Nordkapp. National legislation was passed in 1997 that states that a Norwegian city must have at least 5,000 inhabitants, but since Honningsvåg was declared a city in 1996, it was exempt from this legislation. This makes it one of the smallest cities in Norway.
The status of Honningsvåg as a city is a point of contention between the inhabitants of Honningsvåg and Hammerfest which many foreigners may find strange, given the small size of both of these places. In Norwegian the word "by" can mean both town and city and Norwegian does not distinguish between the terms in the same way as English or other languages do. The translation of the word into English is thus ambiguous and can be chosen as one sees fit. If both Hammerfest and Honningsvåg were to be defined according to British tradition, neither of them would be considered cities, as neither has a university or a cathedral. Both of them would, however, be considered towns, given the status of both settlements as economic hubs of the surrounding areas and the status as municipal centers.
Name
The Old Norse form of the name was probably Hornungsvágr. The first element is then the genitive case of a disappeared name of a mountain: Hornungr. This (hypothetical) name could have been an older name of the mountain Storefjell (literally just 'big mountain' - a tall and hornlike mountaintop near Honningsvåg), and it is then derived from the word horn 'horn'. The last element is vágr which means 'bay'. The full meaning of the name is then 'the bay lying beneath the mountain Hornungr.'[4]
Climate
Even though Honningsvåg is located at the northernmost extreme of Europe, it has a subarctic climate, thanks to the Gulf Stream. Also, there is no permafrost because the mean annual temperature is 2 °C (36 °F). The July 24-hour average is just over 10 °C (50 °F). Weather in winter is softened by the ice-free ocean, and the average temperature is not as low as that of most other locations around this latitude. In fact, winters of Honningsvåg are warmer than that of Oslo, 1420 km (880 mi) to the southwest. Summers are cool and short. Mean annual precipitation is 765 millimetres (30.1 in). The wettest months are from October to January, with 85 millimetres (3.3 in) precipitation on average each month, while the driest months are from May to July, with 40 millimetres (1.6 in) precipitation on average each month.[5]
| Climate data for Honningsvåg | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | −2 (28) |
−2 (28) |
0 (32) |
3 (37) |
7 (45) |
11 (52) |
15 (59) |
13 (55) |
9 (48) |
4 (39) |
1 (34) |
−1 (30) |
4.8 (40.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −4.5 (23.9) |
−4.5 (23.9) |
−3.1 (26.4) |
−0.6 (30.9) |
3.4 (38.1) |
7.2 (45) |
10.3 (50.5) |
10.0 (50) |
6.9 (44.4) |
2.6 (36.7) |
−0.8 (30.6) |
−3.3 (26.1) |
2 (36) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −13 (9) |
−12 (10) |
−10 (14) |
−6 (21) |
−1 (30) |
3 (37) |
5 (41) |
5 (41) |
3 (37) |
−2 (28) |
−7 (19) |
−11 (12) |
−3.8 (25.2) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 86 (3.39) |
69 (2.72) |
62 (2.44) |
54 (2.13) |
41 (1.61) |
42 (1.65) |
45 (1.77) |
52 (2.05) |
62 (2.44) |
83 (3.27) |
77 (3.03) |
92 (3.62) |
765 (30.12) |
| Avg. precipitation days (≥ 1 mm) | 26 | 23 | 21 | 19 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 20 | 24 | 24 | 26 | 20.6 |
| Mean daily sunshine hours | 1 | 7 | 11 | 16 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 18 | 13 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 12 |
| Source #1: Norwegian Meteorological Institute[6] | |||||||||||||
| Source #2: Weather2Travel.com[5] | |||||||||||||
References
- ^ a b c Statistisk sentralbyrå (1 January 2012). "Urban settlements. Population and area, by municipality.".
- ^ "Honningsvåg" (in Norwegian). yr.no. Retrieved 2013-02-14.
- ^ "Norway - Honningsvag Vacations". Solar Tours.
- ^ Rygh, Oluf (1924). Norske gaardnavne: Finmarkens amt (in Norwegian) (18 ed.). Kristiania, Norge: W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri. p. 171.
- ^ a b "Honningsvåg Climate Guide". World Climate Guide. Retrieved 2013-02-15.
- ^ "eKlima Web Portal". Norwegian Meteorological Institute.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Honningsvåg |
- http://www.northcape.no - history and culture of the North Cape area
- Information from Nordkapp municipality
- Visitnorway.com - about Honningsvåg
